Union Meeting Announcements May and June

IBEW Local 146
3390 N. Woodford St.
Decatur, IL 62526
www.ibew146.com
217.877.4604
Fax: 217.877.5204
Job Referral Bid Line Open:
5:00PM to 7:00AM
Satellite Office:
104 W. Washington
Effingham, IL 62401
Facebook at
IBEW Decatur
All-Star Union Meeting
Tuesday, July 14th, 2015
beginning at 6:00PM
This will be a short meeting followed by the showing of the 2015 MLB All-Star Game from Cincinnati
and a special menu. You are encouraged to wear your team colors.
The Union meeting is open to ALL members and classifications. Everyone is encouraged to attend and participate.
Inside the June Edition
Union Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Business Manager Report. . 2
Pension changes
Health & Welfare changes
Inside Wage/Fringe. . . . . . . . 3
Decatur Celebration Panel
Rework Day
Membership Development
Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Green Light List
Golf Outing Results
Work Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Business Manager’s
Report continued
METC Report . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Class Start dates
Book Fees
METC Graduation
Pictures . . . . . . . . . . . 7 & 8
New 1st Year Class
Union Meeting Announcements
May and June
Proposition for Membership:
May: Alexzander Pals
Eric Walters
June: Ryan McClain
Levi Nadler
Brandon Westjohn
Adam Gensler
Travis Sullivan
Andrew Mehrkens
Sean Still
Jessica Yantis
Dylan Lynch
Zach Sirbaugh
Josh Meier
John Wagner
Clint Zumbahlen
Accidents/Illness/Births:
April— Jerry Greenberg had a serious bike accident and is doing fine
Doug Williams had a heart cath and a couple of new stints
Don Ploch’s wife is very ill and struggling with cancer
4/15
Alan Ferriell family had a baby girl
4/17
Dan McSperritt family had twins, a boy and a girl
4/23
Darin Yantis family had a baby girl
May— Eric Karr had surgery and is doing fine
Bill Singleton’s daughter being treated for AIL Leukemia
Jon Burkhardt off work with an injury
5/7
Jeff Schultz fractured his ankle
5/12
Bill Ettinger had surgery and is doing fine
5/19
Jeffrey Perkins sister, Linda Perkins-Lopez passed away
5/22
Kenny Gordon has serious medical issues
6/3
Rich Underwood has a new grandson
6/7
Fred Klinghammer’s brother, Billy, passed away
The May Meeting door prize was won by traveler, Bill Liscom. He donated the prize
to the Annual Member Steak Fry. The May Meeting 50/50 was won by Tim Moeller
and the May Credit Union drawing was a roll-over.
In observance of
Independence Day
the Union Office, METC Office and
Credit Union will be
closed on
Friday, July 3rd, 2015
The June Meeting door prize was won by new 1st Year Apprentice, Jessica Yantis.
Dave Robison won the 50/50. The June Credit Union drawing was a roll over and will
be worth $100 at the July meeting. ALL apprentices will want to be present.
50 members were in attendance at the May meeting and 48 at the June meeting.
Local 146 has a total membership of 625.
Shad Etchason—-217.433.9474 —- shad@ibew146.com
Josh Sapp—- 217.855.6738—- josh@ibew146.com
Ron Cummings—-217.521.7522—-ron@ibew146.com
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BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT
Let me welcome everyone to summer. Work in our jurisdiction has picked up slightly. Please remember to keep hydrated when
working or playing in the extreme heat. You must remember safety at all times, whether at work or play.
I would like to extend congratulations to the new 1st Year Apprentices. All have been placed with contractors and are on jobsites
throughout the area. Journeymen please take time to train and mentor the apprentices. Explain what you do while working and
answer their questions, as they are the future of our industry. Encourage apprentices to get involved in the Union by volunteering
to serve on committees and attend Union meetings. Less than 10% of our total membership has attended the last 2 meetings and
one of those meetings included the ratification of the latest Inside Agreement. Your continued participation is very important.
