Union Labor Bulletin

Check back regularly for updates on IBEW Local 340’s activities. Visit the Events page for more details on upcoming events.

LABOR BULLETIN JULY

July 31, 2017 by ibew

BY BUSINESS MANAGER BOB WARD

COMMUNITY EVENTS:

About 40 members and family members came out and marched in the Arden/Arcade 4th of July Parade. A big thanks goes out to Secretary Lyndsey Gonzales for organizing that march. We were very well received by the community and the kids loved the red/white/blue thundersticks and balloons we handed out to everyone watching the parade. We also want to thank Brother Joe Bonacorso who allowed us to store the picnic giveaways, tables and decorations at a Whittington project right across the street from Howe Avenue Park the night before the parade. It sure saved us a lot of time the next morning.

Another big thanks goes out to Brothers Warren Adsit, Rob Saragoza, Eric Meredith, Nick Baldwin and Mike Franklin (and his wife, a union teacher) for manning the Union Booth at the California State Fair on Saturday July 15th. The NECA/IBEW fans we designed to keep people cool were everywhere you looked on that hot day. Brother Greg Larkins did an amazing job in setting up the Union Booth this year and it was greatly appreciated by members of all trades.

This year’s Sacramento Labor Day Picnic will be held on Labor Day September 4th at Fairytale Town in William Land Park! Free to all members and their kids. There will be food and live music and the kids have complete access to Fairytale Town. The picnic will be from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM. This is a great day to mingle with members of all trades and their families to celebrate Labor and Unions. Hope to see you there.

LOCAL 340 PICNIC

Fliers and RSVP’s are now coming back for the September 16th annual membership picnic at Elk Grove Park. We had a great meeting and the members who attended offered and have scheduled the next meeting for 4PM on Wednesday August 30th here at the Hall. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting, just give our secretary Reyna Kwong a call at the Business Office or email her at rkwong@ibewlocal340.org.

The Picnic Horseshoe Tournament will be held at our own Horseshoe Pits behind the Training Center on the evening before the Picnic and will be organized by Sister Sandi Abbott. We schedule it the night before so that the horseshoe players can enjoy the picnic the next day with their families, as well as volunteer at the picnic. Any member, active or retired, interested in playing “shoes” on Friday Evening September 15th, call the hall or email info@ibewlocal340.org to add your name to the list or just show up on Friday night at 6:00 PM. Food and beverage is provided.

ORGANIZING LEAD CONTEST

Still looking for those leads! If you know of any electricians or electrical contractors that we could talk to, be sure and get those leads to us. If you notice jobs going up in your communities, call us. For any 5 leads you provide, you will be entered into a monthly drawing to get some nice Union Swag.

Contact Jillian Elliot at Jelliot@ibewlocal340.org with the leads or call her at 916-532-2888. All members, active and retired are invited to participate in this organizing drive. Remember, as Union members, we are all organizers and your help is needed and welcomed! Thank you.

PIN PRESENTATION

The next Pin Presentation for members receiving 50+ years of service pins and certificates will be held on Saturday November 4th. Look for further details of this event in the future. In the meantime, congratulations to the following 39 members who will receive pins this year.

50 years: Thomas Becker, Dwight Evans, Ronald Jarnagin, John Jeffcoat, Stephen Mulherron, Roy Ridley Jr., Michael Riordan, Dave Sittman.

55 years of service: Dan Briggs, Talmage Burnett, Ronald Derobertuis, Craig Gildart, Gary Grosse, Tom Melavic, Thomas Murry, William Myre, Ira Sharp, Jim Strain and Keith Williams.

60 years: Clifton Cox, Lewis Crockett, Marcus DelRincon, Eugene Fischer, Robert Frank, Robert Furniss, Delbert Garner, Richard Hall, Gerald Harwood, Gary McDowell, Larry Partanen, Waldemar Peppel, Joseph Quintana, Robert Watkins, Wendell White.

65 years: Ray Kercher, Edgar Patton, Gilford Sisk, Donald Smith, Clyde Treece.

Joint Executive Committees Meeting / New Date!

