The IBEW Union Burying Ground

Woody Guthrie - Tom Joad - Part 1 - YouTube

2015-03-05T21:30:00.001-06:00

Woody Guthrie - Tom Joad - Part 1 - YouTube

Woody Guthrie - Tom Joad - Part 1

Tom Joad got out of the old McAlester Pen;
There he got his parole.
After four long years on a man killing charge,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road, poor boy,
Tom Joad come a-walkin' down the road.

Tom Joad, he met a truck driving man;
There he caught him a ride.
He said, "I just got loose from McAlester Pen
On a charge called homicide,
A charge called homicide."

That truck rolled away in a cloud of dust;
Tommy turned his face toward home.
He met Preacher Casey, and they had a little drink,
But they found that his family they was gone,
He found that his family they was gone.

He found his mother's old-fashion shoe,
Found his daddy's hat.
And he found little Muley and Muley said,
"They've been tractored out by the cats,
They've been tractored out by the cats."

Tom Joad walked down to the neighbor's farm,
Found his family.
They took Preacher Casey and loaded in a car,
And his mother said, "We've got to get away."
His mother said, "We've got to get away."

Now, the twelve of the Joads made a mighty heavy load;
But Grandpa Joad did cry.
He picked up a handful of land in his hand,
Said: "I'm stayin' with the farm till I die.
Yes, I'm stayin' with the farm till I die."

They fed him short ribs and coffee and soothing syrup;
And Grandpa Joad did die.
They buried Grandpa Joad by the side of the road,
Grandma on the California side,
They buried Grandma on the California side.

They stood on a mountain and they looked to the west,
And it looked like the promised land.
That bright green valley with a river running through,
There was work for every single hand, they thought,
There was work for every single hand.

The Joads rolled away to the jungle camp,
There they cooked a stew.
And the hungry little kids of the jungle camp
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."
Said: "We'd like to have some, too."

Now a deputy sheriff fired loose at a man,
Shot a woman in the back.
Before he could take his aim again,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track, poor boy,
Preacher Casey dropped him in his track.

They handcuffed Casey and they took him in jail;
And then he got away.
And he met Tom Joad on the old river bridge,
And these few words he did say, poor boy,
These few words he did say.

"I preached for the Lord a mighty long time,
Preached about the rich and the poor.
Us workin' folkses, all get together,
'Cause we ain't got a chance anymore.
We ain't got a chance anymore."

Now, the deputies come, and Tom and Casey run
To the bridge where the water run down.
But the vigilante thugs hit Casey with a club,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground, poor Casey,
They laid Preacher Casey on the ground.

Tom Joad, he grabbed that deputy's club,
Hit him over the head.
Tom Joad took flight in the dark rainy night,
And a deputy and a preacher lying dead, two men,
A deputy and a preacher lying dead.

Tom run back where his mother was asleep;
He woke her up out of bed.
An' he kissed goodbye to the mother that he loved,
Said what Preacher Casey said, Tom Joad,
He said what Preacher Casey said.

"Ever'body might be just one big soul,
Well it looks that a-way to me.
Everywhere that you look, in the day or night,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma,
That's where I'm a-gonna be.

Wherever little children are hungry and cry,
Wherever people ain't free.
Wherever men are fightin' for their rights,
That's where I'm a-gonna be, Ma.
That's where I'm a-gonna be."

2014-01-03T20:14:00.001-06:00

EMPLOYEE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

UNDER THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT

Basic Leave Entitlement

FMLA requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid,

job-protected leave to eligible employees for the following reasons:

• for incapacity due to pregnancy, prenatal medical care or child birth;

• to care for the employee’s child after birth, or placement for adoption

or foster care;

• to care for the employee’s spouse, son, daughter or parent, who has

a serious health condition; or

• for a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to

perform the employee’s job.

Military Family Leave Entitlements

Eligible employees whose spouse, son, daughter or parent is on covered

active duty or call to covered active duty status may use their 12-week

leave entitlement to address certain qualifying exigencies. Qu

alifying

exigencies may include attending certain military events, arranging for

alternative childcare, addressing certain financial and legal ar

rangements,

attending certain counseling sessions, and attending post-deployment

reintegration briefings.

FMLA also includes a special leave entitlement that permits eligible

employees to take up to 26 weeks of leave to care for a covered service

member during a single 12-month period. A covered servicemember is:

(1) a current member of the Armed Forces, including a member of the

National Guard or Reserves, who is undergoing medical treatment,

recuperation or therapy, is otherwise in outpatient status, or is otherwise

on the temporary disability retired list, for a serious injury

or illness*;

or (2) a veteran who was discharged or released under conditions other

than dishonorable at any time during the five-year period prior

to the

first date the eligible employee takes FMLA leave to care for the covered

veteran, and who is undergoing medical treatment, recuperation, or

therapy for a serious injury or illness.*

*The FMLA definitions of “serious injury or illness” for

current servicemembers and veterans are distinct from

the FMLA definition of “serious health condition”.

