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Unity of Purpose

In a five-week span from mid-April to mid-May, I had the pleasure of addressing four of the IBEW’s major branch conferences. I spoke to the delegates attending those meetings about some core beliefs I hold about the IBEW, and want to express them in this forum to all our members.

We need very much to believe that we are one union, one body, and act accordingly. We have numerous forums for debate and discussion within our Brotherhood, from the International Convention to the local meeting. Everyone has a voice if he or she wants to make it heard. But when the debate is over, we need to move forward in unity.

The times demand it. Already this year, we have negotiated major contracts covering our members at AT&T and Lucent Technologies. We are seeking to implement a major new working relationship with GTE. The restructuring of the utility industry continues to challenge us in many states and provinces. Members in construction, as noted in this issue, are building for the future. The opportunities for a strong future are there for all of us, but with them come the challenges brought by changing work places, new technology, economic restructuring and global competition. These and other factors create the potential for internal strife.

We have a proud tradition of local autonomy in the IBEW, but that cannot be carried to the point where we think we don’t need each other. Every local, every individual member is a valuable and indispensable part of this great union. We need to work together, bring the unorganized into our ranks, speak out on the issues of the day and do the daily work that is so important to our maintaining a strong, effective union. These are the motives that drive me to do my best, and I know that these are the principles that motivate virtually all of our members.

This is our calling. It is up to us to do our very best and pass on a stronger union to the IBEW members of the future.

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 A little over a year ago, I had the great honor of succeeding Jack Moore in the office of International Secretary. Jack is a man whose good work in the office of International Secretary continues to benefit every IBEW member. This year, I would like to praise another great IBEW member, our International Treasurer Thomas Van Arsdale. As reported in the May issue, IBEW locals recently approved a package of changes to our constitution, one of which changed my position from International Secretary to International Secretary-Treasurer as of May 1, 1998. The Select Committee on the Future of the Brotherhood felt this was a logical and timely change. The vast majority of our locals concurred.

As a member of the select committee, Brother Van Arsdale fully supported that change. No one who knows Tommy should be surprised, because he is a brother who has always put the best interests of the IBEW first and has served his union with a distinction that few can match. The entire Brotherhood owes him a debt of gratitude for his years of dedicated work as our International Treasurer. Tommy continues to serve as Business Manager of Local 3 in New York City, and our union will still have the benefit of his active participation and energy.