Welcome to IBEW Local 725 Bloomington 4th of July Parade - Hope to See You! Bloomington 4th of July Parade - Hope to See You!   Attention IBEW 725 Members:    Attend the 4th of July Parade this Friday in Bloomington and show your support for IBEW Local 725.  We will be marching under the banner of Labor Unions and Working Families of Bloomington.  Our local will have its own place under the entry as will other local unions in the area. We had a great first run last year, so let's increase our number this year and show the city our pride and who we are at the parade.  If you are going anyway, why not show your support and march in the parade.  Family members are welcome to be in the parade. We wil be starting in the "red zone"  which is located in the parking lot of the old Honda dealership and Restore at 11th and Morton on the North East side.  Below are links to instructions and a map. Everyone must be in place by 9:00 a.m. and parking is NOT allowed in the staging area. Links to more information: Map of Starting Place        Instructions and Rules Attention IBEW 725 Members:    Attend the 4th of July Parade this Friday in Bloomington and show your support for IBEW Local 725.  We will be marching under the banner of Labor Unions ... IBEW Endorses Obama IBEW Endorses Obama   Washington – The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers today joined in organized labor’s endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for President of the United States.   IBEW Endorses Democratic Candidate, Barack Obama: The Best Choice for Working Families. Vows All-Out Push. "Our union deliberately did not endorse a candidate in the primaries because we wanted our members to listen to all the candidates and participate in the process. Now is the time to join with the labor movement to unite behind the candidate who offers the best choice to reverse the disastrous policies of the past eight years," said IBEW International President Edwin D. Hill. "The issues are clear. We as a people face difficult choices on health care, energy policy and building jobs and opportunity in a world increasingly bound by economic and environmental issues. Barack Obama offers positive leadership to navigate our way into the future instead of continuing the failures of the past."  The IBEW has been engaged in vigorous training at the local level in order to increase voter registration and participation by members and their families. The union is committed to its largest mobilization effort ever for pro-worker candidates up and down the ballot.   "We want to engage our members and all working people on the need for action on the issues that make a difference in our daily lives," added Hill. It is time to move beyond name calling and division so that our country can take positive action on the challenges we face." The IBEW is an international labor organization that represents approximately 725,000 workers in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Republic of Panama. The IBEW has members in construction, utilities, manufacturing, telecommunications, broadcasting, railroads and government FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:  Scott Treibitz 703/626-1407 David Roscow 703/276-2772 x21 June 26, 2008 Washington – The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers today joined in organized labor’s endor... Vote On Economic Issues Vote On Economic Issues   Focus on economic issues, AFL-CIO says 11:16 PM CDT, June 20, 2008 By Jill Zuckman | Washington Bureau (Chicago Tribune) WASHINGTON — Jim Wasser, an electrician from Kankakee, Ill., stands defiantly, hands on hips, wearing a bright orange International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers T-shirt with a message from the AFL-CIO to 400,000 of its union members in key swing states. " John McCain? War hero? Absolutely," says Wasser, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam with Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.). "Voice for working families? No way." Worried about McCain's appeal among its members and even more worried about Sen. Barack Obama's difficulty attracting white, non-college-educated working-class voters, the AFL-CIO is spending $53.4 million to reach 13 million of its members and their families. The plan is to try to peel them away from McCain by persuading them to vote their economic interest, which they say would be hurt — not helped — by McCain. As soon as he seemed to be closing in on the Republican nomination for president this winter, organized labor began polling its members and holding focus groups to find out what people thought about the Arizona senator. The AFL-CIO vote Graphic "They had a lot of respect for his service to the country, but were unclear about his positions on unions and unclear about his positions in general," said Karen Ackerman, political director for the AFL-CIO. "They felt he was a maverick and took positions different from the Bush administration. They had a favorable view of him." Support of Democrats At the same time, McCain has spoken frequently