With unemployment hovering at record highs and many IBEW families struggling to make ends meet, this Holiday season will be tougher than most. This is why I would like to take a moment to give a special thanks to you, our IBEW Local 569 Brothers and Sisters, who have gone the extra mile in 2010 to overcome tough challenges and help lay the groundwork for a strong 2011. Here are just some of the accomplishments we have been able to achieve together this past year:
- Elected an unprecedented slate of pro-labor candidates at all levels of state government including Governor Jerry Brown, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsome, and Attorney General Kamala Harris. These decision makers play a critical role in determining prevailing wages and helping us protect electrical work as IBEW work.
- Replaced two County Supervisors who rejected our Green Jobs proposal in Imperial County last fall with two new Supervisors who share our values and ran on an IBEW platform to create local jobs for local workers in Imperial County.
- Started working to upgrade and improve local San Diego schools throughout the region under San Diego Unified School District’s Project Stabilization Agreement which has resulted in thousands of work hours for local union members. After a long, tough campaign involving over 400 outstanding member volunteers from Local 569, this PSA was enacted under the leadership of Board Members Sheila Jackson and Richard Barrera. The Local worked very hard to help elect these endorsed candidates to our San Diego Unified School Board in 2008.
- Unseated the two San Diego Unified School District Board members who voted against our Project Stabilization Agreement and replaced them with new, pro-labor board members Kevin Beiser and Scott Barnett.
- Joined environmental partners to co-host “Working For Our Future: Why the Environment Matters.” At this first-of-its-kind event, our keynote speaker Jerome Ringo, former President of the national Apollo Alliance, spoke about why environmental issues matter to our labor movement.
And because of your leadership, IBEW Local 569 is being noticed. Most recently, our work in Imperial County was picked up by local, regional and national media, including a cover story in the San Diego Reader! For more news stories, please visit www.ibew569.org.
There is no question 2010 has been an uphill battle to keep members working as much as possible and to fight off the worst of this economic downturn. Thank you again to all of our members for your countless volunteer hours in the community and the impeccable work you do every time you pick up your tools. Because of you, our prospects for 2011 look brighter and our Local will come out of this terrible recession stronger than ever.
In Unity,
Johnny Simpson
IBEW Local 569 Business Manager
P.S. My heartfelt thanks to all of our Brothers and Sisters who have worked so hard to help achieve these great successes in 2010. Your top-notch work on, and off, the job site is why IBEW Local 569 is recognized as a leader in our industry and in the community!