Congratulations to our newest Journeymen Wiremen. Be very proud of your accomplishment and take advantage of the great
opportunity you have earned. You are well on your way to a lifelong career in an ever changing industry. Please continue to attend
Union meetings, serve on committees and volunteer your time. Your Union is only as strong as the weakest link. Don’t be that link.
International President Edwin Hill retired effective June 1, 2015. Sixth District International Vice President Lonnie Stephenson
was named as his replacement. Brother Stephenson is a former business manager of Local 145 in Rock Island, IL.
With Brother Stephenson’s move to Washington, DC , International 6th District Representative David Ruhmkorff has been named as
the new International Sixth District Vice President. Brother Ruhmkorff is a former business manager of Local 481, Indianapolis, IN.
As you may know I was unable to attend the May Union meeting. I was a panelist for CIR (Council on Industrial Relations) in Washington, DC. I generally serve on two panels per year. Thankfully, the travel requirements for me will slow down during the summer
months.
I was also unable to attend the April Executive Board meeting as I was attending the NECA-IBEW Trustees Meeting. A summary of
the changes to each Plan is as follows:
Pension Trust Fund
Trustees voted to move 40¢ per hour from non-credited to credited effective June 1, 2015. Effective June 1, 2015 the total
non-credited will be $1.40 per hour worked, down from a high of $2.20 per hour worked.
Voted to approve the First Amendment to the Pension Plan Document. This Amendment eliminates the requirement for a
participant to have to be married for a full 12 months preceding their death in order for their spouse to qualify as a “surviving
spouse”. This change took effect immediately.
Health and Welfare Trust Fund
The Trustees voted to increase the contribution rate by 25¢ per hour effective January 1, 2016. The Retiree rate will increase accordingly.
Voted to approve COBRA rates of $924 for the Base Plan and $728 for the Alternative Plan effective June 1, 2015 through
May 31, 2016.
Voted to amend the Plan, effective January 1, 2015, to allow a retiree’s spouse 60 days after a retired member’s death to
opt back into the Plan provided the spouse is at least 55 years old.
Voted to expand coverage of contraceptive devices for all female dependents, regular co-pays and deductibles will apply,
effective June 1, 2015 or as soon as administratively possible.
Voted to change the Plan so that a retiree may spend down their HRA balance on qualified medical expenses including
single plan coverage premiums, including coverage purchased through the exchange with an annual signed affidavit/waiver stating
that such coverage was not subject to the tax subsidy. This change is effective May 1, 2015.
The Fund Offices will be providing a newsletter to all participants in the coming months that covers all changes in detail.
As I reported at the June Union Meeting, Laibe Electric had a safety incident at the Fuyao/PPG plant site on Monday, June 8th. Two
journeymen wiremen were involved terminating a 480 volt feed when the conductors became energized causing an arc flash. Luckily no one was seriously injured. The incident occurred because the breaker feeding the conductors being terminated was not labeled correctly. I was on site shortly after the incident and met with Laibe Electric representatives that day. A Safety Representative was on site the following day for an investigation. I met with the Laibe Electric Safety Representative and will be following-up
on the required changes. Please remember to double check equipment and prints and always verify lock out and tag out.
The Cronus Fertilizer project continues to move forward. They have 4 landowners left to sign an easement agreement. The Urbana
Sanitary District is making its final attempt to reach an agreement with these landowners but will exercise eminent domain if needed. With that in mind, they are looking for a possible September start with the financing closing at this time. Cronus is looking at a
34 month construction schedule.