about his desire to find support among "Reagan Democrats" — the white, blue-collar voters in industrial sections of the country who helped Ronald Reagan win the White House in 1980. "He's probably in the best position of anybody since Reagan, just looking at his popularity, his favorable ratings," said Charles Black Jr., McCain's chief strategist, adding that McCain shares similar views on social issues and national security with many blue-collar workers. Asked why working-class voters would support him, McCain said recently that he would offer them a safe and prosperous country, and noted he has sharp differences with Obama. "I won't tell them that in small towns across America and in Pennsylvania that they are bitter and angry about their economic condition, so therefore they embrace religion and the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution of the United States," McCain said in a dig at controversial comments Obama made at a fundraiser in San Francisco. "I will never do that, because I know why they embrace their constitutional rights and I know why they embrace their religion because of the fundamentally good and decent people that are the reason why America is the pre-eminent nation in the world today." 'An American hero' Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, which specializes in swing-state polling, called it smart politics by the AFL-CIO to give its members information that might turn them away from McCain. "Many of these people were reluctant to vote for Obama in the primary; they were looking for an alternative and now McCain is the alternative," Brown said. "He's not a hard-line conservative; that's attractive. He's an American hero. These are people who respect the military and military service. He has kept his distance from a president who is incredibly unpopular with this group." McCain was a Navy fighter pilot who was shot down over Hanoi and spent 51/2 years as a prisoner of war, frequently tortured by his captors. Joe Rugola, the AFL-CIO president in Ohio and international vice president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, began talking to his members in March about McCain by knocking on doors, calling on the phone and distributing literature at work sites. At the heart of his message: "Generally speaking, the senator has never met a trade deal he didn't love regardless of the impact on American workers and American families," Rugola said. The union federation is using micro-targeting to determine which members are more interested in learning about health care or trade or the economy to ensure they get the information that will best convince them that McCain does not represent their interests. Labor officials are dogging McCain at his campaign events, raising questions about his policies. On Friday, following McCain's trade speech in Ottawa, Canada, the AFL-CIO organized a conference call for reporters with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) to criticize McCain's pro-trade stance. The labor federation also created a Web site, mccainrevealed.org, to show where McCain stands on issues. In particular, the AFL-CIO has focused attention on five key states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Union households comprise 25 percent to 35 percent of the vote in those states, which have the potential to decide the election. Mike Podhorzer, the AFL-CIO's deputy political director, said, "McCain's got to get non-college, working-class voters to come his way. That is going to be the battleground. If he's successful, he has a chance to be president. If he's not, there's no path to victory for him. The union program is really part of putting up a firewall against that. The only way he gets the majorities in a place like Michigan is through ignorance." Mailers include such messages as "John McCain wants to tax your health care" and "John McCain thinks NAFTA was a good idea." So far, Ackerman and Podhorzer believe the program has been working. In February, 57 percent of their members had a positive view of McCain. In April, it dropped to just 33 percent, according to polling conducted for the labor federation. The general board of the AFL-CIO is expected to vote soon on endorsing Obama. And eventually their campaign against McCain will include pro-Obama messages. Wasser, who served with Kerry on his first swift boat in Vietnam, spoke out against attacks on Kerry's war record during the 2004 election. Today, he said, he wants to be sure his fellow union members know the truth about where McCain stands on the issues that matter to them. "I want people to see that they have to look at the real John McCain and not at the war hero," Wasser said. "I respect his service to this country. I don't know how he endured what he did. That was a superhuman thing. But I can't take another four years of a George Bush term." Focus on economic issues, AFL-CIO says 11:16 PM CDT, June 20, 2008 Workers' Rights Watch - June 2008 Workers' Rights Watch - June 2008   Eye on the NLRB  Remedy a Drop in the Cup of Starbucks' Fortune » Visit Eye on the NLRB » Subscribe to our feed 6/10/08: A Starbucks employee in Grand Rapids, Mich., is claiming he was fired last week for trying to form a union.  