1986-01 January IBEW Journal.pdf - International Brotherhood Of ...

Pk:tured al the podium is tnlernalionsr VIce Presidenl Dan Walers addresSing the IBEW caucus Sealed on Ihe dais are Bob Macdonald, Director,
rBEW Utility Depanmenr, and Inlernalional Repfesenlatlve Sob Ble'llz.
1985 Inter-Union Gas
Workers Conference
The ISEW was honored to serve a
host union for the 1985 Inter-Union
Cas Workers' Conference held at the
Sarasota Hyatt Hotel In arasota,
Florida, during the wee k of eplember
29. This Conference involves II
internatJonal and/or national unions
• f"Ii",ed WIth the AFL- 10. The
mEW has been a participant ,,1 this
Conference since 1963, approxImately
three years after its inception.
In .ddwon to the LBEW, the other
AFL-CJO affiliates who were represcmcd
at this year's Conference include:
International Chemical Workers
Union (ICWU I, Otl, Chenueal
and AtomiC Workers International
Uruon 10CA WI, Office and Professional
Employees lntemauonal Union
10PE/UI, International Union of Op·
crating Engineers (IUOEI, Service
Employees International Union
(SHU!. Transport Workers Union of
America (TWU I, United Association
of Plumbers and Pipefi ttcrs (UAI,
United Steelworkers of America
(USWA I, and Utility Workers Union
of America (UWUAI·
Ovcr the years the ConIerence has
grown from a mere handful of local
union delegates to become a rather
formidable meeting of almost 250
delegates representing gas workers
in the United State and Canada.
Dunng thl period the number of
internauonal and/or nauonal unions
Involved has grown from Just four to
the .11 that participated this year.
Again this year, the mEW had the
largest single delegation at the Can·
ference, numbering 94 out of the 246
delegate 111 attendance. We are ju -
tifiably proud 01 the partiCipation by
our IBEW locals at this Conference
and of the fact that the LBEW represents
more ga workers than any
other international or nationaluniol1
affiliated with the Conference .
The Cas Conference was estab­
Ii hed to provide local unIOn leaders
from ruverse labor orgaruzauons wlth
a forum at whIch they might d,scu S
i sues of conlman interest to lheir
members working in the gas utility
industry. By most measures the Can·
ference has been successful in achlev·
iog thiS baSIC purpose.
As host ulllon for the 1985 Con·
ference, the IBEW Utility Depart·
ment was responsible for site selection
and preparatton, devclop1l1g the
agenda, based on recommendations
from the Conference coordlnat rs
and Steering Committee; provld1l1g
speakers for the general sessions; and
conducllng the Conference. The Dcpartment's
staff received a great deal
01 cooperation and assistance from
the lnternatiollal Representativcs assigned
to the Conference by their
Districts' fnternational Vice Presi ­
dents and were also gratlfied by the
many IBEW local union delegates
who volunteered their assist..1ncc prior
to the open1l1g of the Conference.
While it i impOSSible to mention
the names of all those who volunteered
their assistance, it sh uld be
noted that minutes of the general
sessions were ably taken by Dan
Joe Cavanagh, Director 01 rSEW legislative Activities, is shown speaking at the general session
of the Gas Conference
IBEW JOURNAL I JANUARY 1966 I 5