Related Articles
Related Articles
March 2004 IBEW Journal L.U. 625 (ees,em,i,mar&mt), HALIFAX, NS, CANADAOn Nov. 21, 2003, Bro. Bill Coffin suffered a heart attack on the job. Thanks to the quick response of Bro. Dennis MacPhee in administering CPR and others on the scene calling 911, Bro. Coffin was revived and is recovering. Our profound thanks go to Bro. MacPhee for deciding to take CPR training and using it effectively to save the life of a fellow worker. Bro. MacPhee received an award from Local 625 and was nominated by Bus. Mgr. Cordell Cole for the IBEW Life Saving Award. Our 2003 Christmas Dance in Halifax was well attended with about 140 members and guests present. An excellent buffet was followed by IBEW service award presentations, music and dancing and door prizes. Our web master, Bro. Phil Wallace, recently added a Public Relations page to the site. Check it out at www.ibewlocal625.ca. We thank Phil for his work keeping the site up to date. We extend condolences to the families of Bro. Robert F. Devanney, who passed away at age 91 on Dec. 21, 2003; and Bro. Joseph Knocton, 76, who died Dec. 20, 2003. Tom Griffiths, P.S.
L.U. 743 (em&i), READING, PAOn May 7, 1918, fourteen men from Reading and Berks County started Local 743. To celebrate, we recently held our 85th Anniversary Dinner with about 250 in attendance. Everyone, from apprentice to retiree, had a great time. We were honored that Third District Int. Vice Pres. Donald C. Siegel attended and presented service pins. Pres. Siegels home local is 743. Special thanks to John and Linda Ruth and to Janice Paskowski for their help in planning the event. Local 743s retirees recently started a Retirees Club. Seventeen retirees attended a recent meeting at our union hall and elected the following officers: Pres. John Cummings, Vice Pres. Bobby High, Rec. Sec. Ernie Musser and Treas. Gordon Stamm. We hope more retirees will attend future meetings, scheduled for the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. The presidential election is on the horizon. Mobilize your membership and prepare them for November. Remember: We need oarsmen not anchors. Dave Paskowski, P.S.
L.U. 773 (as,em,i,mo&o), WINDSOR, ON, CANADAThe political background has changed dramatically this past year. The anti-labour Eves/Harris Conservative government was defeated by the Ontario Liberal party led by Dalton McGinty. Municipal elections have given us a new mayor and council for Windsor, and in December, Paul Martin Jr. stepped in as Prime Minister, replacing Jean Chretien, The local has consolidated its holdings by the sale of property and the full payment for the mortgage on union hall\training centre. Last year the local lost Brothers Arthur Parsons, Edgar St. Louis, Pete Wyanrchuk, Bert Ditty and Jack Stecher. Our sincere condolences go to their families. The work picture is slow with no major projects in the near future. Brighton Beach Power project is our major source of employment, but is in its final stage of completion. The Brighton Beach plant will consist of two natural gas fired turbines coupled with electricity generators, a heat recovery system and a single steam turbine coupled with a third electricity generator. The waste heat from the gas turbines is captured in the heat recovery system and used to produce steam, which runs a steam turbine connected to a generator. This high efficiency configuration is referred to as combined-cycle. David Spencer, P.S. L.U. 777 (u), READING, PAUnit 1 brothers and sisters just completed a refueling outage at Three Mile Island and returned the unit on line, despite facing some difficult challenges. Also, Local 777 is entering contract negotiations with Exelon Corp. An exchange of agendas has taken place and it appears that negotiations may be somewhat difficult. It is our hope to have a fair agreement in place by the end of the current one, which expires Feb. 29, 2004. Rafael Raf Duran L.U. 861 (i&o), LAKE CHARLES, LAWe are excited about the Pinnacle Casino project that is finally taking off. We look forward to putting out our brothers and sisters on Book I, although the call for Book II travelers is unfortunately not yet needed. Last year was difficult with the slow work situation and the crucial cuts that had to be made to our insurance coverage. However, with the sacrifice, solidarity and cooperation of our members and the leadership of our local, we can now look forward to this year with enthusiasm and hope. The work situation is picking up and our health insurance is strengthening. Our local has much to be thankful for. We must remain steadfast in our fight against the Bush administration. Please encourage everyone you know to register and vote. Lets turn out on Election Day to send a message that America has had enough of George W. Bush. Lindsey Wynn, P.S. |