Notices have been mailed and emailed to all Committee and Trust members for the next mandatory Joint Executive Committees Meeting. the meeting will be held on Saturday August 5, from 8-Noon at the Hall.

SPORTSMAN’S CLUB NEWS:

If you haven’t purchased your tickets for the annual Sportsman’s Club Raffle, you still have time. The drawing will be held at the September 6th membership meeting. Purchase them at the Union Meetings, at the Business Office or from a member of the Sportsman’s Club.

IBEW BABIES

Brother Bill Delgado has a beautiful new baby boy. Nicodemus Vicente Delgado was born on July 18th and weighed it at 8lbs 5oz. Mom Leti and baby are doing great.

ACCIDENTS & ILLNESSES:

Brother Michael Bonito was in a very serious motorcycle accident on Father’s Day. He has been moved to a physical Rehab facility in the Bay Area. Is able to communicate well but is unable to move lower extremities except for one arm. He is very positive that he will recover from his injuries and appreciates the prayers and positive thoughts.

JATC Instructor Matthew Nootenboom is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment but has returned to work at the JATC for the summer and seems to be doing well, although a bit tired. Very appreciative of everyone’s prayers and thoughts.

Bill Vice is slowly but surely healing from his New Year’s Eve accident when he broke his back and appreciates all of the prayers and positive vibes coming his way. He doesn’t think he will be managing the sodas and waters at this year’s picnic, however, so if anyone can take over for him, he would greatly appreciate it.

REST IN PEACE

Brother Ron Manas has passed away. He was a 56 year member and 79 years of age.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

SACRAMENTO MEMBERSHIP MEETING – 1st Wednesdays – 6PM

REDDING UNIT MEETING – 1st Wednesday’s – 6:00 PM 5

SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 4TH Tuesdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall – NEXT S&C MEETING Tuesday October 24th @ 5PM

CIVIL SERVICE UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 3RD Thursdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall. NEXT CIVIL SERVICE MEETING Thursday October 19th @ 5pm!

LABOR BULLETIN JUNE

July 1, 2017 by ibew

BY BUSINESS MANAGER BOB WARD

INSIDE WIREMANS AGREEMENT

We are currently working on updating and proofing the Inside Wiremans’ Agreement per the recent CIR decision. The process of retyping this 42 page document to incorporate all of the revisions that were agreed upon takes quite a while and must be proofed word for word several times before it is complete. Once the typing and proofing is done, the agreement will be mailed to our International Office for final approval. When the final approval is received, we will get it to the printers and your copy of the 2017-2021 Inside Wireman’s Agreement along with wage sheets will be mailed to you. The 35% and 40% Apprentice increases went into effect on June 1st. The next raise that will impact all members will be August 1, 2017.

COURT OF DREAMS

On Saturday June 17th IBEW Local 340’s basketball team “The Sparkeez” finally had the opportunity to play at the New Golden One Center. Brothers Brendan Nelson, Ed Pennington, Adrian Chinn, Richard White, Richard Robertson, Gabriel Gutierrez, Stephen Venegas, Cochise Silva, Marc Powers, Garrett Powers and Marcus Dorsey played a really good game against the Plumbers Local 447 team “The Pipers” and although we lost by only a few points, the 160 Local 340 attendees who showed up to cheer them on all agreed that it was a great time touring the new Arena

and watching our players play on the same court as the Sacramento Kings. A special thanks goes out to Sound & Communication Installer Brother Michael Watts who volunteered to MC the game for us and did an outstanding job acknowledging all of the players and calling the plays. This new Local 340 basketball team was put together specifically for the opportunity to play at the Arena, but when Elite Power offered to sponsor them and pay for jerseys, equipment and league fees, the decision was made to continue honing their skills as a team. Hopefully, they will have another opportunity to play at the Arena next year.

340 SOFTBALL TEAM

Our Mens Softball League is playing now on Fridays at Rusch Park in Citrus Heights. The remaining games for this season are as follows. These family friendly Friday games are a lot of fun to watch so come out and cheer them on!

