from the business manager - ibew...

International Brotherhoodof Electrical Workers

LOCAL UNION 1249

NEWSVolume No. 27 No.2 6518 Fremont Rd. • East Syracuse, NY 13057 SUMMER 2016

www.IBEW1249.org

FROM THE BUSINESS MANAGEROver the years line work has fluctuated backand forth from spotty work to an abundantamount of work. For the last 15 years we havehad an enormous amount of work - so much thatthe Local has had to run multiple apprenticeboot camps to keep up with the demand. Nowthat the work has slowed down many of you arequestioning why is it that the Local has so manyapprentices.

That’s a good question and I’m glad you cameto me with it. My answer is this; I ask you -when the work picks back up, and work in theother parts of the country is going strong, whowill man our jurisdiction? Will our Journeymencome back home to man a 4-10 distribution jobwhen they are working 6-10’s with per-diem?

Will the customer understand that we are notprepared, even though we tell them constantlythat we have a skilled work force ready to go?Will our Signatory Contractors understandwhen they are awarded jobs and they call forskilled man power and we tell them, I’m sorrybut we can’t fill that job at this time? I know thework has been very good and there has beenmany opportunities for our members to be rela-tively close to their homes, but we all made acommitment to man our jurisdiction.

The beauty of being part of the IBEW is that weas members have the ability to work in any partof the country when work is slow, or you as an

YEARSYEARSYEARSYEARSYEARS

individual wants to seek out high lines, or what-ever suits your needs. We must never forget thisis the career we chose, a career that can’t beoutsourced, a career that gives us a sense ofworth and pride. Many times in our lives wecome to a crossroad, do we take the straight andless bumpy or do we take the road less likelytaken?

We, as IBEW members, have taken the path lesslikely taken with uncertainties, sacrifices, andrisks. We do this because of all of the benefitsthat come along with being part of the IBEW.Time and time again we hear another plant isshutting down and moving headquarters out ofthe country, and many Americans are losingtheir jobs. Point being, yes work has sloweddown but it wasn’t outsourced to Mexico, andwhen the Utility’s start putting work out wehave a skilled work force ready to answer thecall. As always, my door is open for questionsor concerns. Please be safe this summer, andwith any luck work will start to pick up soon.

Please, say a prayer to keep all our members,their families, our service men and women, andtheir families safe.

Fraternally,

Mark S. LawrenceIBEW Journeyman Lineman D938633Business Manager/ Financial Secretary

IBEW LOCAL 1249 NEWS - Summer 2016

BA CHAPTER NEWSWe are starting off the spring with a very busy schedule for all of ourcontractors. There is a lot of work, and more is being awarded in June.NYSEG let out an extra 500 miles of distribution, and National Grid isletting out Emerald Ash Bore projects. I recently was in Massachusettsand could not believe how much damage the Ash Bore has done. It’sgoing to be a very busy year!

Please remember that it is the members’ responsibility to keep their DUEScurrent- check your DUES receipt. Any change in classification or per-sonal information; call the Hall or your Rep. This will keep your fileaccurate, which is very important. If you are laid off, call the Hall or yourRep to make sure you are on the referral list. Please continue in educatingthe younger work force in Safety and Training.

If you need a JT test or a visit from your Rep, drop him a call. Some crewsare hard to find because they are always on the move.

Work Safe !

New Journeymen:

Jaflo Nelson Tree Lewis TreeAndrew Swanson Dan Durgan Jeremy FergusonWilliam Maloy

Ed Moreira Jr. - 315-427-2291 -- Central, East, NortheastHenry Rose - 716-863-0205 -- West, SouthwestTodd Woodward - 607-434-1949 -- East, Southeast

I.B.E.W. Local Union 1249 News6518 Fremont Road

East Syracuse, New York 13057(315) 656-7253 Ext. 4

Mark S. LawrenceEditor

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT & CHAIRMANof EXECUTIVE BOARD

David J. Beatty

VICE PRESIDENTHenry Westbrook, III

RECORDING SECRETARYRyan A. Youngman

TREASURERDavid T. Burnett

BUSINESS MANAGER &FINANCIAL SECRETARY

Mark S. Lawrence

EXECUTIVE BOARD (6)

John M. Delmar Ray Van HusenTimothy J. Dillon Gregory E. PalmerDavid G. Jorgensen Daniel R. Pollock

From Your Brothers and Sistersof Local Union 1249 I.B.E.W.

Removing a HangerWith Non-conductive Tools

All qualified line-clearance arborists must becompetent in the techniques used to

perform line clearance.


SafetyDirector’s Report by Dan Pollock

ApprenticesGraduates

There are currently 105 Apprentices.