This allegation follows on the heels of a recent National Labor Relations Board settlement that ordered the company to reinstate two New York City workers it illegally fired for organizing, and to stop spying on employees, withholding raises, prohibiting workers from wearing union buttons, and other illegal tactics used to thwart their union effort. Why, after this settlement, would Starbucks potentially break the law again?  Could it be that the company only had to pay paltry sum of $1,925 to the two fired New York City workers—with no penalties and no impact on the company’s bottom line?  Read more... Check out the latest from Eye on the NLRB Time Is Not on Our Side 5/28/08: In the span of three weeks last summer, employees of Green Valley Manor in St. Louis, Mo., attempted to form a union and were forced to stop in the face of retaliation by their employer.  Nurses, Wear Your Union Buttons Proudly 5/22/08: Some good news for hard-working nurses: the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals just struck down a National Labor Relations Board ruling that allowed a hospital to ban nurses from wearing their “RNs Demand Safe Staffing” buttons during collective bargaining.  Eye on the NLRB  Support Funding for Green Jobs Support Funding for Green Jobs   A message from the Apollo Alliance:   Today marks the beginning of a critical time in the house and senate as appropriations sub-committees decide the fate of two key green-collar jobs programs. We chalked up a major victory last fall when the Green Jobs Act and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program were approved as part of the energy bill. However, that achievement will mean very little if the programs do not receive funding in the 2009 Appropriations Bill. Please act now to ensure that the Green Jobs Act receives the full $125 million per year to identify needed skills, develop training programs and partnerships, and train workers for new careers in green-collar jobs. Furthermore, let's make sure the Block Grant Program is funded at $2 billion per year to cities and local governments for energy and fuel conservation programs, energy audits and retrofits, and the development of renewable energy sources. Please send a letter to your congressperson and senators voicing support for this critical step towards green-collar jobs in America, and broadly shared opportunities for all in a new clean energy economy. For more information, refer to the letter below from Apollo board member and president of Green For All, Van Jones or watch Van in action.   __________________________________________________________________________   Friends, In the halls of Washington, D.C., there is an awful lot of "talk" these days about green-collar jobs. But in a few weeks, Congress will have the chance to put its money where its mouth is - for the first time.   We need your help to tell Congressional leaders to do the right thing.   Last year, with your support, Green For All and our allies helped ensure that the 2007 Energy Bill included two critical provisions: the Green Jobs Act and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Once they are fully funded, these two provisions will dramatically boost the prospects for green-collar job development in the United States.   The Energy Bill authorized funding levels for both of these provisions. Now Congress needs to appropriate the money for them. As soon as two weeks from now, Appropriations committees in Congress will vote whether or not to fund these two vital programs.   Click here to tell your representative and senators to vote for full funding for the Green Jobs Act and the "Green Block Grant" Program in this year's Appropriations Bill.   A fully funded Green Jobs Act will distribute $125 million per year to identify needed skills, develop training programs, and train workers for jobs in a range of green industries. That's enough money to train 30,000 people in green trades - every year. It targets a broad range of populations for eligibility, but it has a special focus on creating "green pathways out of poverty." In other words, this Act can connect the people who MOST need work - to the work that MOST needs to get done.   A fully funded Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program will distribute $2 billion per year to cities and local governments for energy conservation, energy audits, fuel conservation programs, and the use of renewable energy. These "Green" block grants could create tens of thousands of green-collar jobs - accessible to low-income city residents who most need opportunities and careers.   Click here to tell your representative and senators to vote for full funding for the Green Jobs Act and the "Green Block Grant" Program in this year's Appropriations Bill.   