COMET for Electrical Workers Welcome to Construction Organizing

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COMET for Electrical Workers Welcome to Construction Organizing Membership Education Training Rev. FEB 2015

COMET for Electrical Workers Welcome to Construction Organizing Membership Education Training Rev. FEB 2015

COMET for Electrical Workers Introductions • Name • Number of years in trade and

COMET for Electrical Workers Introductions • Name • Number of years in trade and IBEW • How you were organized into the union • Apprenticeship • Prior experience in the electrical trade 1 - COMET Agenda

COMET for Electrical Workers A Message from International President Ed Hill

COMET for Electrical Workers A Message from International President Ed Hill

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET Purpose • To understand why every local union in

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET Purpose • To understand why every local union in the IBEW must organize unrepresented electrical workers. • To understand why it is essential that every member assist in the local union’s organizing effort.

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET Purpose • All of our jobs are tied to

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET Purpose • All of our jobs are tied to our organizing success. • You are here to learn how you can save your jobs and your way of life. • Without your help our union will not be able to deliver the good wages, benefits and industry standards our members deserve.

COMET for Electrical Workers

COMET for Electrical Workers

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET History • Launched in 1991 • Delivered to over

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET History • Launched in 1991 • Delivered to over 154, 650 IBEW members • Increased membership by nearly 100, 000 • Helped local unions meet demand for electricians • Strengthened bargaining power • Increased contractor’s base by nearly 50%

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET RESULTS Pre – Organizing Begins $28 B After COMET

COMET for Electrical Workers COMET RESULTS Pre – Organizing Begins $28 B After COMET Value of Electrical Construction Inside Hours Worked 292 M 148, 249 1, 970 $91 B 349 M 179, 263 Inside Annual Average Members Working Annual Average Hours 1, 944 '82 '83 '84 '85 '86 '87 '88 '89 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 '11 '12 '13

COMET for Electrical Workers A Look at Our Union’s Growth 9

COMET for Electrical Workers A Look at Our Union’s Growth 9

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW 1998 - 2012

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW 1998 - 2012

COMET for Electrical Workers Market Share and Union Density For the remainder of this

COMET for Electrical Workers Market Share and Union Density For the remainder of this class, the following definitions will apply: • Union Market Share – The percentage of work that is done by our employers under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. • Union Employment Share – The number of union members working in the construction industry expressed as a percentage of the total work force.

COMET for Electrical Workers U. S. Construction Industry Union Employment Share & Market Share

COMET for Electrical Workers U. S. Construction Industry Union Employment Share & Market Share Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics: Leo Troy (Union Sourcebook) 3 – Employment & Market Share

COMET for Electrical Workers 2013 U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Employment and Employment Share

COMET for Electrical Workers 2013 U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Employment and Employment Share IBEW 30% or 179, 263 Source: NEBF; Bureau of Labor Statistics Non-IBEW 70% or 424, 817

COMET for Electrical Workers 2013 U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Wages and Wage Share

COMET for Electrical Workers 2013 U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Wages and Wage Share IBEW 35% Non-IBEW 65% or or $11. 5 Billion $21. 0 Billion Source: NEBF; Bureau of Labor Statistics

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW U. S. Inside Construction Employers Source: NEBF, Inside “Local”

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW U. S. Inside Construction Employers Source: NEBF, Inside “Local” Contractors

COMET for Electrical Workers U. S. Inside Construction Labor Hours and the IBEW’s Percentage

COMET for Electrical Workers U. S. Inside Construction Labor Hours and the IBEW’s Percentage of the Total, 1982 through 2013 Source: NEBF; Bureau of Labor Statistics

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections To Organizing

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections To Organizing

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections to Organizing Flip Chart for Brainstorming Exercise

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections to Organizing Flip Chart for Brainstorming Exercise

COMET for Electrical Workers OBJECTIONS TO Construction Wireman Construction Electrician

COMET for Electrical Workers OBJECTIONS TO Construction Wireman Construction Electrician

COMET for Electrical Workers Local Union Membership • Since 1982 the membership of our

COMET for Electrical Workers Local Union Membership • Since 1982 the membership of our IBEW local union has: - Increased? - Decreased? - Remained essentially the same?