Graduates since last newsletter:

Pat CookJustin FrinkMatt Huchro

Jeremy KearnsSam Lalonde

Jason LeeKurt Miller

Mike Pendorf

CDL PhysicalsA reminder to everyone...CDL physicals expire after two years.

Please check your card or contact this officefor more information or an appointment

315-656-8386 ext. 3

Call the EAP for the help you need.

1-800-252-4555 or 1-800-225-2527www.theEAP.com

Your Employee Assistance Program providesyou and your family with confidential professionalassistance to help resolve issues that are affect-ing your life or your work If you are facing family.financial, stress, substance abuse or any otherpersonal problem, call the EAP. There is no costto you and all calls are confidential.

WorkforceDevelopment

InstltuteWDI

MEMBER CARDConfidential help for personal problems.

1-800-252-4555 or 1-800-225-2527www.theEAP.com

Employee AssistanceProgram

Apprenticeship & TrainingWe have to remember that apprentices cannot always readyour mind. Especially lower step apprentices. It is imperativethat you take the time to show them on the job, and showthem not only how to do it, but why they are doing it that way.Teaching them a concept goes a long way in developing theirskills. We can’t just assume they know what needs to be donenext. If they are not sure what to do, then perhaps we need tolook at how we conduct our tailboards. That goes for anyoneincluding operators, groundmen and linemen. Guys, weneed to step up our games. The utilities are paying closeattention to everything we do. A key component is the skilledportion of our labor. If we don’t train properly then we aregoing to have less than adequate Linemen, and that will bethe end of our union. Do you want that? Think about thatnext time you ignore the progress of your apprentices.

Think about that next time your apprentice doesn’t pickthings up right away, and instead of helping him you belittlehim. That is not what we are about. We cannot afford toslack in the safety aspect of our job. It’s a major componentto selling Union Labor. We cannot be running around wild.We have to take the time to do things properly. Adding thatextra piece of line hose, or moving that phase out of the way,or whatever it may be. Show the apprentices how to do thingsthe safe way. Pay attention to their methods and help them.Also keep in mind that when that apprentice goes to his nextjob, they are going to represent your work too. If you don’ttrain them it will show, and guys will ask; “who did you workfor?”

I remember when I was an apprentice, I had heard about howLocal 1249 Linemen were the best, and could go anyplace inthe country, and would be respected because our cards read1249. Let’s keep up the work ethic and safety measures thatmade us great. The future of Local 1249 depends on it.

Work Safe


“ARC” NewsActive Retirees Club

OrganizingStaff

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The organizing staff is very proud to announce thesigning of Stilsing Electric from Rensselaer, NY.Stilsing Electric was founded in 1957. They grewover the years to a 27 employee shop in the outsidebranch alone performing traffic signal and streetlighting in the Capital Region of NYS. Until sign-ing with the IBEW, they were a major competitor toour signatory contractors and our members… butnot anymore! They now are our brothers and sisterswhich should be an honor to us all. CongratulationsStilsing Electric!

Now with a little luck, and your help we can keepthe momentum going. There are two types of ap-proaches when it comes to organizing. First is theTop Down Approach. This is when we reach out tothe owner/owners of a company and talk about orga-nizing. Second is the Bottom Up Approach. This iswhen we talk to a company’s workforce about orga-nizing. Generally we set a time frame for the first, ifthat fails we move on to the second, but most of thetime it’s a little bit of both. Many of you have heardof Power & Construction Group. This company re-sides in the Rochester, NY area. This contractorperforms all types of work (distribution, substations,traffic signal, lighting, and teledata) that we con-sider to be ours. We have reached out to the ownerson several different occasions, but haven’t beenable to convince them that the IBEW is the rightchoice. Therefore, we have started an organizingcampaign to approach their employees only. This iswhen we ask all of you for your help. In order tomake this happen, it’ll take a joint effort by all. Inthe near future we’ll be looking for volunteers tohelp with our efforts.

Now let’s talk about POLITICS and where WE standin the political arena as an organization! We wouldlike to share one of the issues discussed at the 3rd

District Progress Meeting that was held in Philadel-phia, PA. It has to do with the sovereignty of ourorganization. We have touched on this topic beforeand will continue to do so. There are states that havebecome right to work very recently and the politi-cians that made this happen have their sights on usand every other state that have unions with Collec-tive Bargaining Agreements. This isn’t BS, it is fact.If New York becomes a right to work state it will bejust a short time before you will see unions goingbankrupt; stripping them of pensions, medical in-surance, prevailing wage, and “YOUR” right to col-lectively bargain. Is this what we want to see hap-pen? Many people before us fought and died forwhat so many of us take for granted today, and in ouropinion it would be a major disservice to them if weallow this to happen. So please support those inoffice, whether they’re on the left or right, who sup-port labor.

