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| Our Taking a Chance Could Make History…History Will Be Our Judge! |
May 7, 2010
As you know, our President, Douglas McCarron, along with myself and other leaders of our Local Union 57 met with the IBEW President Ed Hill and leaders of Local Union No. 1 earlier this week. I must say the meeting was uneventful and we are taking a business as usual approach.
Due to an increase in business and the opportunity for additional business, I am going to take a summer hiatus from weekly “Fridays with Terry”. If something of importance comes up over the summer, I will send a special edition of “Fridays with Terry” to you.
April 30, 2010
In the past 18 months Local 57 has organized over 200 non-union electricians and 12 non-union electrical contractors in the St. Louis area. Local 57 has made it easier for customers to continue using union electricians in this tough economy while remaining highly competitive. We are very proud of the fact that we are increasing union membership in the St Louis area and you will continue to see Local 57 grow in size.
April 23, 2010
Recently several of our contractors have experienced property vandalism and we have been in receipt of some pretty threatening emails. What I want to say is simple….we are a focused group and will not get caught up in this type of behavior. All of these tactics are below what we have set out to accomplish, we will not stoop to this level and be assured we are not taking our eye off the ball. I also want to thank those that have stepped up and have offered their assistance and kind words to these contractors. The people that we have heard from wanted to make sure they were not associated with the type of behavior we have experienced and for that I commend each of them.
April 16, 2010
I would like to take this opportunity to tell you to check out our website. The website address is HYPERLINK "http://www.aec-stl.org/"www.aec-stl.org. You will find lots of information on our website about our training, safety, productivity and integrity. There is also specific information about our contractors, Local 57, our apprenticeship program and other important news.
April 9, 2010
I have received several questions about jobs that have been awarded to Local 57 contractors. Local 57 contractors are involved in numerous jobs in the area. Some of these jobs include St. Louis Community College Harrison Northside Education Center Campus, St. Louis Community College Meramec, The James House, Jefferson Barracks, New Joint Armed Forces Reserve Center at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis Union Station Marriott, Kirkwood Library, Lindenwood University Recreation Center, Lindenwood University Performing Arts Center, Hannibal Street Department, Moberly Parks and Recreation, Wildwood Street Light Project, St. Louis City Traffic Signal Project, Twin Oaks, Liberty Community Worship Center, Hillsdale Manor, Dick Gregory Apartments, the Coke Plant, Wal-Mart, and the list goes on. In this tough economy, our contractors are busy and this will continue due to their strong work ethic.
April 1, 2010
I have received several questions about whether or not Local 57 will stand the test of time. Of course, my answer is without a doubt, YES! Look at the Carpenters’ District Council History. In 1994, the Floor Layers union became a part of the CDC. There were rumors that it would not last. The Floor Layers membership has grown from 700 to 1600 members. The contractors are more numerous and stronger. I was committed to the Floor Layers, just as I am to our new Local 57. We are here to stay and will continue to grow and be prosperous.
March 26, 2010
I have had several discussions this week with contractors about whether Local 57 is really a union. It seems some people are telling them that Local 57 is non-union, which of course, does not make any sense. The question for this week is, “Is Local 57 really a Union?”
Yes. The Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity has chartered Local 57 Electricians with the approval of their International Union. The Carpenters’ District Council has more than 22,000 skilled craftsmen serving the eastern half of Missouri and Southern Illinois. A Collective Bargaining Agreement between The Carpenters’ District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity and Associated Electrical Contractors was effective October 1, 2008.
March 19, 2010
Last week, the Carpenters’ District Council sent our Local 57 electrical contractors and staff to the International Leadership Council in Las Vegas, Nevada. This conference allowed our Local 57 contractors to bond with our millwright contractors and focus on partnering on powerhouse work. Additionally, our Local 57 electrical contractors and staff toured our International Training Center. The Carpenters International Training Center is 345,000 square feet and has more than 40 classrooms for training. It serves as a hub in a system that can rapidly get in-demand skills in to the field. This will now include electrical training for our Local 57 contractors. Finally, our Local 57 electrical contractors and staff had a private dinner with President Douglas McCarron. Local 57 contractors are very excited about what they learned in Las Vegas. Their future is certainly bright due to the commitment to them by our International Union.
March 5, 2010
This week I would like to quickly take this opportunity to thank those of you that took the time to stop by and see the Electrical Contractors that worked in our Associated Electrical Contractors and Local 57 booth at the HBA Home & Garden Show last weekend. We enjoyed meeting you and are hopeful that we will be talking with many of you very soon.
I would also like to ask if you have a suggestion for a topic you would like me to address during Friday’s with Terry, something that maybe I have not covered in past emails or maybe I wasn’t clear enough on.
February 12, 2010
We are in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the great depression. There are two ways to respond to this economic downtown.
(1) Some people or organizations may say “Let’s wait it out and hope it gets better”. Sound familiar?
OR
(2) Some may say take a Chance…lets do something different, non-traditional better yet non-historical.
We have opted for #2. We are taking every Chance we can to weather this downturn. You ask how are we taking a Chance? We are making serious efforts to recapture the industrial maintenance work in our area. We have put a team of millwright and electrical contractors together. We are making presentations to many of the companies we currently are not performing work for and asking why and what do we need to do to get your industrial maintenance work?
Only time will tell if we are taking a worthwhile “Chance”. We feel it is better to try and fail rather than not try at all.
Our Taking a Chance Could Make History…
History Will Be Our Judge!
Terry Nelson
Executive Secretary-Treasurer
Carpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis and Vicinity
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to call me at 644-4848, Jill Clark at 644-7245, or Karen Ems with the AEC at 644-7228, or email me at Tnelson@carpdc.org.
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