COMET for Electrical Workers Demand for Electrical Work • Since 1982, the demand for

COMET for Electrical Workers Demand for Electrical Work • Since 1982, the demand for electrical work in the jurisdiction of our local has: - Increased? - Decreased? - Remained the same?

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Members • More than half of the electrical workers

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Members • More than half of the electrical workers in the jurisdiction of our IBEW local union are union members: - True? - False?

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Contractors • What percentage of all electrical work in

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Contractors • What percentage of all electrical work in the jurisdiction of our local is done by union contractors under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement? - Less than 30 percent? - About 50 percent? Without INTEL - More than 60 percent? With INTEL

COMET for Electrical Workers Journey Level • The IBEW apprenticeship program is the only

COMET for Electrical Workers Journey Level • The IBEW apprenticeship program is the only way a construction worker can acquire the skills necessary to be a journey level electrician: - True? - False?

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize?

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize?

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize? In a few words. . .

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize? In a few words. . . FOR COLLECTIVE BARGAINING STRENGTH!

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize?

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize?

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize? The relationship between organizing and collective

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Do We Organize? The relationship between organizing and collective bargaining can best be understood by looking at how collective bargaining is different from other ways that wages and benefits are determined.

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages We’re going to look at some of the

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages We’re going to look at some of the key factors in determining wages: • The Boss • Supply and Demand • Individual Negotiations • The Government • Collective Bargaining

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages If you’re on a job and you don’t

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages If you’re on a job and you don’t have a union, who determines your wages and working conditions? THE BOSS!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Then who has all the POWER? THE BOSS!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Then who has all the POWER? THE BOSS!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Since the supply of labor influences the BOSS’

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Since the supply of labor influences the BOSS’ decision on wages and conditions, what happens when the supply of labor is high and the demand for labor is low? LOW WAGES!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages If this simple economic equation is true (and

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages If this simple economic equation is true (and it is), then we can safely assume that the opposite is equally true. When the supply of QUALIFIED LABOR is low, wages increase! BETTER BARGAINING STRENGTH!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages What happens to workers when they compete with

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages What happens to workers when they compete with each other for jobs and wages? WAGES GO DOWN!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND •

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND • INDIVIDUAL NEGOTIATIONS

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Some workers, whose skills are high in demand,

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Some workers, whose skills are high in demand, engage in individual negotiations. Does SUPPLY AND DEMAND affect individual negotiations? DEFINITELY!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages In individual negotiations, who has the power?

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages In individual negotiations, who has the power?

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND •

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND • INDIVIDUAL NEGOTIATIONS • THE GOVERNMENT

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages How is the Government involved in setting wages?

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages How is the Government involved in setting wages? • On Public Works jobs – Davis-Bacon; • On Private jobs – MINIMUM WAGE!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND •

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages • THE BOSS • SUPPLY and DEMAND • INDIVIDUAL NEGOTIATIONS • THE GOVERNMENT • COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages What can be done to EQUALIZE POWER between

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages What can be done to EQUALIZE POWER between workers and their bosses? COLLECTIVE BARGAINING!

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Which form of negotiations work better: INDIVIDUAL or

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Which form of negotiations work better: INDIVIDUAL or COLLECTIVE? WHY?

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Non-union contractors have lower labor costs. Does that

COMET for Electrical Workers Determining Wages Non-union contractors have lower labor costs. Does that impact our negotiations with our signatory contractors? MOST DEFINITELY!

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors That Influence Collective Bargaining Strength

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors That Influence Collective Bargaining Strength

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors That Influence Collective Bargaining Strength • Good contractor relationship

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors That Influence Collective Bargaining Strength • Good contractor relationship • Industry economics • Percentage organized • Political Influence • Member support • Public support • Skilled negotiators • Reliable information • Union market share • Skill and productivity 4 - Factors

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors of Bargaining Strength Union Market Share ____ Percentage Organized

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors of Bargaining Strength Union Market Share ____ Percentage Organized ____ Good Relationship ____ Economics of Industry ____ Political Influence ____ Public Support ____ Reliable Information ____ Skill and Productivity ____ Member Support ____ Skilled Negotiators ____ 4 – Factors and Flip Chart

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors of Bargaining Strength Union Market Share Percentage Organized Good

COMET for Electrical Workers Factors of Bargaining Strength Union Market Share Percentage Organized Good Relationship Economics of Industry Political Influence Public Support Reliable Information Skill and Productivity Member Support Skilled Negotiators.