The Organizing Staff.

Hello all fellow Local 1249 Brothers and Sisters! The first item to reportis to remember once again Brother John Troyan Jr. for his Herculeanefforts to establish this retiree group within the guide lines of Local1249. He had the support and guidance in his efforts from BusinessManagers Mihok and Bishko. Thank you JT. 2016 has been very activefor “ARC” with more to come. Three events are history, with 3 more tocome. As mentioned in the 1249 spring newsletter, Florida was our 1ststop and Chateauguay was our second with Ed Ryan and Tom Campbellrespectively handling these gatherings. Thank you again guys for yourefforts, and as always thanks to all in attendance. Our 3rd gathering wasthe wonderful 75th anniversary gathering that Business Manager MarkLawrence and his staff put together in a splendid manner.

Referring now to the 75th, I’ll reference the handsome program bookletand refer to page 19 where the active and retired members of Local 1249are listed from page 19 to page 45. The 4th, 5th and 6th Brothers listedare “ARC’ Members: Clayton Palmer Jr., initiated 09/01/1947, ThomasCampbell, initiated 05/10/1948 and 94 years young James VanSplunderinitiated 06/19/1948, and they were in attendance. I was privileged toshare space with all 3 and shared a dinner table with Tom. Tom gotsomewhat agitated when he was told the “Turning Stone Resort’” didn’tsell scotch, his drink of choice for 70 years. Luckily that info was wrong!That short incident reminded of the first forty years of Local 1249’sexistence when most of the members were working for two giant indus-tries; the electrical transmission industry and whiskey and beer indus-tries. Wow, they would do both day in and day out and it is both specialand interesting to reflect back to that working era - 1941-1981.

The year has another 6 months to go and your “ARC” club has 3 moregathering possibilities left. The local 1249 annual clambake on August6th is one, and I hope to see you there. On September 10th, a Saturday,beginning at noon, at the Highland Park Golf Club in Auburn, NY.Auburn is another early fact/fiction lore of Local 1249 because duringthe 50’s, 60’s and 70’s it seem like 75% of the union’s work force werefrom the Auburn vicinity. We should have a great crowd.

Local 1249 golfers take notice: efforts are being made to play some golfprior to the September 10 gathering somewhere - if pieces fall into placemore info will follow. A gathering in Boonville is in the planning stagesfor the fall with again more information to follow.

The “ARC” Club had a full page ad placed in the 75th Anniversarybrochure and it has the initials of “DT” in its drawing or Dick Thompson.I worked with super pole buddies in my journey, and Dick was one ofthem. Dick was one of those 1249 lineman who had other talents, as hewas an excellent water color painter, and I’m fortunate to have one.Another incident was seeing Lynn Curtis at the 75th — Lynn wasinitiated in 1971 but looks exactly the same as he did 45 years ago —what the hell kind of water is he drinking?

Two more: thank you Lynda Troyan for your continued connection withthe club. You continue to be a vital link with your efforts and historicalinformation. Joseph Hamel, or better known as “Red”, thanks for comingsouth of the border (Canada) as your 22 years and continued contribu-tion of providing Birthday cards to all ARC members and other typecards when known information is provided is unprecedented. I think the“Red” may have at last faded over the years so I believe a new nicknameshould be considered. How about — “HALLMARK II” —?

In Brotherhood & Friendship,Bob Ward D179190 & D477000


A big thank you to everyone that was able to attend Local 1249’s 75th AnniversaryParty on June 4th. We hope you had a good time. It was nice to see some of ourretirees and members. You can see more pictures on our website (ibew1249.org)and on our facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IBEW1249/ -- Thanks again!

more photos on page 6

I.B.E.W.Local 1249’s

AnniversaryParty


Insurance FundWith the arrival of summertime, quite a few members of IBEW Local 1249 will be out on the road on their motorcyclesto take advantage of the good weather. This note is a reminder to these riders that the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fundis NOT their carrier for medical insurance on their motorcycle insurance policy. The medical insurance coverage can bepurchased when the motorcycle insurance policy is taken out.

Under the rules of the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund Article XIII, Expenses Not Covered By the Plan #45 on page108 of the Summary Plan Description states that NOTHING will be paid on “charges for injuries sustained as a resultof an accident or incident for which a payment is available under an insurance policy such as a No-Fault insurancepolicy, even if you have failed to claim or apply for such coverage...”

This means that the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund will not pick up charges for medical bills as a result of amotorcycle accident when that medical coverage could have or should have been purchased with the motorcycleinsurance policy.

Have Fun. Drive careful and buy the right motorcycle insurance.

