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News KALAMAZOO – The regular meeting for August will be held on the 4th at *7:00 pm. The Executive Board meeting will be held the same day at 4:30 p.m. This membership meeting will beheld at the new IBEW Local Union Hall Located at 3641 East Cork Street. (Map It). The hall will continue to operate at the old location until further notice. NEW The Journeyman Class schedule has been updated. Schedule The local’s softball team has decided to play in the Portage League on Wednesday evenings. The Hall would like to welcome W. Soule and Company as our newest signatory contractor. We look forward to the many opportunities that this relationship will open up for our members. The IBEW Local 131 Annual picnic has been finalized. It will be held on June 28th at Prarieview Park. Please contact the hall to confirm attendance.* Dues Payments: Monthly dues went up a dollar starting January 1St. The new rate is $29.00 per month, $87.00 quarterly, $174.00 for six months and $348 annually. Local 131 now accepts Mastercard, Visa and Discover card for payment of dues. . Please call Dave at ext. 101 for details. The Membership training schedule has been updated with the winter schedule. Click here to view. On the political front, please be aware of the new push for the so-called “Right to Work”. Big multinational corporations and insurance companies are spending millions of dollars to get this on the Michigan ballot for ’08. The Mackinac Center, along with other special interest groups, have seized the opportunity to take advantage of a weak economic climate in Michigan to blame unions. Please make yourself, as well as your co-workers aware of the facts. In a Right to Work (for Less) state, workers earn $5900 less per year on average. Workplace fatalities are 44% higher; while workers comp benefits are lower. Right to Work (for Less) states have a higher poverty and infant mortality rates, and on average spend $2,260 less per pupil on K-12 education. Job calls are now posted on the local’s web site; www.ibew131.com under the “referral” tab. You will still need to leave your name and number on the job line recorder or contact the hall before 8:30 to become eligible for a call. Please make sure the date at the top is current to ensure you have the most up to date information. In an effort to continually update our web site members are encouraged to call the hall with suggestions or information. IBEW Videocast website. If you have a broadband connection, try it out. IBEW Hour Power Union Sportsmen's Alliance "North America's premier hunting and fishing club exclusively for union members and their families.As a sportsman or sportswoman, you know the heart-pumping sensation of taking aim for the trophy animal or reeling in a monster fish. The USA offers a new adrenaline rush-the kind that comes with finding new places to hunt and fish, saving money on gear and services, and racking up a host of other benefits." Referral Proceedure: Effective July 30, 2007 Open in PDF format Committees and Boards: We have openings on some Committees and Boards, please contact the hall if you would like to serve. Employee Requirements: Many of the projects in the works for 2007 will require the following from employees: OSHA 10 Drug Testing Michigan Electrical License Apprenticeship: The KJATC is looking for individuals interested in teaching various journeyman training courses. If you are interested, please contact Morris Applebey.

Benefit Information & Useful Documents

From The Desk Of The President

4/3/2008

Today when I think of great labor leaders of the twentieth century, names like Walter Reuther, John L. Lewis, A Phillip Randolph and Cesar Chavez always come to mind. Their strength and personal sacrifices are directly proportional to the many benefits we enjoy today. There were so many great leaders of the twentieth century that it would be impractical to mention them all. It does not surprise me that few, if any, are even remembered today by conventional history. I do, however, find it amazing that the most influential labor leader of the century is rarely remembered for even being involved in the labor movement, even though he became the movements’ most famous martyr.
On February 12th, 1968, eleven hundred sanitation and public employees walked off their job in Memphis, Tennessee to protest the inhumane death of two of their coworkers. In response, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., along with the civil rights movement, stepped forward to protest the appalling treatment of the city’s garbage workers. Dr. King believed that civil rights were human rights and he also found no distinction between civil rights and labor rights.

On April 4th, 1968 history was forever changed with a single gun shot on a tragic morning in Memphis. Forty years latter we, as American citizens, are once again at a crossroads in history. Dr. King’s passion for labor rights is slowly being eroded with the enactment of NAFTA coupled with the recent NLRB decisions over the last seven years.

In 1993, NAFTA was sold to the American public with several promises. We were told that there would be at least 200,000 new jobs, higher wages, and better border inspections which would stop the shipping of contaminated foods and illegal drugs. Fifteen years latter we still wait for one of these promises to come true. I find it rather illogical for it to be a crime for a citizen to lie to congress yet when congress lies to its citizens no laws have been broken.

The NLRB in recent years has taken away the rights of millions of workers to be represented by unions. It is now virtually impossible for a workplace to organize even if the majority of its workers are in favor of fair representation. Employers now have the right to discriminate against union supporters during the hiring process, and if an employee is illegally fired he or she stands little chance of receiving the back pay that they are entitled to.

History has proven to us that democracy is not a benevolent form of government in that it will not guarantee any rights for which its citizen are not willing to stand up for. Women’s suffrage, the labor struggle and the civil rights movement are just a few of the examples. In an effort to keep Dr. King’s dream alive we must hold our leaders accountable. We must demand that they keep our best interest in mind.

“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt

Comments: klee(at)ibew131.com

Kraig R. Lee

President

I.B.E.W. 131

(269)382-1762 ext. 102

SAFETY

The MUST Safety Program is dedicated to making a zero-accident career a reality. Safe2Work has been replaced with the MUST program, however you will be given credit for any Safe2Work modules that you have completed.

For more information, visit Must Safety on the web, or contact the hall.

Free Training

Local 131 in conjuntion with Vubiz, an IBEW training partner are proud to announce the availability of 143 Prepaid Online training courses for our members, and your friends and families.

There are courses covering subjects from Improving Your Listening Skills, to Time Management, to Safety, to Internet, and Computers. The courses will be available to you and your friends and families until June 15, 2009. Be sure to take advantage of as many courses as possible.

Hundreds of other courses will also be available to you for discounted prices that we have negotiated on your behalf. These include courses that are available Online, on CD, and in Book form to accomodate your learning styles.

To start your learning experience go to:

http://vubiz.com/chaccess/IBEW3/

Every time that you sign on, you will need to enter:

The IBEW Password which is: IBEW

Your Membership Card Number

The First Time that you sign on, you will need to enter a little extra information so that we can set you up.

Membership Card Number
Local Number
First Name
Last Name

We hope that you enjoy the training and make the most of it. The value of the prepaid courses if bought individually would cost over $3000. We are proud to be able to make this opportunity available to you, our members, and your friends and family.

Technical sidenote: It appears that this site does not like Firefox, so you will have to use Internet Explorer to use it. Also, you will probably have to download and install the latest and greatest version of Flash to take full advantage of the courses.

West Michigan Construction Alliance

Constructing a Better Tomorrow

Picture Gallery

Habitat For Humanity

From the Jimmy Carter Habitat for Humanity Blitz in Benton Harbor Michigan

2005 Retirees Christmas Party

Accidents, Sickness, Death

Patrick A. Robinson, son of Rob Robinson, passed away 4/23/2008
James A. Dehnke passed away 4/26/2008

Building Tradesman

Follow this link to visit the Building Tradesman

Online version of their newspaper.

Pension News

For those members that have not yet done so, please take a look at the services that Diversified Investments has to offer.If you want to have some say as to how your pension monies are invested, check it out. To login to the system for the first time, click on the link to the left, then click on the "Log into your Account" link in the upper left corner of the next page. Then open "Diversified Direct Online".

Next, click on "Get Started"

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This program updates daily!

Updated : Monday, August 4, 2008 5:00 PM