GOALS FOR A SECOND TERM
MY TOP PRIORITY FOR A SECOND TERM IS TO ENSURE THAT OUR LOCAL IS ON A STRONG AND STABLE FOUNDATION, TO DRIVE OUR UNION AND THE LABOR MOVEMENT FORWARD. HERE'S HOW WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN:
1. CONTINUE EFFORTS TO SECURE MORE IBEW JOBS DESIGNED FOR OUR SKILLED WORKFORCE
THERE IS A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK HEADING TO OUR LOCAL UNION JURISDICTION THAT IS PERFECTLY SUITED FOR THE IBEW. THE NEXT GENERATION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS THAT KEEP AMERICA STRONG MUST BE BUILT UNION. WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LET THIS OPPORTUNITY SLIP AWAY. IT WILL REQUIRE A MASSIVE ORGANIZING EFFORT AND A SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF OUR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM. WE WILL ALSO NEED TO COME TOGETHER AS THE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION TRADES AND THE LABOR MOVEMENT LIKE NEVER BEFORE.
2. MAXIMIZE WAGES AND BENEFITS IN UPCOMING NEGOTIATIONS.
THE CURRENT LABOR SHORTAGE AND THE SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENTS IN OUR INDUSTRY HAVE CREATED A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO SECURE THE CONTRACT WE DESERVE. WE HAVE ADOPTED A THIRD CONTRACT, THE TEXAS STATEWIDE TELEDATA AGREEMENT WHICH INTRODUCED PAID TIME OFF AS A POSSIBILITY , AND UNPRECEDENTED WAGE INCREASES ARE EMERGING FROM CIR. THIS IS OUR MOMENT. WE ARE COMMITTED TO BARGAINING AGGRESSIVELY TO ACHIEVE THE BEST POSSIBLE OUTCOMES.
3. CONTINUE EDUCATING AND TRAINING A MORE EFFICIENT LOCAL UNION OFFICE STAFF
AS A LEADER, I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES WHEN BUILDING A TEAM THAT TRULY CARES ABOUT IBEW 278 MEMBERS. THIS ISN'T A 9:00 TO 5:00 JOB — WE'RE HERE TO SERVE YOU. HAVING UNION-FOCUSED PEOPLE ON MY TEAM WHO ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT IMPROVING OUR LOCAL UNION AND LEAVING IT IN BETTER SHAPE THAN WE FOUND IT IS WHAT MATTERS MOST. I WILL CONTINUE EVERY EFFORT TO ENSURE MY STAFF IS WELL TRAINED TO BETTER SERVE THE MEMBERSHIP.
4. CONTINUE TO BOOST MEMBER COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT
I WILL CONTINUE EFFORTS TO KEEP OUR MEMBERS INFORMED ON THE LATEST NEWS, UPDATES, AND EVENTS SO THAT WHEN IT'S TIME TO MAKE DECISIONS, OUR MEMBERS ARE FULLY IN THE LOOP WITH THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR UNION.
AS PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, WE WILL BE LAUNCHING A NEW TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX, "THE CURRENT CONNECTION PODCAST," A DIGITAL VERSION OF OUR NEWSLETTER. A MODERN APPROACH OF IMFORMING OUR MEMBERS. THIS PLATFORM WILL KEEP US UPDATED ON UNION BUSINESS AND ISSUES THAT DIRECTLY AFFECT US, MAKING SURE WE STAY INFORMED AND ENGAGED.
5. CONTINUE TO ENPOWER ACTIVE MEMBERS TO BECOME FUTURE LEADERS
THE BROTHERHOOD REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM (BRP) HAS HELPED LOCAL 278 BUILD A STRONG GROUP OF WELL IMFORMED AND EDUCATED MEMBERS. WE WILL KEEP OFFERING TRAINING AND LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE PREPARED TO HELP LEAD THE LOCAL AND DRIVE IT FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE.
6. CONTINUE EFFORTS TO BUILD A NEW APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING FACILITY
BUILDING A NEW APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING FACILITY IS NO EASY TASK. IT REQUIRES COORDINATING WITH ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, LAND SURVEYORS, AND GENERAL CONTRACTORS, AS WELL AS NEGOTIATING AND PLANNING WITH OUR CONTRACTOR-COMMITTEE MEMBERS ON THE JATC. I AM FULLY COMMITTED TO PUSHING THIS PROJECT FORWARD AND WILL CONTINUE TO AGGRESSIVELY SUPPORT ITS SUCCESS.