The IBEW Wants You Back! - IBEW Local 353

The IBEW Wants You Back!Join the Local 353 (IBEW) Line Sector UnitWe’re An Independent Line Unit affiliated with Local 353 IBEW and Part of theLargest Electrical Workers Union in North America and the World (“the IBEW”)CUSW members keep telling us they are tired of unemployment, part-timework, shrinking CUSW membership base, no pension plan, inferior wages andbenefits, loss of jurisdiction, and the inability to work with other line and utilitycontractors throughout Ontario, Canada and the USA. If you have theseconcerns, then you’re not alone.If you want –• Higher Wages• Better Benefits• A Pension Plan Instead of RSP• Increased Work Opportunities• More expense money for Room & Board• And more Mileage moneyThen the time for CHANGE is Now!Inside this leaflet you will find important information explaining what the IBEWis offering.If you want more information and want to sign with the IBEW, please contactour organizer and representative, Brother Bill Finnerty @ (416) 522-0028Joe FashionBusiness Manager/Financial SecretaryBill FinnertyBusiness Representative / Organizer

THE IBEW WANTS YOU BACK

The IBEW Wants You BackBecoming one unit of LU 353 gives us more bargainingpower so we can close up the gap in the trade and demandwhat we want.We recognize that under the old system in place after the1788 split, the guys were dispersed to other localsthroughout Ontario. Most sat at home, got frustrated andwent to CUSW. However, things have changed.What’s Different Compared to 2005In one word plenty. Phil Flemming the IBEW 1st DistrictInternational Vice President has given Local 353authorization to create a separate and distinct unit for allline sector members. This jurisdiction will enable Local 353to reach throughout the Province of Ontario.What Are The Issues This Time Around• Concern with the room and board.• Concern that apprentices not receiving wellrounded training opportunities. They don’t getdistribution experience, only transmission.• Too much unemployment, no work opportunities• Wage and benefits• No Pension Plan• Erosion of work jurisdiction to other unions• Local 353 wants to take back our jurisdictionwith Hydro One (Lines & Stations). We want it allbargained through IBEW LU 353.• If CUSW members vote for the IBEW, you willautomatically become members of the Local 353Line sector unit.What Does The IBEW OfferThe IBEW can offer work to CUSWmembers who are not working withHydro One. Simply, you can workwith our IBEW line contractors whoare doing substation work andswitching yards.Wherever our IBEW contractors areworking, CUSW members can work.Once we have bargaining rights forCUSW members, we will then servenotice and negotiate a separateHydro One agreement.JOIN THE LOCAL 353 (IBEW) LINE SECTOR UNIT

Local 353 Line Sector UnitProblems at CUSWWith the creation of a separateLocal 353 Line Sector Unit, we willconduct our own bargaining withHydro One and IBEW Contractors.Line Sector members will also havethe right to run for and vote forExecutive Officers of the LineSector Unit, as well as the officersof Local 353.While the Local 353 Line SectorUnit is an autonomous unit, youwill have your own ExecutiveBoard and representatives.It is common knowledge that the guys are not gettingadequate representation by CUSW. Your leaders atCUSW have given away too much work to theLabourer’s, Ironworkers and Operating Engineers.When you don’t have much of a pie to begin with, anyloss of work only compounds the problem.While CUSW members are sitting at home with nowork, CUSW gave your work away to other unions.Remember, CUSW is affiliated with the LIUNA andHarold Bartlett, so is Mulhall going to bite the handthat feeds him?The choice you have to make is simple. Do you want toremain a unit of the Labourers, or become a unit of theIBEW, which is the largest electrical union in NorthAmerica?Autonomy & Strength to Bargain with HydroIf you join the IBEW, you will have an autonomous Line sector unit with the right to run foroffice in your Line sector unit.More importantly, when CUSW members are working for IBEW contractors you will receive thesame wages and benefits as our ICI members working under the yellow pages of our PrincipalAgreement.We believe things have changed dramatically with the creation of our LU 353 Line Sector Unitwhich is strictly for the outside workers. Anyone that does substations, tower lines, pole lines,switching yards, capacitor stations, which includes electricians, has a brighter future becausethere are work opportunities.Don’t worry about Hydro One, because the IBEW has the ability and experience to negotiate anagreement with Hydro. But we think Hydro One likes the situation the way it is. Withoutmarket share, work opportunities and a constantly shrinking pie, CUSW has little bargainingpower and Hydro One knows that and doesn’t want things to change. Why would they.However, CUSW members have the choice to change the landscape by voting to join the IBEW.THE IBEW WANTS YOU BACK