7/7 @ 8:40 PM, 7/14 @ 8:40 PM 7/21 @ 7:35PM 7/28 @ 6:30 PM 8/4 @ 6:30PMF

4TH OF JULY PARADE – ARDEN/ARCADE

Hope you will join us on Tuesday July 4th when we Local 340 marches in the Arden Arcade parade. We are meeting at 8:30 AM at 2700 Fulton Avenue to begin the march and will wind up at Howe Avenue Park for a BBQ! If you need more information, contact our Secretary Lindsey Gonzales at 916-927-4239.

STATE FAIR BOOTH – CAL EXPO

Don’t forget! Saturday July 15th is Local 340’s day to man the Union Booth at the California State Fair. Stop by the Union Booth for your “freebies” and introduce yourself to the Brothers and Sisters who are volunteering their time to get out our message that the IBEW is about all working family values.

ORGANIZING LEAD CONTEST

Members providing 5 or more viable leads to our Organizing Department will have a chance to win Bags of Union Swag! Provide us with names of Jobsite Locations, Non-Union contractors in your area, and/or contact information of non-represented electricians and receive a chance for our monthly drawing! Contact Jillian Elliot at Jelliot@ibewlocal340.org with the leads or call her at 916-532-2888. All members, active and retired are invited to participate in this organizing drive. Remember, as Union members, we are all organizers. Thank you.

PIN PRESENTATION

50 years of service: Thomas Becker, Dwight Evans, Ronald Jarnagin, John Jeffcoat, Stephen Mulherron, Roy Ridley Jr., Michael Riordan, Dave Sittman.

55 years of service: Dan Briggs, Talmage Burnett, Ronald Derobertuis, Craig Gildart, Gary Grosse, Tom Melavic, Thomas Murry, William Myre, Ira Sharp, Jim Strain and Keith Williams.

60 years of service:
Clifton Cox, Lewis Crockett, Marcus DelRincon, Eugene Fischer, Robert Frank, Robert Furniss, Delbert Garner, Richard Hall, Gerald Harwood, Gary McDowell, Larry Partanen, Waldemar Peppel, Joseph Quintana, Robert Watkins, Wendell White.

65 years of service: Ray Kercher, Edgar Patton, Gilford Sisk, Donald Smith, Clyde Treece.

Joint Executive Committees Meeting / New Date!

The regularly scheduled Joint Executive Committees Meeting for

those members who serve on Local 340 Committees and Trusts

has been scheduled for Saturday August 5, from 8-Noon at the Hall. Notices will be mailed in advance to committee members but please mark your calendars now to attend this meeting. There is a lot to discuss.

SPORTSMAN’S CLUB NEWS

Tickets are now available for the annual Sportsman’s Club Raffle. Prizes are: a Henry Rifle, Rod & Reel, Shotgun, specially designed IBEW knife and much, much more. Drawing will be held at the September 6th membership meeting. Tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. Purchase them at the Union Meetings, at the Business Office or from a member of the Sportsman’s Club.

PICNIC

Fliers and RSVP’s will be mailed out in the next few weeks for our annual membership picnic scheduled for Saturday September 16th at Elk Grove Park. If you are interested in getting more involved in the picnic this year as a volunteer, please call Reyna or email her at rkwong@ibewlocal340.org. This is the 3rd year that a specially designed picnic mug will be given to all of our member volunteers.

REST IN PEACE

Brother Richard Adams – 46 year member / 89 years of age.

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

SACRAMENTO MEMBERSHIP MEETING – 1st Wednesdays – 6PM

REDDING UNIT MEETING – 1st Wednesday’s – 6:00 PM

SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 4TH Tuesdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall – NEXT S&C MEETING Tuesday July 25th @ 5PM

CIVIL SERVICE UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 3RD Thursdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall. NEXT CIVIL SERVICE MEETING Thursday July 20th @ 5pm!