I.B.E.W.Local 1249’s

AnniversaryParty


INSURANCE FUNDCoordination of Benefits

Up to the present time, the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund does not differentiate between family and single coverage. Otheremployers do and they charge a larger premium for family coverage. Other employers of covered spouses are raising thefamily rate in an effort to get people to drop their coverage. Many employers even give bonuses to participants to drop theircoverage. While members may think that the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund will pick up the spouses and dependents inprimary coverage if they drop the other coverage, the rules of the Local 1249 Insurance Fund DO NOT allow it. Members maybe costing themselves more when they drop the other coverage.

Please contact the Fund Office and go over this BEFORE you consider dropping other coverage. This is dealt within your Summary Plan Description in Coordination of Benefits.

Coordination of Benefits is dealt with in Article III Section 16 of the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance FundSummary Plan Description. This is a series of rules agreed upon by the Insurance Commissioners of all 50states and incorporated into the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund. This governs the way different insuranceplans deal with covered spouses and dependents having coverage in another plan. These rules determine theportion of expenses that will be paid by each plan.

Under the Coordination of Benefits rules “in the case where a spouse makes a voluntary election out of their Employers GroupPlan, this Plan (Local 1249 Insurance Fund) will treat the spouse and eligible dependents as if they were covered by theiremployers Plan”.

This means that the IBEW Local 1249 Insurance Fund will pay the benefits on the eligible spouse and dependents ONLY asthe SECONDARY COVERAGE, NEVER the primary.

NEW RETIREES I.B.E.W. LOCAL 1249 PENSION FUNDThe following list of participants of the I.B.E.W. Local 1249 Pension Fund have been approved at the

Board of Trustees Meeting which was held on Thursday, April 5, 2016.

NAME OF PARTICIPANT TYPE OF RETIREMENT DATE OF RETIREMENT

Raymond A. Stevens Disability 12/1/2014

William L. Moore Disability 10/1/2014

Randy C. Strate Disability 2/1/2016

Wesley D. Guthrie Disability 12/1/2015

Donna L. Hall MCB 3/1/2016(widow of Philip E. Hall- deceased 2/24/2016)

IBEW Local 1249 Insurance FundIMPORTANT NOTICE

As people begin spending more time outdoors, the State Health Department is reminding everyone to take precautions toprevent diseases that are transmitted by ticks. Ticks that can transmit Lyme disease can be found across the state.

Most cases of Lyme disease are contracted from the middle of May through July. That’s when deer tick populations are present.The ticks are extremely small; usually about the size of a poppy seed. Their small size makes it easy for them to go undetectedfor long periods of time.

But it is important to remove a tick as soon as you find it. Removing the tick’s body helps you avoid diseases the tick may passon, such as Lyme disease. Removing the tick’s head helps prevent an infection in the skin where it bit you.

An IBEW Local 1249 member would have a good chance of encountering ticks because of the nature of the work. THESE WORKRELATED INCIDENTS WOULD BE COVERED BY THE WORKERS COMPENSATION LAW.


International Brotherhoodof Electrical Workers

Local Union 12496518 Fremont Road

East Syracuse, N.Y. 13057-0277

Buy Union Made Goods & Services...

From Your Brothers and Sistersof Local Union 1249 I.B.E.W.

IBEW LOCAL 1249

MIXEDCLAMBAKE

Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016

Continuous Bake1 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Music-Fun-GamesLocation:

Hinerwadel’s Inc.5300 W. Taft Rd, N Syracuse

In MemoriumChapter Initiated Retired

John Brigham A 9/30/53 1/1/95Frederick Connors A 5/11/64 2/1/95Howard Finch A 12/05/46 7/1/88Winston Hamilton A 7/24/58 1/1/96Roger Martin A 7/7/57 7/1/92James Oliver A 7/31/53 6/1/89George Pratt II A 6/15/03 * Daniel Trabucco A 9/27/58 6/1/13John Dickinson BA 8/03/79 7/1/06Philip Hall BA 11/01/77 8/1/98

* - Seperated member at time of death.** AM - Active member at time of death.

Remembering Our Brothers Who Have Passed On

Local 1249 Union Meetings at theUnion Hall at 8:00 p.m.

July 8, 2016 • August 5, 2016September 9, 2016 • October 7, 2016

Local 1249 Mixed Clambake Retiree NoticeThe Local 1249 retirees are Local 1249’s guests at our Annual Mixed Clambake and wewelcome and encourage all of them to attend as we appreciate their association with Local1249. Each retiree’s clambake ticket will be held for them at the front gate. Additionaltickets for guests of Retirees will be available for purchase at the gate. Looking forward toseeing you there.

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