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IBEW CURRENTSJune 1998 IBEW Journal Hearts and Minds Going Strong The Journal receives so many accounts of the generosity and bravery of IBEW members that it is difficult to print them all. The following are but the latest example of the exploits of the members of The Union of Hearts and Minds. On a wintry Sunday morning at 1:30 a.m., Carl Tryburski and Raymond Herrick of Local 455, Springfield, Massachusetts, were enroute to repair a troubled electrical circuit, when they saw a pickup truck crash through a guardrail and plunge into the icy water of the Connecticut River. Brother Herrick radioed for help and Brother Tyburski ran down and jumped in the bed of the truck, where he was quickly knee-deep in water. The driver was trapped in the cab. Herrick threw a hammer to Tyburski, who smashed out the back window and pulled the driver to the riverbank. Their quick action probably saved the drivers life. On another winters day in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, Kevin Peterson, Robert Bowers and Aaron Mogenson of Local 160, Minneapolis, Minnesota, were working on a pole when they saw a truck coming toward them. Brothers Bowers and Mogenson were 80 feet up in the bucket, while Brother Peterson was the operator. The driver of the truck had suffered a massive heart attack and had jammed his accelerator to the floor. Fortunately, the truck went into a spin in 18-inch snow and missed the bucket truck. Peterson switched off the trucks ignition and brought Bowers and Mogenson back to the ground. All three took off their winter coats, laid them on the snow and lifted the driver out of the truck. Morgenson performed CPR. Emergency police and rescue crews thanked the workers for their quick and expert response, but, unfortunately, the driver did not survive. From the frozen north, we go to the sunny shores of Maui, where Scott Knight, a steward in Local 1260, Honolulu, Hawaii, was working on a job site near Ulua Beach when a women came running for help saying that a diver had been injured. Brother Knight immediately dialed 911 on his cellular phone and went to help. The diver was unconscious and gasping for air, and his skin was turning purple. Knight opened the divers mouth and cleared his air passage which helped the diver breathe more normally by the time paramedics arrived. For his heroic efforts, Brother Knight received the IBEW Life Saving Award, the highest in the IBEW. Members of Local 934, Kingsport, Tennessee, donated their time and knowledge in assisting the victims of winter flooding in Carter County, which destroyed 86 homes and damaged 320 more. Union brothers assisted the Red Cross in setting up family service centers and helped determine the safety of household appliances. After devastating tornadoes ripped through central Florida in late winter, Olson Electric, employing members of Local 606, Orlando, was the first contractor to reach the Good Samaritan Village, a retirement community in Kissimmee. The crews worked overtime to restore power, without knowing if they were going to get paid. Other victims of the Florida tornadoes, however, were not so lucky. Among the 42 deaths caused by the twister were Sister Jacqueline Eckman of Local 2088, Cocoa Beach, and her husband and stepdaughter. Nick Frisco, president of Local 2000, Orlando, and former local president Dick Gregory suffered severe damage to their homes. Fifth District Vice President Mel Horton urged all locals in the district to support the Central Florida AFL-CIO Disaster Relief Fund at P.O. Box 560779, Orlando, Florida 32856-0079.
Check It Out The IBEW Internationals web site just became easier to find. Web surfers can now simply go to www.ibew.org, instead of the longer on-line address previously used. Browsers can also find the Web site if they click on www.ibew.com, but the org suffix is preferred. The International wished to thank Locals 354 and 380 who had incorporated the org and com suffixes receptively in their local web sites for changing their addresses so that all IBEW members and the on-le community can find the IBEW site easily. Canadian Safety Information On-line The Canadian Centre for Occupation Health and Safety (CCOHS) has launched a free occupational health and safety information service on its web site www.ccohs.ca. Staff at the centre have compiled the questions most frequently asked by Canadian workers and posted them with answers on the site. Topics include chemicals and materials; ergonomics; diseases; disorders and injuries personal protective equipment; health and safety legislation and information, resources and referrals. A Welcome Addition President Barry awarded an Honorary Membership into the IBEW to Wei Jingsheng, who has been an eloquent and tenacious advocate for human rights and democracy in China for over two decades. A former electrician at the Beijing Zoo, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison in 1979 for publishing essays and wall posters in defense of democracy and reform of Chinas political system. Six months after he was released from prison in 1993, he was rearrested shortly after a meeting with John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. After being held incommunicado for twelve months, he was resentenced to fifteen years in prison for committing "counter-revolutionary crimes". During that time he suffered harsh living conditions and beatings from other prisoners. In an interview shortly after his release into exile in the United States, he was asked why he endured nearly eighteen years in prison. He responded, "I think the most important point is that once you believe that your cause is just, [you can] go into prison and through your imprisonment you can improve the lives of millions of people in your own country. Then I think its justified." National Labor College On October 14, 1997, the National Labor College of the George Meany Center for Labor Studies was accredited as an independent college by a unanimous vote of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. As an accredited higher education institution, the National Labor college will be in a position to offer national international and local unions many educational opportunities. Currently the college offers Bachelor's degrees in seven areas: Labor Studies, Labor Organizational Dynamics and Growth, Union Leadership and Administration, Political Economics of Labor, Labor Education, Labor History and Labor Safety and Health. In addition, members of affiliated unions can often earn continuing education units to maintain certification or licensing, or for personal or professional development. The program is structured so that now up to 40 percent of the credits required for the degree can come from prior learning experiences. Numerous IBEW members have advanced their education through the George Meany Center's programs, and one, Kevin O'Sullivan of Local 52, Newark, New Jersey, currently serves as the student union president of the National Labor College. The National Labor College offers other opportunities including in-service education, partnerships with local community colleges and financial aid. For further information contact the George Meany Center for Labor Studies, 10000 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, 20903 or phone 301-431-6400.
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