COMET for Electrical Workers Chicago, IL pop. 5. 2 million Philadelphia, PA pop. 2.

COMET for Electrical Workers Chicago, IL pop. 5. 2 million Philadelphia, PA pop. 2. 6 million Cleveland, OH pop. 1. 4 million Seattle, WA pop. 2. 4 million St. Louis, MO pop. 2. 6 million Boston, MA pop. 3. 6 million Atlanta, GA pop. 6. 8 million Denver, CO pop. 3. 7 million Houston, TX pop. 5. 9 million Charlotte, NC pop. 4. 4 million Inside 2012 Total Wage and Benefit Packages and 2012 Employment Shares Population is based on U. S. Census Bureau 2012 estimates for all the counties represented by the local union in each respective city. Source: IBEW Contract Database; U. S. Census Bureau; and NLMCC.

COMET for Electrical Workers So, Why Do We Organize? If Union Wages and Standards

COMET for Electrical Workers So, Why Do We Organize? If Union Wages and Standards are threatened by unorganized contractors and unrepresented electricians, what is the most effective way to protect our standards?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Right?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Right?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Right Our forefathers had a clear vision and

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Right Our forefathers had a clear vision and the will to make it happen. They: • organized all qualified electrical workers • established a monopoly of the workforce

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Situation #1: The majority of your

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Situation #1: The majority of your Local’s membership supports organizing. However, the work situation has not been good for several months and many members are on the out of work list. As members, which of the following situations would you prefer and why?

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Choice A: Your Local organizes a

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Choice A: Your Local organizes a contractor who becomes signatory to your agreement. The contractor lays off his unrepresented workers and replaces them with local members on the out of work list. Choice B: Your Local organizes a contractor who becomes signatory to your agreement. The contractor keeps all of his workers who have joined the local. A few months later, the contractor goes out of business, putting the newly organized members on the out of work list.

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Situation #2: Some members of your

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Situation #2: Some members of your Local complain that the newly organized members who haven’t gone through the apprenticeship are not qualified. They accused them of “coming in the back door. ”

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Choice A: Your Local organizes a

COMET for Electrical Workers The Choices We Face Choice A: Your Local organizes a contractor and all of his current workers become members. You are now working on a job with one of these new members and notice that he hooked up a 20 HP motor incorrectly. You don’t say anything. You feel this guy wasn’t qualified in the first place so if he doesn’t know how to do the work, you’re not about to show him. Choice B: Your Local organizes a contractor and all of his current workers become members. You are now working on a job with one of these new members and notice that he hooked up a 20 HP motor incorrectly. You call him over and explain what he did wrong and show him the correct way to make the hook up.

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Wrong?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Went Wrong?

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks Business Roundtable Established: • In the 1960’s, corporate construction

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks Business Roundtable Established: • In the 1960’s, corporate construction users conspired to break the building trades unions by promoting open-shop contractors and, in some cases, denying bids to signatory contractors. • Many of the “anti-union” associations were formed (ABC, WECA, AGC, etc. )

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack • Construction Recession

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack • Construction Recession

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • In the 1970’s, a severe downturn in the

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • In the 1970’s, a severe downturn in the construction industry heightened the competitive pressures from the open-shop and undermined the viability of the union sector.

COMET for Electrical Workers Billions of Dollars U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Value Put

COMET for Electrical Workers Billions of Dollars U. S. Inside Electrical Construction Value Put in Place (*) and Recessionary Periods * 10% of total U. S. construction value put in place. . Source: U. S. Department of Commerce, “Value of New Construction Put in Place. ”

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack • Construction Recession • Political Backlash

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks • Corporate Attack • Construction Recession • Political Backlash

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks Political Backlash: • Federal prevailing wage rate enforcement became

COMET for Electrical Workers Setbacks Political Backlash: • Federal prevailing wage rate enforcement became non-existent. • Firing of PATCO strikers sent message that union busting as a remedy for labor disputes was OK. • Created general antiunion sentiment.