Here’s the IBEW PledgeOpportunity for WorkLocal 353 is going to negotiate improved out-of-townexpenses and pensions the next round of bargaining.Local 353 will address issues such as seniority, job security,and negotiate language to minimize abuses where theolder guys sit at home while younger guys get the work.Local 353 will maintain an independenthiring hall.Presently CUSW has an agreement with thePower Workers Union where any work over50 kva goes to CUSW. Anything under 50kva goes to PWU. Veteran IBEW memberswill remember that 1788 never brokeredaway work. We used to do all the ruralassistance work. Since Joe Mulhall madethese agreements, CUSW members don’tget any rural assistance work. All this workgoes through the Power Workers HiringHall, and they bring back a lot of theirretiree guys.That means guys who want to build towerlines and become power line man, cannever obtain the distribution experience tobecome a well rounded power line man.Hydro One has succeeded in fragmentingthe labour force between the PWU andCUSW, and the losers are the men.If you look at what’s going on in theindustry, Hydro One gets what they want. Look around.PWU has no stroke. CUSW has no stroke. While Hydro Onesits in the corner hanging a carrot telling CUSW/PWU "Goahead, go on strike. We will hire IBEW contractors." If webecome one unit, with the contractors and the constructionguys at Hydro One, the IBEW will have the bargainingpower. Who will Hydro One give thework to now? That’s right, the IBEW,because they can’t play one union offagainst the other any more.Look around, it’s no secret that there ishigh unemployment and too manyCUSW members are on the books.Now look at what’s happened over thepast few years. That’s right, morework is being contracted out to IBEWcontractors.The IBEW has thecontracts at Clareville,Portlands and Goreway,with more Co-Genscoming our way. We’realso doing the 500 linescoming out of theBruce to Milton andthis work is going toIBEW contractors.The real benefit toCUSW members is whenwe have storms, IBEWmembers can bedispatched and sent toother parts of Canadaand disaster areas inthe USA.CUSW members thatcome over to the IBEWhave the best of bothworlds. You’ll havework at Hydro One andall the other employment that’savailable through our LU 353contractors. You will also have accessto an open market in Ontario, Canadaand the USA.JOIN THE LOCAL 353 (IBEW) LINE SECTOR UNIT

Better Work Experience for ApprenticesThis is good news for apprentices because inaddition to EUSA training, you will haveaccess to our IBEW and Contractor training.Visit our website at www.ibew353.org.Local 353 has two Training Centres and linesector training is scheduled for both our eastendand west-end facility on Orlando Drive.The real advantage to apprentices and theyoung guys coming up is they’ll receive thenecessary distribution experience.Working for K-Line or Black & McDonaldyou’re going to get the rubber glove work,transformers, bare hand work, particularly theyoung guys that have never done transmissionwork. Being a member of Local 353, you cango to our contractors and learn towers andtransmission, because IBEW members do both.If you come with the IBEW, the older memberscan go to work in the USA during the winterwhere it’s warmer, or go oversea’s. If you joinLocal 353, you will not be restricted or boundto one employer (Hydro One), and can go towork wherever YOU want. You will have thefreedom to travel, with better room, boardand travel allowances.The biggest problem for CUSW members isyou are limited in the scope and type of workyou are allowed to do. To be a well-roundedand marketable power line man, you needexposure to all types of work.Remember, IBEW LU 353 was started byLinemen, and now LU 353 is returning to itsroots. When we lost Local 1788, Mulhallpromised you the sun and the moon. Theguys were told one thing, but ten years later,it’s not working.CUSW has 450-500 members in Ontario, and160-170 on the out of work list. We havemany CUSW members who want to join theIBEW. And the reason is obvious:• High Unemployment• Inferior health and welfare benefits• Inferior room and board allowances• Apprentices Receive Limited Exposureto Distribution• No Pension Plan (9% RSP)Reasons for Joining Local 353 are Simple• IBEW wants you to have an hourly pension plan• IBEW has an excellent health and welfare and pension plan• IBEW has a collective agreement for Line and Utility• Local 353 members are getting $3.40 hr raise on May 1st, 2008.See the wage schedule in this leaflet and what IBEW contractors are paying. Ask yourself whyaren’t you receiving these wage increases? Once the IBEW agreement takes effect on May 1st,2008, IBEW members will make approximately $3 more per hour compared to CUSW members,with a great pension, benefits, room and board and travel expenses.THE IBEW WANTS YOU BACK

