July/August 2002 ® Labor’sLabor’s NewNew FrontierFrontier TO July/August 2002 LETTERS THEEDITOR Volume 101 Number 6 www.ibew.org ® Spreading the Word IBEWJOURNAL ORGANIZING PACIFIC ISLES You are to be commended for spreading the word and encouraging the EXECUTIVE OFFICERS INTERNATIONAL IBEW JOURNAL VICE PRESIDENTS 16 use of Automatic External Defibrillators, as you did in the April 2002 issue. I EDWIN D. HILL Edwin D. Hill, EDITOR Guam and Saipan International President am pleased to be able to report that the knowledge and use of these lifesav- First District 1125-15th St., N.W. DONALD LOUNDS C. James Spellane, 16 In remote U.S. territories, IBEW ing units are now much more widespread among the IBEW members. Washington, D.C. 20005 1450 Meyerside Drive, Suite 300, DIRECTOR While there is still a long way to go, local unions in Boston, Philadelphia, JEREMIAH J. O’CONNOR Mississauga, Ontario, organizing efforts help workers find Canada L5T 2N5 Carol A. Cipolari, Pittsburgh, Washington, D. C., Portland, Oregon, Rockford, Illinois and other International Secretary-Treasurer MANAGING EDITOR 1125-15th St., N.W. justice at last Second District locations in California and Nevada all have AED units in their offices. Oth- Washington, D.C. 20005 Carol M. Fisher ers, while not having an actual operating unit, have training models and FRANK J. CARROLL JR. 100 Grandview Road, Suite 111 Malinda R. Brent On the cover: The planting of the IBEW include AED training as a regular part of their first aid training. Just recently, INTERNATIONAL Braintree, Massachusetts Angela M. Roberts COVER under the auspices of the NJATC, seven more IBEW members received this EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 02184 Kathy M. Mangum flag on islands closer to Asia than North Chairman training. They include four locals from Tennessee, and one local each from Third District America brings a new day for Guam and MILTON L. FOSTER If You Would Like to Change DONALD C. SIEGEL Florida, Iowa and western Michigan. c/o IBEW Local 191 Your Address Electronically— 500 Cherrington Pkwy. Saipan workers NACTEL GRADUATION Ours is very much a “work in progress,” but with continuing help from 2701 Hoyt Avenue Please visit our web Suite 325 14 Everett, Washington 98201 site at publications such as yours, the job is made easier. Each passing day sees us Coraopolis, Pennsylvania 15108 www.ibew.org closer to our goal of facilitating the increase of survival rates from sudden First District and click on JOSEPH A. McCAFFERTY Fourth District [email protected] cardiac arrest by increasing public access defibrillation. Your assistance is PAUL J. WITTE c/o IBEW Local 380, 3900 Ridge Pike Staying After 8260 North Creek Drive, Suite 140 most welcome and appreciated. Collegeville, Pennsylvania 19426 Cincinnati, Ohio 45236 HOW TO REACH US James J. Coyne, Jr., President Second District We welcome letters from our Labor Ready COYNE FIRST AID RUI M. CARRINHO Fifth District readers. The writer should include his or her name, address and, if applica- c/o IBEW Local 1274 MELVIN W. HORTON 10 Campaign Curbs Abuse of 100 Concourse Parkway ble, IBEW local union number and What If? 1329 Jefferson Boulevard Suite 300 card number. Family members should Warwick, Rhode Island 02886 include the local union number of the Contingent Workers I want to thank you for the May 2002 article on Amtrak. Several months Birmingham, Alabama 35244 IBEW member to whom the Journal Third District ago I wrote my U.S. Senators questioning the logic of dismantling Amtrak in is mailed. Please keep letters as brief SALVATORE J. CHILIA Sixth District light of September 11. Amtrak was one of two means of mass transportation as possible. The Journal reserves the c/o IBEW Local 38 LAWRENCE P. CURLEY right to select letters for publication NACTEL Holds available for crossing America for several days following that tragic day. 1590 E. 23rd Street 8174 Cass Avenue and edit all submissions for length. Cleveland, Ohio 44114 Darien, Illinois 60561 What if it happens again? What if there is another World War? The airlines Send letters to: Second Graduation cannot provide the amount of service that the railroads provided during Fourth District Seventh District Letters to the Editor, IBEW Journal, 1125 15th St., N.W., Room 1001, FEATURES RAISING THE BAR LONNIE PLOTT JONATHAN GARDNER 14 First IBEW Members Receive Degrees World War II. The national bus fleet no longer exists as it did in 1941. Once Washington, D.C. 20005 4 c/o IBEW Local 613 4400 Will Rogers Parkway, Suite 309 the rolling stock is gone, it’s gone. Once the railroad right of ways are gone, or send by e-mail to: Through Online Telecom Program 501 Pulliam Street, SW, Suite 250 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73108 [email protected] they are gone. At that point, what is America going to do? Atlanta, Georgia 30312 Eighth District The charts in the article point out just how under-funded the railroads Fifth District JON F. WALTERS ©2002 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. IEC Meeting are. One day we are going to need the railroads again and they will not be LYLE KEITH QUERRY 330 Shoup Avenue, Suite 204 All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. on there. I urge everyone to voice his or her view. In addition, it might help c/o IBEW Local 53 P.O. Box 51257 Union-made paper. 