COMET for Electrical Workers What Really Went Wrong?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Really Went Wrong?

COMET for Electrical Workers What Really Went Wrong? Regardless of what the politicians were

COMET for Electrical Workers What Really Went Wrong? Regardless of what the politicians were doing, if we had maintained a 90% market share and had continued with our Founders’ mission… IT WOULDN’T HAVE MATTERED!

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our Organizing Mission

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our Organizing Mission Got Lost

COMET for Electrical Workers Ninth District Inside Membership vs. Unrepresented Inside Electrical Workforce (1980

COMET for Electrical Workers Ninth District Inside Membership vs. Unrepresented Inside Electrical Workforce (1980 – 2012)

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Simply put, we

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Simply put, we lost sight of the organizing mission that guided the birth and growth of our Brotherhood by excluding “qualified” electrical workers. 5 - Executive Board Meeting Minutes

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Times change and

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Times change and union policies which might have served us well at one time in our history may be counterproductive now. We must continue to reverse our decline and revitalize our union by recognizing and understanding the nature of our own mistakes and rebuild from that point.

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our focus over

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our focus over the past few decades was to protect the “entitlements” of the membership while obscuring our view of the shared and common interests of all working electricians.

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We became selective

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We became selective in the type of work we would do – residential, traffic signal and street lighting, service work, etc. Many of us walked away for the small work (and “bread and butter” shops) for the BIG jobs with the BIG money. We accepted lower production standards in the name of “improved working conditions. ”

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We used a

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We used a large amount of “permit hands” that we trained, but refused to take into membership. This provided a viable work force for the nonunion contractors.

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We grew complacent

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks We grew complacent by thinking that performing only selective work and that the absence of organizing would have no long term consequences.

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our perception was

COMET for Electrical Workers Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks Our perception was (may still be) that unrepresented electricians were (are) fundamentally different from us, when if fact, the differences are much less profound than are the similarities.

COMET for Electrical Workers So, the Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks… •

COMET for Electrical Workers So, the Union Policies That Contributed to the Setbacks… • • • Excluded qualified electrical workers Counter-productive union policies Focused on entitlements Became selective in work performed Accepted lower production standards Trained competition without offering them membership • Grew complacent • Misconceptions regarding unrepresented electricians

COMET for Electrical Workers Attitude Productivity Responsibility

COMET for Electrical Workers Attitude Productivity Responsibility

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t show up for work everyday, on time, drug and alcohol free, how will anyone know you are the best?

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t work safely 100 % of the time, respect and protect tools and equipment, who would see you are the best?

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t

COMET for Electrical Workers YOU ARE THE BEST TRAINED BUT… … if you don’t take responsibility for your actions and value and respect everyone on the jobsite, especially the customer, what kind of message are you sending? 6 – IBEW PRIDE

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap”

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap”

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” Our careless use of language perpetuates

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” Our careless use of language perpetuates the distortion of reality and widens the gap between union and unrepresented workers. The terms “scab” and “rat” have specific meanings yet we often misuse these terms by applying them to workers who simply do not understand and/or enjoy the benefits of union representation.

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” Some view unrepresented workers as somehow

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” Some view unrepresented workers as somehow being fundamentally different than ourselves, when, in fact, the differences aren’t as great as the similarities. The way we often talk about unrepresented workers, the names we call them, deepens the “gap” between us.

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” What is a SCAB? A WORKER

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” What is a SCAB? A WORKER who betrays his/her coworkers by crossing a picket line and/or working during a strike, thus helping to break the strike.

