Jeremy Abrams, IBEW 569 Business Manager, Card Number A129528, with some important updates for our members and union.
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While this does not serve as a Union Meeting, which we have had to cancel due to the pandemic, I want to share with you some updates and information about our Union, a pipeline of our work, and our contract negotiations.
These are clearly rough and uncertain times, but IBEW 569 is countering the COVID-19 crisis by focusing first and foremost on serving our members.
Our IBEW 569 Union remains open – we have never closed – and we’re here to serve our members – and staff is available to help you.
As the pandemic unfolded, we jumped into action to advocate for members to continue to work as ‘Essential Workers,’ but on the condition that our health and safety be respected and protected.
We were at the forefront developing policy and sharing resources to ensure employers updated their operations with social distancing, additional PPE, and more hand washing stations. We heard your calls of unsanitary or unsafe conditions, and staff went to multiple jobsites to ensure safe working conditions.
For members that needed to stay home, we protected our members’ rights and access to unemployment. The International Office of IBEW signed an agreement with NECA ensuring that no adverse actions would be taken against members that feel unsafe and do not wish to go to a jobsite – your request for unemployment will be honored.
We developed resource flyers for accessing paid sick leave, unemployment, mortgage and rent and eviction relief, and assistance with utilities. These are available on our website and in our Hall.
We then opened a food pantry at our Hall to provide food assistance to any 569 family in need, and I’d like to thank of the members have energetically volunteered with the Labor Council’s food distribution that assists 1,100 families every Saturday – thank you to these members that have volunteered and shown how unions give back.
Finally, IBEW 569 worked with NECA and the Trust Office to ensure members currently enrolled in our plan would retain healthcare coverage through May 2020.
Our Union brotherhood is strong, and we’re busy at dispatch. Since the pandemic started, we have had hundreds of job dispatches. Work is still plentiful, and more jobs are coming down the pipe.
Here’s some great news for you – GREGG Electric has won a 14 month 3.5 million square foot Amazon distribution warehouse. They started hiring this week and will top out at around 50 members.
Also, our Negotiation Committee continues to meet with NECA to hammer out a new contract for our Inside Wiremen.
We collected more than 700 surveys from members and we’re carrying your concerns and priorities forward while we negotiate. As always with our contract negotiations, once we have a proposal to present for consideration, you will be given notice and the opportunity to thoroughly review the proposed contract, and then vote yay or nay.
Our next scheduled negotiation meeting will occur tomorrow morning.
Due to COVID-19 and social distancing, we are having to step back from hosting some of our great events, and the BBQ and Chili Cook Off, our annual family picnic and our annual day of service – Christmas in April with ReBuilding Together, have all been postponed until next year.
We’re looking forward to when we can gather again at our Hall or at one of our events.
In the meantime, let us be united in treating each other with kindness and respect. We will get through this together – stay safe, and thank you for keeping our union strong!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at the Hall – we are here for you. Our number is 858-569-8900 and the contact information for each staff members is listed on our website.
Again, thank you for everything you are doing to keep our union strong.