44 Minutes of May 29, 2002, Meeting 1100 E. Admiral Blvd. Idaho Falls, Idaho 83405 IBEW Journal (ISSN: 0897-2826) Published save a brother his job. Kansas City, Missouri 64106 monthly, except January/February and Dwayne T. Gartner Ninth District July/August, which are combined issues, by Sixth District MICHAEL S. MOWREY the International Brotherhood of Electrical Local 94 member, Cranbury, New Jersey WILLIAM H. TURNER Workers, 1125 15th Street, N.W., Washing- 2500 Venture Oaks Way, Suite 250 ton, D.C. 20005-2765. Subscriptions prices in 2 President’s Message Energy Market; Court c/o IBEW Local 570 Sacramento, California the United States and Canada, $4 per year in 750 S. Tuscon Boulevard 95833-4221 advance. Periodicals postage paid at Wash- 3 Secretary-Treasurer’s Reporters Fight for Thank you for bringing to light in the May issue the potentially dim ington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Tuscon, Arizona 85716 future of Amtrak rail service. I would like to expand on this article to take POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Message Right to Bargain; and Tenth District Seventh District IBEW Journal, 1125 15th St., N.W., Room the center of attention away from our brothers and sisters who would lose CARL LANSDEN 810, Washington, D.C. 20005-2765. This more… PATRICK LAVIN 4 IBEW Currents their jobs to the more important fact that many of the areas that Amtrak 5726 Marlin Road, Suite 500 Journal will not be held responsible for c/o IBEW Local 47 views expressed by correspondents. Paid Verizon Workers Avert 12 Safety & Health Chattanooga, Tennessee advertising is not accepted. serves are very rural areas. Ask anybody who has ridden the Empire Builder 600 N. Diamond Bar Blvd. 37411-4043 Canada Post Agreement No. 40011756 Strike; IBEW Member Winning Entries from line from Chicago to Seattle. This line covers sparsely populated areas that Diamond Bar, California 91765 Eleventh District Wins in Oregon; Cali- Safety Poster Contest have no other affordable options for transit. If the federal government can Eighth District WILLIAM C. EADS JOHN E. COLE fornia Recovering 20 Local Lines build freeways and commuter lines in the cities, I believe they can also sub- 300 South Jefferson, Suite 300 194 Rt. 104 DEPARTMENTS Springfield, Missouri 65806 From Catastrophic sidize rural America as well. I believe the IBEW Journal could gather more Keswick, NB, Canada E6L 2A4 40 In Memoriam (Continued on page 45) Brush With Open What Do You Thinkof This? Where’s the Outrage? Right Here e’re in the middle of what might be close votes. And this comes as the loss of jobs due to NAFTA t first it was ridiculous. Now it’s outra- apart the fabric of our country worse than any outside enemy and other trade policies is at an all time high. The destruction could do. called the patriotic season. of our industrial base—even those parts that keep our national geous. The worst part is that this is our money they’re taking. In early July we celebrated Canada Day and defense strong—has ripple effects that are felt by every worker First came Enron, a rogue company that financed Their crimes are threatening to bring down the whole econ- Independence Day, and on we move to Labor Day. in every occupation. the political drive for deregulation across the United omy. Some estimates say that $578 billion—yes, that’s billion— This year, of course, September will also mark— And now comes the seemingly endless trail of corporate States, then took full advantage of the laws they in retirement savings have disappeared because of the stock with mourning and resolve—the one-year anniver- scandals and with them the near collapse of the financial mar- helped write to rip off consumers for millions in market plunge brought about by the current corporate crime sary of the September 11 attacks. kets. The contempt that corporate executives have shown for jacked-up energy prices. spree. Average folks all across North America, including some In the closing months of the middle class, for lawmakers, and for Then came WorldCom, Adel- of our members, have seen their retirement 2001, I was heartened by the any bounds of decency and fair play is phia, Dynegy, Tyco, and even nest eggs dwindle to almost nothing.