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” What is a RAT? A “RAT”

COMET for Electrical Workers The Represented/Unrepresented Worker “Gap” What is a RAT? A “RAT” is a non-union employer who exploits his/her workforce by paying them substandard wages and/or benefits. 7 – LU 119 - Temple, Texas

COMET for Electrical Workers Differences • Union electrical workers have collective bargaining agreements. •

COMET for Electrical Workers Differences • Union electrical workers have collective bargaining agreements. • Unrepresented electrical workers work without the benefits and security of a collective bargaining agreement. 8 – 1919 Agreement of LU 308

COMET for Electrical Workers Carlos has been an electrician for 12 years. His youngest

COMET for Electrical Workers Carlos has been an electrician for 12 years. His youngest son has leukemia, and he is afraid the medical bills will bankrupt his family.

COMET for Electrical Workers Doug believes many union electricians rely on union protection rather

COMET for Electrical Workers Doug believes many union electricians rely on union protection rather than skill and productivity to keep their jobs.

COMET for Electrical Workers Bill, 26, is an electrician who dreams of earning enough

COMET for Electrical Workers Bill, 26, is an electrician who dreams of earning enough money to send his three children to college.

COMET for Electrical Workers James is the only African-American electrician on the job. His

COMET for Electrical Workers James is the only African-American electrician on the job. His coworkers are cordial, but he hears occasional racial slurs.

COMET for Electrical Workers Mary has been installing florescent fixtures for five weeks. She

COMET for Electrical Workers Mary has been installing florescent fixtures for five weeks. She will have installed 700 by the end of the job. It’s really getting on her nerves.

COMET for Electrical Workers Building Our Future: Worksite Organizing

COMET for Electrical Workers Building Our Future: Worksite Organizing

COMET for Electrical Workers Worksite Organizing Systematically utilizing union members and unrepresented workers who

COMET for Electrical Workers Worksite Organizing Systematically utilizing union members and unrepresented workers who have demonstrated leadership abilities and have the courage to promote the ideals of a union by leading workers to act in concert to better their wages and working conditions.

COMET for Electrical Workers Previous Strategies for Market Recovery and Competition • • •

COMET for Electrical Workers Previous Strategies for Market Recovery and Competition • • • Targeting Funded targeting Unindentured apprentice Split scales Adjusting apprentice ratios White tickets/working non-members

COMET for Electrical Workers Current Strategies for Market Recovery and Organization • • •

COMET for Electrical Workers Current Strategies for Market Recovery and Organization • • • Recovery agreements Composite crew mixes Construction Wireman / Construction Electrician / Construction Lineman classifications Maintain journeyman and apprentice pay and benefits Adjusting Construction Wireman, Construction Electrician & Construction Lineman classification’s ratios Organizing a new classification of members

COMET for Electrical Workers Advantages of Organizing Within the Industry • We are not

COMET for Electrical Workers Advantages of Organizing Within the Industry • We are not adding additional workers to the labor pool • Putting cost of filtering manpower on Non-Union • These workers are much younger on average than our existing membership, which in turn helps our various trust funds. • These workers have already received training in the electrical industry and want additional skill/training. • They have made a commitment to work in this industry. • The nonunion employer has screened out those who fail to be dependable employees.

COMET for Electrical Workers Henry Miller - First IBEW President “…Henry Miller hit the

COMET for Electrical Workers Henry Miller - First IBEW President “…Henry Miller hit the Southern Trail (on bumpers). He never returned to St. Louis. At the close of the convention of the American Federation of Labor he went to New Orleans and from that starting point organized unions in all the principal cities eastwards until he reached Boston, and then westward to Chicago where the second convention was held in November, 1892. During the first year he had 45 unions to his credit. Brother Miller was killed by coming in contact with a high-tension wire while working for the Potomac Street Car Company in Washington in July, 1896. ” LU 1 article - 1916 IBEW Journal

COMET for Electrical Workers “If you want to hunt bears, go where the bears

COMET for Electrical Workers “If you want to hunt bears, go where the bears are!” Henry Miller - First Worksite Organizer Henry Miller - First IBEW President

COMET for Electrical Workers 1916 IBEW Journal L. U. 510 Galveston, Texas “There are

