IBEW Local 1245

Reminder: The CalNev JATC lineman apprenticeship application period starts TODAY! **Please note one change to the minimum requirements. A valid unrestricted COMMERCIAL Drivers License will now be accepted in lieu of a Class A. More info at http://www.calnevjatc.org/templates/template12/?page=124**

Thanks to the hard work of IBEW members, the City of Healdsburg is now home to the biggest floating solar farm in the nation, a project that is being heralded as a win-win-win for the utility, the community, and the environment.

NV Energy’s Battle Mountain Solar Project is the nation’s largest DC-coupled combined solar and battery storage system and it’s built and maintained by IBEW 1245 members. Full story at https://ibew1245.com/20//10/battle-mountain-solar-project/

On #InternationalWomensDay, here's to our IBEW 1245 sisters! #womenofIBEW

If someone in your family is planning to pursue higher education in 2021, now is the time to apply for one of IBEW 1245’s scholarships! Scholarships range in value from $1,000 up to as much as $10,000, and special prizes are available for veterans and surviving family of deceased IBEW 1245 members. There's also a competitive essay writing contest for children of IBEW 1245 members, as well as opportunities for individuals enrolling in universities, community colleges, line schools and trade/vocational programs. Learn more and download the applications at http://ibew1245.com/scholarships/.

We're just one week away from Election Day! If you've already voted, let us know in the comments below! If you haven't had a chance to cast your ballot yet, don't forget to turn it in and make your voice heard by November 3rd -- and remind your friends, family and co-workers to do the same! For early voting/dropbox locations, polling places, and other important voter information, visit ... https://www.sos.ca.gov//voters-choic/vca-voting-locations/ in California or https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/elections/election-day-information in Nevada. If you're looking for IBEW 1245's endorsements, you can find them at https://www.ibewvotes.com/index.php/ibew-endorsements/.

#ThrowbackThursday: On Oct. 11, 1900, a group of San Francisco linemen met at the Alcazar building on O’Farrell Street and organized their own union: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 151 (a predecessor of Local 1245). At the time, there were some 200 to 300 linemen in San Francisco, employed by telephone and electric power companies. Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph (PT&T) responded to the new union by firing ten of its employees for union activity.... But IBEW 151 grew quickly. Linemen wanted the eight-hour day, a standard wage of $3 a day, overtime pay and safer working conditions. IBEW 151 President David Keefe called unionization a matter of life and death, noting that line work was so risky that linemen could not buy life insurance at any price. On Dec. 1, some 200 San Francisco linemen walked off the job. They were joined by about 60 workers at various streetcar, lighting and telephone companies in Sacramento. Eleven linemen struck in Bakersfield, five in Fresno. There were efforts to organize linemen in San Jose, Oakland and Stockton. The linemen wanted a voice in dividing up the companies’ revenues. But the tools available to the linemen were limited. There was no tradition of peaceful negotiations with utilities, and there were no labor laws requiring employers to negotiate. Other than begging, the workers’ only option was to withhold their labor. San Francisco Gas & Electric, a predecessor of PG&E, agreed to cut the workday to eight hours. Several other small companies also accepted many of the union’s terms. One utility, the Independent Electric Light and Power Company, signed a contract that officially recognized the union and granted wage hikes, the eight-hour day, and overtime premiums. It was the IBEW’s first signed labor agreement, anywhere. This photo depicts utility workers performing underground work in San Francisco in 1900, the year IBEW Local 151 was organized. Learn more: https://ibew1245.com/introduction-to-the-history-of-ibew-l/

"The union is great for ensuring that both the employer and the employee are following the work practices that everybody's agreed upon. It ensures that the safety rules are going to be enforced by the employer and followed by the employee ... and it ensures that I get to come to work and earn a fair wage and living to support my family. Without the union's representation, that's not a guarantee." -- IBEW 1245 member James Hill, journeyman lineman, Western Area Power Administration

Election Day is November 3rd, but voting is already starting, as ballots have begun arriving in mailboxes this week! With so many large-scale changes facing the utility industry and the labor movement, IBEW 1245 remains focused on identifying and backing candidates who understand and support our positions on labor and energy policies. We are a single-issue organization, and the well-being of our members at work is our single issue. We understand that there are many other is...sues that matter to Local 1245 members, but as a labor union, our endorsements are exclusively based on the candidates’ stances on the issues that directly impact our members’ livelihoods. The candidates that have earned 1245’s endorsement have demonstrated their commitment to protecting our work, our wages, our benefits, and our rights on the job. Click here to view IBEW 1245's endorsements in your area: https://www.ibewvotes.com/index.php/ibew-endorsements/

""This is the kind of job, where you either love it or you hate it. I'm just one of those guys who loves it. It's challenging. It's physically demanding. It's a lot of fun in a lot of ways, and just keeps you on your toes ... I'd say the best thing about [IBEW 1245 representation] has got to be the benefits. I have a family of a six, and the benefits are huge! Not to mention the pay increase that just went through earlier this year." -- IBEW 1245 member Haley Wike, Hazard Tree Foreman, Mountain Enterprise

If you haven't already completed the 2020 Census, NOW is the time to get it done! The whole process takes just a few minutes to complete. Get counted at https://my2020census.gov/.

It's National Voter Registration Day! Make sure that your voice, and your vote, counts this November. Register to vote today! It's simple and takes just a few minutes. In California, you can register online at www.RegisterToVote.ca.gov, and in Nevada, you can register online at www.RegisterToVoteNV.gov. If you're already registered, share this post to make sure your friends, family and co-workers are registered as well!

"California’s progress toward a clean energy future shouldn’t come with winners and losers, and the CCAs should be working alongside all stakeholders toward shared solutions that benefit everyone," IBEW 1245 Business Manager Tom Dalzell writes in today's San Jose Mercury News. "CCAs are here to stay they have become part of California’s energy community and represent a huge portion of the energy consumed by the state. But with power comes responsibility. It’s past time that they begin living up to that role, and put our shared climate goals not themselves first."

Reminder! Oct. 1 is the last day to submit photos for this quarter's contest. All active Local 1245 members in good standing are eligible to enter. Images must be original, work-related, and submitted in a high-resolution format. Feel free to email, message us or comment below if you have questions.

After discovering that his own home had been burned to the ground by the CZU Lightning Complex fire, IBEW 1245 member and PG&E SIPT Tech Ashton Aaron Hodge chose to continue working to protect his neighbors' homes. He spent the next five days coating utility poles and other structures with flame retardant, and extinguishing flames as needed. It’s just easier to keep going, because there’s always something pressing that needs our attention," Hodge said. "It helps to keep my mind off it too, and just work on the problem at hand, and not really think about the house. FULL STORY: https://ibew1245.com//its-easier-to-keep-going-local-1245/

Have a safe and enjoyable #LaborDay. And let's not forget the hard working union men and women who make our two nations run.