LABOR BULLETIN MAY

June 1, 2017 by ibew

BY BUSINESS MANAGER BOB WARD

INSIDE NEGOTIATIONS SUMMARY & RESULTS

In early February, a survey was mailed to 1,120 Local 340 members who work under the Inside Wireman’s Agreement to fill out and send back with suggestions as to what was important to you regarding your Collective Bargaining Agreement. We received less than 90 responses, but I assure you that every one of these responses was reviewed by your Negotiations Committee and considered when we entered into Inside Wireman negotiations with Management. After many hours of negotiations, Labor and Management agreed to a final proposal on March 28th that both sides felt was not only solid for our membership but good for the future of work in our jurisdiction. We then sent out another mailing to all Inside members announcing a Special Called Meeting for Discussion and Vote on this final proposal. Again, less than 90 members attended the Special Called Meeting on April 29th and the final proposal failed to ratify by the members in attendance.

My takeaway from comments on the floor at the ratification meeting, as well as my discussions with quite a few members
following the meeting, lead me to believe that the most overwhelming concerns were the length of the agreement (members wanted it back to a 3 year agreement instead of a 4 year agreement) and most importantly, the lack of movement of the starting apprentice rates.

The Negotiations Committee was in concurrence that the negotiated contract, along with new input from the members would serve as a strong platform for the next steps. Due to time contraints, on the Monday after the meeting, May 1st, we filed for the earliest CIR (Council on Industrial Relations) ratification to be used only if we were unable to come to an agreement at an Interim Negotiations Meeting that week.
We took your reasons for failing to ratify the final proposal back to the table at that Interim Negotiations Meeting on May 3rd, but unfortunately, was unable to come to any further adjustments to the Agreement.
I attended the May 8th CIR Session in Washington DC and was given the opportunity to address the concerns of our membership about the final negotiated proposal.

The CIR Decision was received a week later and I am happy to report the Council of Industrial Relations did listen to some of my arguments and they did not agree to the final proposal as it stood after negotiations. Their standing was to increase our apprentice rates/wages from 32% & 37% to 35% & 40% effective June 1, 2017. This will favorably impact over 35 Local 340 apprentices.
I want to thank every single one of those members who took the time to fill out the surveys and those who gave up their Saturday morning to attend the Special Called Meeting for Discussion and Vote. No matter how you voted, I appreciate your participation in your Union. As a new Business Manager, these Inside negotiations were quite an educational process for me. I now have a much better understanding of the whole process from the start of negotiations, all the way to DC, if necessary.
Your Negotiations Team, Executive Board and myself stand by this new Inside Agreement and consider it to be a very good one for the Local members and the Industry at this time. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at bward@ibewlocal340.org.

4TH OF JULY PARADE – ARDEN/ARCADE

We are getting into the smaller parades! Since the St. Patrick’s Day Parade was so well received by the members and their families, we decided to once again march in another parade. On Tuesday July 4th, we will be participating in the 16th Annual Spirit of Freedom 4th of July Parade in the Arden Arcade Area. We have close to 200 members living in that area and hope that you (and every member, no matter where you live) will come join us. Decorated Motorcycles / Bicycles are included, so if you want to decorate your “ride” and maybe win a prize, or if you and your family members just want to join us in this short 1.4 mile walk, please contact us. We will be ordering materials for our members to give out to the parade watchers and then we will be feeding everyone after the parade at Howe Avenue Park. Please call our Secretary Lindsey Gonzales at 916-927-4239 for more information and to sign up!
Also, if you live in an area where you feel IBEW community exposure would be welcome, let us know. We are interested in participating in events in some of the smaller communities to let them know Local 340 members live and work and go to school in their areas. We want to get our name out there in a positive way and who doesn’t like a parade?

STATE FAIR BOOTH – CAL EXPO

Saturday July 15th is Local 340’s day to man the Union Booth at the California State Fair. Be sure to stop by the Union Booth for your “freebies” and introduce yourself to the Brothers and Sisters who are volunteering their time to get our message out.

SPORTSMAN’S CLUB NEWS:

Tickets are now available for the annual Sportsman’s Club Raffle. Prizes are: Henry Rifle, Rod & Reel, Shotgun and much, much more. Drawing will be held at the September 6th membership meeting. Tickets are $5.00 each or 5 for $20.00. Purchase them at the Union Meetings, at the Business Office or from a member of the Sportsman’s Club.