(continued on page 5)
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INSIDE AGREEMENT
WAGE-FRINGE
Effective June 1, 2015 - May 31, 2016
Contract expires May 31, 2019
Classification
Base
Rate
Journeyman
Foreman
General Foreman
35.91
100%
110%
115%
Apprentices:
1st Year/
1st Period
1st Year/
2nd Period
2nd Year/
3rd Period
3rd Year/
4th Period
4th Year/
5th Period
5th Year/
6th Period
Hourly Pension Health & NEBF Sub-total JATC
Welfare
3%
1.50%
6.60
35.91
7.29
6.60
1.08
50.88
0.54
39.50
7.29
6.60
1.19
54.58
0.59
41.30
7.29
6.60
1.24
56.43
0.62
AMF
0.20
NLMCC Total Package
0.01
0.20
0.20
0.20
0.01
0.01
0.01
51.63
55.38
57.26
42%
15.08
n/a
6.60
0.45
22.13
0.23
0.20
0.01
22.57
45%
16.16
n/a
6.60
0.48
23.24
0.24
0.20
0.01
23.69
50%
17.96
7.29
6.60
0.54
32.39
0.27
0.20
0.01
32.87
60%
21.55
7.29
6.60
0.65
36.08
0.32
0.20
0.01
36.62
70%
25.14
7.29
6.60
0.75
39.78
0.38
0.20
0.01
40.37
85%
30.52
7.29
6.60
0.92
45.33
0.46
0.20
0.01
46.00
By action of the Inside Bargaining Unit members present at the May 2015 Regular Union meeting, the
above wage/fringe breakout was approved. The newly ratified contract called for $1.15/hour base wage increase. The NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund had previously approved a 25¢/hour contribution rate increase to be effective June 1, 2015 and then an additional 25¢/hour contribution rate increase to be effective January 1, 2016 was approved at the 2015 Spring Trustees meeting. With this allocation, $6.35/hour
will go towards the Health & Welfare contribution rate and 25¢/hour will be credited to an HRA account
for the member from June 1—December 31, 2015.
Additionally, while there was no change in the pension hourly contribution, the NECA-IBEW Pension
Trust Fund trustees ratified moving an additional 40¢/hour from non-credited contribution to credited
contribution. This brings the hourly credited contribution rate to $5.89/hour worked.
Reminder: All contracts containing language for participation in the
NECA-IBEW Welfare Trust Fund will see a rate increase of 25¢/hour
effective June 1, 2015.
This contribution increase will be a deduction from your hourly wage.
Volunteers are needed to help rework the
Decatur Celebration panels.
A work day has been scheduled for Saturday, July 18th beginning
at 7:00AM in the Incubator Complex next to Borg Warner Field
just off Imboden and Business 51 South. Lunch will be provided
by Decatur Celebration. If you are able to help for a little while
or the day, please contact the Union Office (217-877-4604). The
more volunteers, the faster the work will be completed.
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Membership Development Report
I continue to meet with non-union electricians to discuss the benefits of joining the IBEW. As always, please continue to contact
me with information regarding projects and non-union contractors or electricians.
The Bodine Motor Shop Wage and Insurance opener was recently settled. The negotiating committees met 6 times before an offer
was agreed to be presented to the Bargaining Unit members. The settlement consisted of wage increases for all journeyman classifications of 82¢ per hour effective June 1, 2015 and 82¢ per hour effective June 1, 2016. The Utility classification will receive 54¢ on
June 1, 2015 and 56¢ per hour on June 1, 2016.
Modifications to the premiums paid by the employees for the final two years of the contract were also agreed upon along with
changes to deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses.
These changes were ratified by a vote of the Bargaining Unit on Friday, June 12, 2015 with changes retro-active to June 1, 2015.
Thank you to Jamie Chitwood, Doug Nihiser and Justin Kidd for serving on the negotiating committee.
Thank you to Kaleb Swarts, Dillon Lewis and Blake Davis for helping with the set -up of the Decatur/Forsyth Classic Golf Tournament. It is great to see apprentices getting involved and helping promote the IBEW. While handing out thank you’s, I would like to
personally thank Justin Moma and Heath Righter for helping with the Local’s Golf Outing on June 13th. Thank you as well to Galen
Garrett for helping me finish the fire and burglar alarm systems at Salem Baptist Church. This project completed the work at the
church that was left unfinished when the electrical contractor went out of business.
Recent meetings, events and job site visits:
Apprenticeship Graduation
Local Union meeting
IL State Organizers meeting
Meridian High School
Local 146 Golf Outing
Bargaining Unit meetings with Bodine Motor Shop
Decatur Building Trades meetings
JATC meeting
Enbridge Pump Station
Decatur/Forsyth Golf Classic Set-up
Salem Baptist Church
Have a safe and happy 4th of July.