We must work hard to make sure that Congress understands the importance of funding these green-collar jobs programs. The budget submitted to Congress by the Bush Administration eliminates and under-funds a broad range of worthy programs. Therefore, Congress must wrestle with many competing priorities as its members attempt to make up for this shortfall and pass an Appropriations Bill for 2009.   The Green Jobs Act and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program are essential investments in green-collar job creation and job training. These programs will be fundamental to building an inclusive green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.   Thank you for taking action. A message from the Apollo Alliance<... Assistance For Union Plus Participants Assistance For Union Plus Participants   Disaster Assistance For Union Plus Program Participants Impacted By Torrential Rain and Flooding in Indiana   Union members living in areas impacted by the devastating flooding in Indiana and who participate in Union Plus programs may have one less financial worry.    The Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is available to help cardholders who are facing financial hardship due to the floods. Union cardholders are eligible to apply for Disaster Relief Fund grants of $500. The money does not have to be repaid.   To qualify for a Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund grant, the union member must: Have been a victim of the flooding in counties designated by FEMA as qualifying for individual assistance. Counties designated by FEMA as disaster areas include: Adams, Bartholomew, Brown, Clay, Daviess, Dearborn, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Henry, Jackson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Marion, Monroe, Morgan, Owen, Parke, Putnam, Randolph, Rush, Shelby, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo Counties. Have experienced a significant loss of income or property due to the disaster. Have been a Union Plus Credit Card holder for at least 12 months and have an account in good standing. Describe his or her circumstances and document the income or property loss.  To apply for a Disaster Relief Fund grant, cardholders can call the Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund at 1-877-761-5028. The Disaster Relief Fund provided $400,000 to 800 union members on the Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.   Other special assistance for cardholders includes skip payments, lower rates, fee waivers and other help.   Disaster victims who participate in the Union Plus Loan, Auto Insurance, Mortgage and UnionSecure Insurance programs may be eligible to receive payment extensions or other special help from the program providers. Assistance plans vary by program provider.   To find out more, members who participate in any of the following programs should call: Union Plus Loan: 1-800-343-7097 Union Plus Mortgage: 1-866-766-2164 Union Plus Auto Insurance: 1-877-244-0304 UnionSecure Insurance: 1-800-393-0864  All members are also eligible for free credit counseling through the Union Plus Credit Counseling Program and free legal advice through the Union Plus Legal Service:  Union Plus Legal Service: 1-888-993-8886 Union Plus Credit Counseling: 1-877-833-1745  For more information about the Union Plus benefits visit www.UnionPlus.org.    The Union Plus Credit Card Disaster Relief Fund is administered by Union Privilege. Union Privilege and HSBC, the company providing the credit card program, established the fund. Union Privilege,founded by the AFL-CIO in 1986, develops and manages the Union Plus benefits programs. Union Privilege uses the combined buying power of millions of union families to obtain top quality goods and services at competitive prices with unique union-member-only features. For more information visit www.UnionPlus.org.   The Disaster Relief Fund is part of the Union Plus Credit Card Safety Net, which offers valuable protection for working families, including access to:  Lifeline Trust Grants, which help members who are out of work due to a prolonged disability.  A Layoff Helpline, which helps protect members who lose their jobs.  Credit counseling, which includes a free counseling session, budget analysis, and advice.  Consumer credit education, which helps members understand credit.  A secured credit card helps build and repair credit. Disaster Assistance For Union Plus Program Participants Impacte... National Building Trades Endorse Obama National Building Trades Endorse Obama   Building and Construction Trades Department Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President    Vote by Governing Board of Presidents is Unanimous…All 13 Affiliated Unions Vow Unprecedented Political Education and Mobilization Effort Washington, DC - The Building and Construction Trades Department today announced its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President of the United States.    June 18, 2008 The endorsement was made official after the Department’s Governing Board of Presidents approved the endorsement by unanimous vote.  “Our endorsement today of Senator Obama marks the beginning of the fight to return the reins of power to a presidential administration that places high value on the interests of America ’s working families,” said Building Trades President Mark H. Ayers.  “We have pledged to Senator Obama our determination to engage our members in detailed conversations concerning the stark differences between his view of America and that of Senator John McCain – whose candidacy, in our minds, is simply a warmed-over version of the anti-worker, anti-union tenure of George W. Bush.” In response to today’s endorsement, Senator Obama stated, “"I'm honored to receive the endorsement of the Building & Construction Trades Department.  Their leaders and members are committed to hardworking Americans, and I look forward to fighting with them for the causes that unite us: worker protections, the right to organize, an economy that works for all, and a 21st century infrastructure that creates jobs and makes America more competitive. I thank them for standing with me, and I will stand with them when I am President.”   This endorsement of Senator Obama is offered with compelling reason.   Through both word and deed, Senator Obama has made it unmistakably clear that he is the right candidate to represent the interests of building trades members and their families.  “But, perhaps most importantly,” said Ayers, “our unions believe in the promise of the future…and the promise of what this country can be. We accept as true Senator Obama’s belief that in the face of war, we believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, we believe there can be hope. And in the face of a politics that's shut us out, that's told us to settle, that's divided us for too long, we believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building a more perfect union.’”    The Building & Construction Trades Department is an alliance of 13 national and international unions that collectively represent 2.5 million skilled craft workers in the United States and Canada.  For Immediate Release Contact: Tom Owens 202-756-4623  towens@bctd.org Building and Construction Trades Department Endorses Senator Barack Obama for President    V More Members Participate in COMET Training! More Members Participate in COMET Training!   We have held five COMET (Construction Organizing Membership Education Training) sessions since Spring.    COMET trainers, Business Manager R. Todd Thacker and Organizer Tom Szymanski, would like to thank the following members for attending the class and providing good discussions on some union history, market share, union density, organizing and their relationship with our collective bargaining agreement and our bargaining strength. We thank the following members for spending their evening learning more about the local and supporting our union! Rob Aydelotte Dan Blackwell Andrew  Brown David Burnworth Adam Callaway Jason Caswell Norm Cheesman Chris Craffets Dusty Crosby Mike  Davis Ty Deckard Donald Dixon Patrick Duffy Ray Franko David Funk Timothy Gentry Dave Grandidier Anthony Guevara Travis Halcomb Jonathan Haskell Joshua Hatfield Wes  Hawkins Jacob Hayhurst Brian Henderson Robby Hert Spencer Hunsucker Wesley Jacobs Don Jenkins Joe Kerr Matt Ketner Cliff Kinkade Fred LeClercq Jeremy Lewis J.L. Love John  Loving Harold Maesch Michael McCarty Mike McClain Kyle McGlothlin Mike McNabb Neil Miller Robert Morris Mark Mosier Steve Neidlinger Chuck Nelson Charlie Nettles Andrew  Nickless Matt Parker Wes Poarch Alex Reeves Earl Roberts Brandon Rohrmayer Travis Runyon Randy Russell Eric Sappingfield John  Simonton Robby Smitley Richard Sorrells Jeff Stahl Roger Stewart Earl Stines Wayne  Sullivan Nicholas Surber Andrew Thompson Ryan Tindall Brent Tomey Leon Trosper George Vandeventer Chad Waldon Gary Wallace Josh Wallace Brian Webb Mike Webb Doug Wilkins Tike Wilson Todd Wirey Chris Woodworth We will be holding more classes in the future.  Please check here for updates and info will be provided at the union meetings.   We have held five COMET (Construction Organizing Membership Education Training) sessions since Spring. <... IBEW Local 725 Endorses the Code of Excellence. IBEW Local 725 Endorses the Code of Excellence.   After the officers received an informational presentation from our International Representative explaining the general concept of the Code of Excellence, the officers acted to endorse the general policy and then referred the endorsement to the union body for acceptance at the union meeting on June 13, 2008. By almost unanimous vote, the union body voted to accept and endorse the Code of Excellence. The Code of Excellence will be utilized as needed on a job-by-job basis.  A committee will be created and a special meeting called to discuss the particulars of the policy. Our local has again taken a proactive step in the right direction to showcase our skills and talents to current and future customers.  We are the best in the industry and now our actions will speak louder than words. More details will be coming soon. Click above at the top of the web page for some additional general information about the Code of Excellence.