THE BASKETBALL GAME AT GOLDEN ONE ARENA IS ON!

THE 340 SPARKEEZ ARE PLAYING AT Golden One Arena on Saturday June 17th AND it is free to all! The date and time have been confirmed! Local 340’s Basketball team the “The 340 Sparkeez” will be playing Plumbers Union Local 447 “The Pipers” on Saturday June 17th from 3-5 PM at the New Golden One Arena. Entry into this game and a chance to tour the new facility is all free to you and your family members. Look for the flier in this Labor Bulletin, as well as in your mail. Please come to the Game…we want a big showing of Local 340 members and families cheering on our new basketball team. Can’t have less fans than the Plumbers!

PICNIC

Remember to mark your calendars for Saturday September 16th for this annual membership picnic in Elk Grove. Fliers will be mailed within the next month or so. Also, if you can help, the areas that volunteers are needed are in registration, food serving, Bingo games and Kids booths and games, not to mention setup and teardown. We have reached out to Local 340’s Women’s Group, Renew Group as well as the 5th year graduating class but we typically need 85-90 volunteers from start to finish to make this picnic a good one for you and all of our members and their families. If you are interested in attending and getting more involved this year, please call Reyna or email her at rkwong@ibewlocal340.org.

REST IN PEACE

Retired Brother Andrew Mellmer (66 year member/89 years of age) and Brother Richard Dobos (56 year member/ 84 years of age)

UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

SACRAMENTO MEMBERSHIP MEETING – 1st Wednesdays – 6PM
REDDING UNIT MEETING – 1st Wednesday’s – 6:00 PM
SOUND & COMMUNICATIONS UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 4TH Tuesdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall – NEXT S&C MEETING Tuesday July 25th @ 5PM
CIVIL SERVICE UNIT MEETING – Quarterly on the 3RD Thursdays of January, April, July & October at the Hall. NEXT CIVIL SERVICE MEETING Thursday July 20th @ 5pm!

LABOR BULLETIN APRIL

May 1, 2017 by ibew

BY BUSINESS MANAGER BOB WARD

INSIDE AGREEMENT

If you were unable to attend the Special Called Meeting on Saturday April 29th for Discussion & Vote on the negotiations for the Inside Wireman’s Agreement, come to the membership meeting on May 3rd for the results of that vote.
340’s New Basketball Team Playing at Golden One Arena!
Looking like June for this game, but the Golden One Center still has not confirmed an actual date in June so continue to stay tuned! According to team manager Brendan Nelson, however, the “340 SPARKEEZ” are definitely ready to beat Plumbers Union Local 447 at the new Arena.

PICNIC

Our 1st Picnic meeting was held on March 23rd and the committee is well on their way to planning another great family event. This year we’re reaching out to Local 340’s Women’s Group, Renew Group and the 5th year graduating class to help with the set up and manning of the picnic. Next meeting will be held at the Hall on Wednesday May 24th. If you are interested in attending and getting more involved this year, please call
Reyna or email her at rkwong@ibewlocal340.org. Your help is needed and welcomed.

LETTER CARRIERS FOOD DRIVE

Help Stamp Out Hunger! The annual Letter Carriers’ Food Drive is Saturday May 13, 2017. Put your non-perishable donations in a bag by your mailbox. The mailman will take it from there. Food donations can also be dropped off at the Hall. We will make sure they are delivered to the Food Drive.

ILLNESSES & ACCIDENTS

• Brian Folena – botched knee surgery from a year ago / needs new surgery
• Gene Sackett – recovering from recent spinal surgery
• Bill Vice – will be undergoing neck surgery from his New Years eve
accident
• Jerry Deuser – fell off his roof, arm and chest injuries – @ a rehab facility
• John Zimmerman – due to complications of Alzheimers has moved to an assisted living facility

REST IN PEACE

Brother Bruce Craighton – 17 year member / 66 years of age passed away suddenly from a fatal heart attack.