In Solidarity,
Green Light
List
Please consider Patronage of
these businesses that chose one of
our contractors for their electrical
needs.
Decatur
1st Mid-America Credit Union
Dollar General on Mound Rd.
Casey’s throughout the area
Effingham
Dollar General
NAPA
5/3 Bank
Scheid Diesel
Rush Truck Sales
Taylorville
Shoe Sensation
Factory Connection
Charleston/Mattoon
First Mid-Illinois Bank
Little Caesars
Crain’s Chicago Business recently featured an article by Mike Zahn, Business
Manager of IUOE 965 and member of
Citizens for Truth in Employment titled
‘Prevailing wage’ law doesn’t lower
costs—it lowers standards
In this article Brother Zahn states When
people argue that prevailing wage makes
us less competitive, they mean that construction unions have built their skills,
training and productivity standards to
such a high degree that many contractors
without these type of worker-investment
programs do not win. If you remove living
wages that help pay for worker training,
you’ll “level the playing field.”
Or drive down the standards.
There is real value in getting the job done
right the first time.
(look up the entire article @
www.chicagobusiness.com)
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Local 146 Golf Play Day
The 15th Annual Golf Play Day was held on
Saturday, June 13th at Lakeshore Golf
Course in Taylorville. Seventy individuals
played on 18 teams. The weather cooperated and all in attendance had a good time.
Congratulations to the winning teams:
First Place:
Shannon St. Pierre
Daniel McSperritt
Kevin Leveck
Kevin Wolfe
Second Place:
Josh Delahunty
Nick Delahunty
Jake Nelson
Darrin Hill
Third Place:
Jeremy Blankenship Joe Webb
Richard Brunner
Scott Myers
Thank you to Josh
Sapp, Justin Moma
and Heath Righter
for putting this event
together.
Special
thank you to Casey
Moma for serving as
photographer for the
day.
(Business Manager’s report from page 2)
Negotiations for the Decatur Industrial Electric contract will be starting in July. Our letter of intent to begin bargaining has been
provided to management. The current agreement goes through August 31, 2015.
Governor Rauner continues to push his Turnaround Agenda throughout the State. Thank you to everyone who attended the Effingham City Council meeting. Also, thank you to LU 146 members Justin Martin and Travis Funneman for speaking to the Council
about their personal experience of being a union member. This issue is most likely coming back in Effingham so we may be calling
on you again in the near future. The Turnaround Agenda was recently approved by the Moultrie County Board. We will be making
contact with those Board members and asking for them to re-consider their actions.
Meetings and events:
Apprenticeship Graduation
Effingham City Council meeting
Fuyao/PPG job site
Meeting with ADM Executives
Meeting with Decatur City Manager
Enbridge Pump Station job site
Union Meeting
Executive Board meeting
Building Trades meetings
Have a safe and enjoyable summer!
In Brotherhood,
Shad E. Etchason, Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Work Report
As of the printing of this newsletter we have 88 on Book 1 and
176 on Book 2 Out-of-Work Registers. We continue to have
scattered manpower calls.
Manpower calls for the month of May were:
3 Apprentices— one each to Bodine, Alltech and Commercial
25 Long Calls— 12 to Laibe, 12 to State Group and 1 to Pals
2 Foreman Call By Name — 1 to Pals and 1 to JL Allen
2 Telecom Apprentices—1 to Bodine and 1 to Fieldwrxs
1 CW to Pals Electric
June manpower calls to date are:
3 Un-indentured Apprentices — 2 to Bodine and 1 to Laibe
10 Long Calls — 4 to Anderson, 2 to Pals & 4 to State Group
4 Short Calls all to Laibe Electric
Anyone still looking to find work will want to sign books in Local
601-Champaign, Local 725-Terre Haute, IN, Local 309-Collinsville,
Local 150-Waukegan and Local 134-Chicago. Work has picked up
in these areas for the summer. While you may have to travel, you
do not have to travel as far to find work.