Room, Board and Travel ExpensesFor instance, the Local 353 contract pays$91.65 per/day for out-of-town work. TheCUSW rate is $70.82 per/day.The IBEW mileage rage is .44 cts per/km, theCUSW mileage rate is .33 cts per/kmThe Local 353 collective agreement is basedwhere your office is located, not where youlive. We also don’t have stand-off wherethey give you just Board money.The IBEW wants to negotiate a Lines andStation agreement with Hydro One on yourbehalf. If we all become one unit, we willhave the manpower and contractors. Who isgoing to do the work if the IBEW has themanpower and contractors? The answer isvery simple.CUSW Message Offers No Hope or ProsperityYou join a union because there is work, good wages,pension and benefits. Yet the entire CUSW messageis a history lesson citing those early days when youwere being told that everything was possible withyour new organization. Yes, those were heady daysfor your leadership, embarking on un-charteredwaters with the golden sunset so plainly in view.But somehow, the horizon was never reached.CUSW has been drifting without the growth thatwas promised. How many years has it been, andhow many members have you lost? How many areunemployed? We know the numbers and it’s notimpressive. The reasons WHY are very clear:• No significant contractor was signed nor isthere likely to be one in the future. Whowould want to limit themselves to onesector?• OPGI appears to enjoy seeing CUSW/IBEWfight one another and give us everyopportunity to do so.• OPGI and Bruce Power subcontract theirelectrical work to IBEW contractors, even attheir nuclear facilities.• Recruiting quality trades people is difficultunder the LIUNA flag.• CUSW has three customers: OPGI, BrucePower and Hydro One (HO)JOIN THE LOCAL 353 (IBEW) LINE SECTOR UNIT

LINE SECTOR - WAGES & FRINGE BENEFITS - L.U. 353 TORONTO MAY 1, 2008THE IBEW WANTS YOU BACK

Road To The Future Is With IBEWMost people when they drive their car spend most of their time looking through the windshieldto see the road ahead. So does business. OPGI and HO are businesses with an eye to the future.They’re indicating a preference for minimizing their exposure to the risks by contracting out“turnkey” operations to IBEW contractors. If the CUSW message is an indicator, it would appearthat CUSW is careening down the road with their eyes firmly fixed on the rear view mirror. That’sno way to travel anywhere.The IBEW Solution - Owner Clients will have the following advantages:Unlimited Access to ManpowerThe IBEW currently has 14,500 members comprised of electricians, linemen and registeredapprentices in Ontario. In addition we have approx 65,000 in Canada.Labour HarmonyConflict between competing unions will disappear, with all workers belonging to oneorganization. This would lead to increased productivity and reduced legal costs.Contract NegotiationsContract problems involving restrictive work security language based on competingorganizations would be eliminated with one exclusive bargaining agent.JOIN THE LOCAL 353 (IBEW) LINE SECTOR UNIT

IBEW Has Full Employment & Growing:No matter what union you belong to, it always boils down to employment and theavailability of work. We took notice of the number of voters. You now have 450 or soeligible voters. In 2005 we noticed that 732 members were eligible to vote in that year.That’s a considerably lower number of members than the 1100 you had when you left theIBEW in 1998. In fact, CUSWs membership base has shrunk by 50%. Does that sound likea success story to you?Don’t you think 35% unemployment is too high? How about part-time work? Especiallywhen the Lines and Stations (L&S) sector of your membership is experiencing the sametrend. The IBEW certainly thinks so.Did you know that the IBEW has FULL EMPLOYMENT for line members and we’re lookingfor travellers on an ongoing basis to work all over North America? American utilities areconstantly looking for manpower, and the IBEW is the union that gets the work. InOntario, we’re having difficulty meeting the demand for L & S qualified workers right nowand can put men to work. Now compare that to CUSWs current work picture.Most importantly, the IBEW has a Reciprocal Agreement between Linemen and ICI . Thatopens the door to employment opportunities that CUSW cannot provide. And whenHydro slows down, you have the right to work in the ICI and other IBEW locals and theUSA. When you add it up, the IBEW has the work opportunities you were always promisedand want.In our opinion the CUSW experiment has run it course. While Brother Mulhall’s originalgoal was lofty, he has been unable to deliver and instead has brokered and given away toomuch work to the Labourers. Since CUSW is affiliated with LIUNA, who do you think pullshis strings?Remember, the IBEW is the largest electrical union in North America. It’s not theLabourers. Isn’t it better to belong to the IBEW who has multiple employers andjurisdictions across North America?The IBEW is on the move and we want you to becomea member of Local 353. This is a historical moment,and even Joe Mulhall has long been a fan of Local 353.The Choice Is Yours!THE IBEW WANTS YOU BACK