COMET for Electrical Workers 1916 IBEW Journal L. U. 510 Galveston, Texas “There are three companies here. • The City Arc Light Department, not signed up. Four card men, $3. 00, 8 hours. • The Galveston Electric Co. , not signed up but all card men $3. 40, 10 hours and • The Brush Electric Co. not signed up, three linemen on job, all card men, $3. 00, 9 hours. ” 9 – LU 510 Journal Article

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Worksite Organizing? • Demonstrates union craft, skill, ability, and

COMET for Electrical Workers Why Worksite Organizing? • Demonstrates union craft, skill, ability, and productivity. • Provides vital information on nonunion firms. • Builds relationships with unrepresented workers. • Enforces industry standards. • Exposes workers to their rights. • Builds the local union. Flip Chart

COMET for Electrical Workers Organizing Is Our Mission

COMET for Electrical Workers Organizing Is Our Mission

COMET for Electrical Workers Our Union’s Mission IBEW Constitution, Preamble, First Article: “To organize

COMET for Electrical Workers Our Union’s Mission IBEW Constitution, Preamble, First Article: “To organize all workers in the entire electrical industry … into local unions. ”

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW Members Oath of Obligation I ________, in the presence

COMET for Electrical Workers IBEW Members Oath of Obligation I ________, in the presence of members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, promise and agree to conform to and abide by the Constitution and laws of the I. B. E. W. and its local unions. I will further the purposes for which the I. B. E. W. is instituted. I will bear true allegiance to it and will not sacrifice its interest in any manner.

Excerpts of IP Hill’s 2003 Chicago Organizing Conference Speech “We are through, done, finished

Excerpts of IP Hill’s 2003 Chicago Organizing Conference Speech “We are through, done, finished keeping qualified people out of this Brotherhood. No excuse - nothing – is acceptable for keeping people out who want to be part of us. There answers to all the issues you may raise. § If they are not proficient in parts of our trade, we train them. § If they are illiterate, teach them to read and to write. § If they do not understand or speak English, we have a program that you can use to teach them. § If they do not present themselves correctly, start a program to teach them. We are going to grow this union. We are going to do what we said we would do at every International Convention of the IBEW since 1986, four in all, that the IBEW and its local unions will intensify their efforts to organize and take into membership all unorganized workers in all branches of our Brotherhood so that these workers may improve their working and economic lives. ” 10 – International President Edwin D. Hill

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections To Organizing: Answering The Doubts

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections To Organizing: Answering The Doubts

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections to Organizing Flip Chart Analysis

COMET for Electrical Workers Objections to Organizing Flip Chart Analysis

COMET for Electrical Workers What You and Your Local Union Can Do

COMET for Electrical Workers What You and Your Local Union Can Do

COMET for Electrical Workers What All Members Should Be Willing To Do • Talk

COMET for Electrical Workers What All Members Should Be Willing To Do • Talk to unrepresented workers on mixed job sites about why you joined the union. • Locate nonunion job sites. • Provide names and addresses of unrepresented workers. • Meet with a unrepresented employee or group of unrepresented employees to talk about the union after work. • Talk to unrepresented workers at supply houses and local social gatherings about the advantages of union representation. • Assist the local union in making house calls. • Work for a nonunion employer as a worksite organizer. FLIP CHART and 11 – What Members Should Be Willing To

COMET for Electrical Workers 12 – Industry Standards

COMET for Electrical Workers 12 – Industry Standards

COMET for Electrical Workers What All Members Should Be Willing To Do • Talk

COMET for Electrical Workers What All Members Should Be Willing To Do • Talk to unrepresented workers on mixed job sites about why you joined the union. • Locate nonunion job sites. • Provide names and addresses of unrepresented workers. • Meet with a unrepresented employee or group of unrepresented employees to talk about the union after work. • Talk to unrepresented workers at supply houses and local social gatherings about the advantages of union representation. • Assist the local union in making house calls. • Work for a nonunion employer as a worksite organizer. 13 – Organizing Activity Commitment

COMET for Electrical Workers On behalf of all the members of the IBEW, thank

COMET for Electrical Workers On behalf of all the members of the IBEW, thank you for your commitment to preserving the gains fought for by our ancestors in the labor movement, and for your work toward the continued growth of our union. 14 - Evaluation and Background Information Packet