Remember, you are our eyes and ears in the jurisdiction. If you
see or hear of work coming to your area, please do not hesitate to
give us a call. We will be more than happy to check into it. Sometimes a phone call early in the planning stages can make all the
difference in securing the work for our contractors.
Meetings, events and job site visits:
Lincoln Land Building and Trades
Effingham City Council
Fuyao/PPG
Trial Board/Executive Board
Charleston City Council
EIU Electric Shop
Enbridge Pump Station
Union meeting
I wish everyone a safe and healthy summer.
In Unity,
5
Ron Cummings, Assistant Business Manager
The first night of class for the 2015/2016 school year for the Inside Apprentices will be:
1st, 2nd, and 3rd year Instructors and Apprentices: Tuesday August 25, 2015 at 5:30 pm.
4th and 5th year Instructors and Apprentices: Thursday August 27, 2015 at 5:30 pm.
Each night will begin with a meeting in classrooms A and B at the Training Center. After the meeting, each class will
meet with their Instructor in their classroom.
2015/2016 Book Fees: 1st Year:
nd
2
$714.85
Year:
$639.80
3 Year:
$629.65
rd
4th Year:
th
5 Year:
$512.90
$336.68
Books are planned to be available for purchase and early pick up starting Monday, August 10, 2015. Please call ahead if
you plan to purchase and pick up your books early. Books may also be purchased during the first night of class.
Book fees are required to be paid in full. Apprentices will not take possession of their books without full payment. Apprentices will not be allowed to attend class without books.
Checks/money orders payable to METC. NO
CASH.
Instructor/Class Assignments
Alf Edwards:
1st Year Apprentices
Al Green:
4th Year Apprentices
Terry Tomer:
2nd Year Apprentices
TBD:
5th Year Apprentices
Nate Frederick: 3rd Year Apprentices
Applications for Apprenticeship – Anyone interested in applying for an Apprenticeship opportunity and needing
information can go to www.metc146.com or call the Training Center office. Applications are accepted on a year round
basis. Applications are by appointment only. Appointments are scheduled on Thursdays at 8, 10, 1, and 3. Applications
for 2016 opportunities must be received by December 31 st.
Members please recommend our Apprenticeship program to anyone you feel would be a good fit for our trade. One of
the most important expectations we have of an Applicant is the willingness to make the sacrifices needed to be committed and dedicated to a lifelong career in the Union Electrical Construction Industry. Although it’s not required,
we are interested in applicants having electrical construction experience. We are also interested in Applicants having
general construction experience, a good mechanical aptitude, and/or have completed electrical courses.
Office Closed – The Training Center office will be closed Monday 7/27/15 through Friday 7/31/15. I will be available by email at jason@metc146.com or by cell phone.
Indentured/Employed/Unemployed Apprentices – At the time of this report, the number of indentured Apprentice Inside Wiremen in training is 61: (14) 1st year, (12) 2nd year, (8) 3rd year, (14) 4th year, and (13) 5th year. The number
of indentured Apprentice VDV Installer Technicians in training is 4: (1) 2 nd year and (3) 3rd year. All Apprentices are employed.
Jason L. Drake – Training Director
6
CONGRATULATIONS
TO THE METC CLASS OF 2015
Front Row
Markus Gillespie, Robert Roberts,
Seth Richardson, Andrew Karr
Back Row
Cole Garriott, David Clauss,
Josh Retzer, Drew Higgason
Andrew Karr was the Apprentice of the
Year with the highest 5 year GPA.
METC
Apprenticeship Class of 2020
Front Row
Levi Nadler, John Wagner, Josh Meier, Jessica Yantis, Eric Walters, Zach Sirbaugh, Sean Still
Back Row
Ryan McClain, Travis Sullivan, Brandon Westjohn, Andrew Mehrkens, Clint Zumbahlen, Dylan Lynch, Adam Gensler
7
Thank you to Rob Perkins for his service to the
METC as the Fifth Year Instructor.
Shad Etchason,
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Local 146
Derek Bartlett
Anderson Electric
NECA Representative
8