Local Union 716 Celebrates its 100 Year Anniversary

March 12, 1912 to March 12, 2012
Join us in celebrating 100 Years of Quality and Craftsmanship
 
The Officers and Staff of IBEW, Local Union 716 would be honored to have you join us
on this memorable occasion.
 
There are fun and family events scheduled from March 10 - 12th
 
We are looking forward to sharing this very special occasion with you.
 

Saturday, March 10th:  Cocktail Reception at Local Union 716 from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
with drinks and Hors d'oeuvres.

Sunday, March 11th:  H&H Ranch.  Fun for the whole family from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m.

Monday, March 12th:  All Day "Birthday Party" at 716's Union Hall from 9:00 a.m. to 7:16 p.m.
with guest Speakers, awards and refreshments.

Code of Excellence Certification Classes Scheduled for February

7 opportunities are available to you to obtain your Code of Excellence Certification in February as follows:

8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 1st @ JATC
8:00 a.m. Saturday, February 4th @ Union Hall
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 8th @ JATC
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 15th @ JATC
8:00 a.m. Saturday, February 18th @ Union Hall
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 22nd @ JATC
8:30 a.m. Wednesday, February 29th @ JATC

2012 TDLR Update Classes and Wellness Screenings

Dates and times for the 2012 TDLR Continuing Education classes and Wellness Screenings to be held at the Union Hall on the same dates are:

Code Classes (8:00 to 12:00 noon)               Wellness Screenings (12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.)

January 14                                                      January 14
January 28                                                      January 28
February 25                                                    February 28
March 24                                                         March 24 - Last Wellness Screening
April 21
May 12
June 16 - Last Code Update Class

All Wellness Screening Dates Scheduled for 2012

Members and retirees who are currently covered under the Kelsey Seybold or Cigna Insurance plans through the Electrical Medical Trust and who participate in one of the upcoming wellness screenings will be qualified to receive the lower deductible on their medical insurance.  The Electrical Medical Trust Wellness Screenings will be held at the following locations as indicated with Kelsey Seybold screening personnel on hand:

Union Hall from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (coincide with Union Meeting dates):

January 4
February 1
March 7

Union Hall from 12:00 - 4:00 p.m. (Saturdays after the TDLR Update Classes):

January 14
January 28
February 25
March 24 - Last Wellness Screening

JATC located at 108 Covern from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.:

February 7th, 8th and 9th

$2.00 Per Capita Increase Effective January 1, 2012

As a result of action taken by the delegates attending the 38th IBEW International Convention September 2011, amendments to Article IX of the IBEW Constitution were approved.  Accordingly, effective January 1, 2012, there will be a per capita increase of two ($2.00) dollars for all I.B.E.W. members. 

2011 Changes to Medical Coverage for Journeyman Wiremen

On August 29, 2011 there will be a wage increase of $1.00 per hour in the Journeyman Wireman rate for those working under the current NECA/IBEW 716 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Due to the continued high cost of medical, the Trustees have had to make changes to our present health care plan.  Effective September 1, 2011 CIGNA will be our new health insurance provider.  You have your choice of one of the three plans listed below.  Prices are per hour, and by payroll deduction:

Kelsey Seybold HMO:  No cost to you.  You must use their doctors and facilities.  Includes a prescription plan.

Standard Cigna - PPO:  Deductible $750.00 (with the wellness screening) $1,000.00 (without wellness screening) will cost you .10 cents per hour by payroll deduction.  The Standard Cigna PPO has a higher deductible and a Prescription Plan.

Premier Cigna - PPO:  Deductible $500.00 if you do the wellness screening or $750.00 if you do not do the wellness screening will cost you .25 cents per hour by payroll deduction.  The Premier Cigna has no changes compared to the current Aetna Plan.

If you have not received your medical packet please contact Karen McGrath at (832) 485-4000.

IN MEMORIUM

Brothers and Sisters,

We are saddened to report the loss of the following member(s) and/or their family members.  We extend our sympathy to their families:

Dorothy Teel, mother of retired 716 member Larry Teel, and grandmother of 716 member Michael Teel, passed away January 21st.  Visitation:  Monday, January 23rd from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m.   Funeral Service:  Tuesday, January 24th at 2:00 p.m.  Both will be held at San Jacinto Memorial Park, 14659 East Freeway, Houston, TX 77015 / (713) 453-7114.

Clement L. Wind, retired member, passed away January 6th. 
Kenneth H. Murphy passed away January 8th. 
Harold L. Frank, retired member, passed away January 3rd.
Leanne Stenzel Smith, mother of Clovis Newby, passed away December 9th.
Chad E. Robertson, son-in-law of Mark Landrum, passed away December 30th. 
Michael Golden passed away December 15th. 
Chester Hale, father of William Hale, passed away.
Rodney Allen McGehee passed away December 9th.
Spencer Chamblee, Sr. passed away December 8th.  No services were announced.  Donations may be made to your favorite charity.
Mark A. Bryan passed away December 6th.  Arrangements are pending.
Kenneth Holt passed away December 1st.  A Memorial Service pending.
Harry L. Hamilton, father-in-law of Jimmy Rogers, passed away November 30th.
Johney La Due passed away November 27th. 
James B. Chapman, Sr. passed away on November 12th.
Joe McCord, father of Chris McCord, passed away November 12th.
Betty Miller, mother of Mark Miller, passed away November 8th.
Allie Wilson, mother of Jerry Wilson, passed away on November 1st.

