Inside Negotiations Input

To: All IBEW Local 48 Members That Work Under the Inside Commercial/Industrial Agreement

Note: we have created the online form above as an option for you to submit a direct communication to NECA.

Negotiations for the Inside contract with Oregon-Columbia Chapter NECA are not going very well. We are working
to get some long overdue language changes to our agreement, but we are met with complete opposition. In the
surveys that we conducted in recent months, you made it clear that there are some really important items that are
necessary to protect our Local Union members and to train the best electricians in the industry as well as gain a
higher standard of living.

I have a request for all of you. I would like you each to write a letter to the Oregon-Columbia Chapter NECA, telling
them your story. Tell them why we need reverse book layoff. Without being derogatory or using any profanity, tell
them that you are living the effects of not having that language. Tell them how it feels to get laid off for long
periods of time and have to work in other parts of the country to make ends meet all while there are still hundreds
of travelers working right here in our jurisdiction. Tell them how it feels to leave your family at home while you are
away trying to earn a living, while they keep people from other parts of the country employed here.

Tell them how it feels to be on Book 1 for 6 months and then someone that signs the bottom of the book gets a
Foreman Call-by-Name a day or two later. Ask them why they need so many Foremen when they supposedly do
not have any work. Tell them that apprentices need to experience more than one employer in their apprenticeship
to get a better variety of work experience and to learn how different people and different companies do things.
Tell them that we want to build a confident workforce that isn’t afraid to make a living somewhere else when the
work at one shop gets slow. Tell them that we want our entire workforce to have a reasonable level of confidence
to be comfortable in any situation in our industry, whether it’s a large job or a service truck. Tell them what real
partnership would look like to you.

When you write this letter, please be respectful. Please do not swear or insult them; it will not help our cause if we
do that. Unfortunately, I would also suggest that you write the letter anonymously, to avoid any repercussions
down the road.

NECA’s address is:
Oregon-Columbia Chapter NECA
601 NE Everett St.
Portland, Oregon 97232
Email: info@orecolneca.org

In Solidarity,
Garth Bachman
Business Manager
IBEW Local 48