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LOCAL UNION 1186 IBEW Election Results Here - 6/21/2008 STATE OF THE UNION
IBEW BUSINESS MANAGER'S MESSAGE As I have often reiterated in this newsletter, government and political involvement is critical to defending our industry. All legislators that visited us agree that Local 1186 has gained tremendous respect in the political arena and much of that is attributed to the rank and file members who understand how important political action is to their livelihood. They volunteer their time to attend rallies, sign holdings and often include family members in support of legislators that have been allies to IBEW and labor. In fairness to our contractors, they too have played a vital role providing financial support to key legislators when called on.
"Can the Pension Fund support an increase to the Pension credits?" This was the question that was posed to Pension Consultant Charlie Furuike at the May Unit I meeting. As we entered into the mid 80's and 90's, there was a false sense of security that nothing needed to be improved. What was not taken into consideration was the long term effect of the increasing numbers of retirees and increased benefit distributions. This is where constant assessment and understanding of a funds valuation becomes so important. We must be conscious of the age makeup of our membership, calculate the number of current and future beneficiaries, know the ratio of retirees to active members, mortality and life expectancy and of course the amount of monies distributed per year, market trends and the geo-political events that affect world economics. It is complex to say the least. This information is calculated to determine the amount of contribution and investment return needed to keep the fund healthy and not fall into an under-funded status. After 2002, we learned where mistakes were made, diversions were stopped, increases in contributions were negotiated and responsible asset management produced steady growth. The 2007 audit which showed good growth warranted the question to our actuary, "Can the Pension fund support an increase in the benefit?" Although the answer was in the affirmative, there were valid concerns about the construction and economic forecast. Our contractors must be comfortable in bearing the burden of the increased liability that comes automatically with an increase. There are several scenarios for trustees to consider and it will be in discussion in May and June. ORGANIZING On Friday May 23rd 2008, HMS Electric and owner Mike High became signatory to the IBEW family. This is a significant addition to our family as HMS employs 50 electrical workers in Hawaii. Their business philosophy centers on a high standard of quality work but more importantly taking care of their workforce and family which helps create good worker attitude and ultimately a successful company. The lightning rod to HMS is their owner Mike High. In walking the management team through the transition, Mike was constantly concerned about his workers and any disruption to medical coverage, inclusion into training, apprenticeship and licensing preparation. When asked his interest in becoming an IBEW signatory contractor, Mike replied, "We recognized the influence IBEW has in Hawaii and Gerald's reputation of marketing and support for his contractors. We look forward to expanding into the private sector and know that licensing is mandatory. We want our people trained and licensed for their benefit as well as ours as this is a long term endeavor." Skitch Boren, HMS Regional Manager for the Pacific Rim, worked closely with myself and staff to communicate the benefits of joining the IBEW with employees. "Mike and I were not sure how our employees would receive the news of being signatory to the union. Mostly because the difference in their paychecks would be significant as they currently receive the total union prevailing rate of $59.72 in the check. But Gerald and his staff explained the long term benefits of tax deferred retirement funds, training and the strength of the IBEW so well, the employees were put at ease and looking forward to the move." DUES UPDATE The transfer of your dues account from American Savings Bank to Central Pacific Bank is complete and you should have received a notification of the new procedures. I want to thank everyone for your patience but also the office staff and legal counsel that worked many hours beyond their normal working day to get this project up and running. This change was unavoidable due to new Homeland Security issues that have been put in place to protect us from terrorist activity. This includes money laundering through the banks. Fortunately, CPB was willing to accommodate our special needs and worked diligently with our staff to develop the necessary programs that ended up far more complex than first thought. Lastly, the Democratic nominee has been determined. Barack Obama has successfully reached the number of Super Delegates necessary to secure the nomination. I was privileged to have been asked to serve as a Super Delegate on Obama's behalf and regret not accepting that offer due to other pressing responsibilities. It was an opportunity of a lifetime and historic to be part of the selection of the first African American nominee and potentially the first President of the United States of color. Individually yes, but what's more important is Obama's strong ties with Hawaii which will certainly advantage this state and union members across the country.
UNIONS 101 In honor of the recent Labor Day holiday, The Hawaii Electricians is offering this quick study of how unions help workers with a voice on the job: What is a Union?
How do people form a union? What kinds of workers are forming unions today? How do unions help working families today? What have unions accomplished for all workers? | |
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