ATTENTION SIEMENS MEMBERS

By a vote of the Siemens Bargaining Unit Members on August 13th, 2011 future unit meetings will start at 1:00 p.m. on the following Saturdays in 2012:

 February 11,  May 12,  August 11, and November 10, 2012

Labor in the News...

Solidarity Rally
01/11/2012 - 11:20am

Solidarity Rally for IBEW CALPINE Employees

If You Missed the September 16 Dental Sign-up Deadline . . .
10/28/2011 - 12:05pm

Alternative Dental Care if You Missed the September 16th Cut-Off

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AFL-CIO Weblog

01/27/2012 - 1:28pm
Overall Union Membership Notches Up from 2010 to 2011
01/26/2012 - 11:29pm
Labor, Management Partner to Create Jobs in Wash. State
 

Here’s a bipartisan solution: Labor and management working together to create jobs.

In Washington State, where construction workers are experiencing up to 50 percent unemployment, a labor-management coalition is working to push a jobs bill through the state legislature to alleviate the jobs crisis and rebuild infrastructure.

The Washington State Labor Council, the Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council, the Association of General Contractors are sponsoring the Infrastructure Jobs Bond legislation and have released lists identifying which capital construction work around the state could be funded through the legislation.

Says Dave Myers, executive secretary of Washington State Building and Construction Trades Council:

These jobs will become a reality right away for thousands of laid off constructions workers and returning veterans. The projects will also be targeted toward key sectors of economic development including construction of aerospace training facilities and college research facilities, both of which will spin off other economic development.

Read more here.

01/26/2012 - 4:30pm
Apple’s Profit Skyrockets, Workers Die at Its Factories
attias.net/blog

Hours after Apple released its first quarter earnings, which showed a mind-blowing 44.7 percent profit, the New York Times published another in a series of articles illustrating some of the reasons behind Apple’s profit margin. Describing the conditions in which Chinese workers assemble iPhones, iPads and a panoply of Apple products, the report states:

Employees work excessive overtime, in some cases seven days a week, and live in crowded dorms. Some say they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly walk. Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records, according to company reports and advocacy groups that, within China, are often considered reliable, independent monitors.

More troubling, the groups say, is some suppliers’ disregard for workers’ health. Two years ago, 137 workers at an Apple supplier in eastern China were injured after they were ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean iPhone screens. Within seven months last year, two explosions at iPad factories, including in Chengdu, killed four people and injured 77. Before those blasts, Apple had been alerted to hazardous conditions inside the Chengdu plant, according to a Chinese group that published that warning.

A separate article details a New York Times survey that found Apple consumers are less likely to worry about the conditions in which products are made.

Over all, 52 percent of the public said it was very important that the products they buy were made in the United States; only 42 percent of owners of Apple products agreed.

Earlier this month, the Fair Labor Association, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide, announced Apple was admitted as a “Participating Company.” That means that Apple promises to clean its supply chains from labor abuses during the coming two years.

The International Metalworkers’ Foundation expresses skepticism that Apple will carry through on it promises.

In fact, if Apple and other companies that outsource their work corrected the massive abuses of workers at their factories overseas, their incentive for shipping jobs from the United States would be greatly reduced.

» Read more: AFL-CIO Weblog
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Houston Chronicle

01/27/2012 - 1:28pm
Beyoncé, still very much alive, may get monument in Houston
A plan is in the works to build a monument to Beyonce Knowles in Houston, myfoxhouston is reporting. It’s the idea of entertainer Marcus Mitchell, CEO of Maryland-based Armdeonce Ventures, and his business partner, Steve White, the TV station said. If these guys get their way, the singing, dancing, “bootylicious” diva could be right back here in Houston for good… “We wanted to construct, like, a massive hall so as the doors open, if you donated to the monument, you’ll have a separate nameplate,” Marcus said. “There will be clips of Beyonce with Destiny’s Child and wardrobe like a mini museum.” The pair, who are looking for private donors, would [...]


01/27/2012 - 1:28pm
Elderly woman duped in lottery scam
Elderly woman duped in lottery scam Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Published 10:31 a.m., Friday, January 27, 2012

[...] when she never received her prize money, she became suspicious and called police. [...] 81-year-old Robert W. Cornell, of Houston, is charged with theft, a felony, according to a complaint filed by the Harris County District Attorney's Office.


01/27/2012 - 1:28pm
Email scams at tax time
The cyberscum who seek to pilfer your personal information have many ways to lure victims into their traps, and a favorite is the phishing scam – bogus emails that link to a rogue site into which the hapless type private data. The creators of these emails try their best to make them look authentic, and they’ll often theme them around news events. For example, shortly after last year’s devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan, scammers began flooding inboxes with fake charity emails. Anyone who typed credit card information into the site linked from those phishing attempts donated only to the criminals’ coffers. Fortunately, most phishing scams are badly done, and [...]


» Read more: Houston Chronicle
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