Benefits and Protections

During FMLA leave, the employer must maintain the employee’s health

coverage under any “group health plan” on the same terms as if the

employee had continued to work. Upon return from FMLA leave, most

employees must be restored to their original or equivalent positions

with equivalent pay, benefits, and other employment terms.

Use of FMLA leave cannot result in the loss of any employment benefit

that accrued prior to the start of an employee’s leave.

Eligibility Requirements

Employees are eligible if they have worked for a covered employer for at

least 12 months, have 1,250 hours of service in the previous 12 months*,

and if at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles.

*Special hours of service eligibility requirements apply to

airline flight crew employees.

Definition of Serious Health Condition

A serious health condition is an illness, injury, impairment, or physical

or mental condition that involves either an overnight stay in a medical

care facility, or continuing treatment by a health care provider for a

condition that either prevents the employee from performing the functions

of the employee’s job, or prevents the qualified family member from

participating in school or other daily activities.

Subject to certain conditions, the continuing treatment requirement may

be met by a period of incapacity of more than 3 consecutive calendar days

combined with at least two visits to a health care provider or one visit and

a regimen of continuing treatment, or incapacity due to pregnancy, or

incapacity due to a chronic condition. Other conditions may me

et the

definition of continuing treatment.

Use of Leave

An employee does not need to use this leave entitlement in one block.

Leave can be taken intermittently or on a reduced leave schedule when

medically necessary. Employees must make reasonable efforts to schedule

leave for planned medical treatment so as not to unduly disrupt the

employer’s operations. Leave due to qualifying exigencies may also be

taken on an intermittent basis.

Substitution of Paid Leave for Unpaid Leave

Employees may choose or employers may require use of accrued paid

leave while taking FMLA leave. In order to use paid leave for FMLA

leave, employees must comply with the employer’s normal paid leave

policies.

Employee Responsibilities

Employees must provide 30 days advance notice of the need to take

FMLA leave when the need is foreseeable. When 30 days notice is not

possible, the employee must provide notice as soon as practicable and

generally must comply with an employer’s normal call-in procedures.

Employees must provide sufficient information for the employer t

o determine

if the leave may qualify for FMLA protection and the anticipated timing

and duration of the leave. Sufficient information may include t

hat the

employee is unable to perform job functions, the family member is unable

to perform daily activities, the need for hospitalization or continuing

treatment by a health care provider, or circumstances supporting the need

for military family leave. Employees also must inform the employer if

the requested leave is for a reason for which FMLA leave was previously

taken or certified. Employees also may be required to provide a

certification

and periodic recertification supporting the need for leave.

Employer Responsibilities

Covered employers must inform employees requesting leave whether

they are eligible under FMLA. If they are, the notice must specify any

additional information required as well as the employees’ rights and

responsibilities. If they are not eligible, the employer must

provide a

reason for the ineligibility.

Covered employers must inform employees if leave will be designated

as FMLA-protected and the amount of leave counted against the e

mployee’s

leave entitlement. If the employer determines that the leave i

s not

FMLA-protected, the employer must notify the employee.

Unlawful Acts by Employers

FMLA makes it unlawful for any employer to:

• interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of any right provided

under FMLA; and

• discharge or discriminate against any person for opposing any practice

made unlawful by FMLA or for involvement in any proceeding under

or relating to FMLA.

Enforcement

An employee may file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Lab

or may bring a private lawsuit against an employer.

FMLA does not affect any Federal or State law prohibiting discrimination,

or supersede any State or local law or collective bargaining agreement

which provides greater family or medical leave rights.

FMLA section 109 (29 U.S.C. § 2619) requires FMLA

covered employers to post the text of this notice. Regulation

29 C.F.R. § 825.300(a) may require additional disclosures.

Support Our Troops | Klein Tools

2013-10-11T02:55:00.001-05:00

Support Our Troops | Klein Tools

Employee Free Choice Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2012-11-02T19:17:00.003-05:00

Lest I Forget ......

Employee Free Choice Act

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

The Employee Free Choice Act^[1] was a legislative bill that was introduced into both chambers of the U.S. Congress on March 10, 2009.^[2] The bill's purpose was to^[3]

“

amend the National Labor Relations Act to establish an efficient system to enable employees to form, join, or assist labor organizations [unions], to provide for mandatory injunctions for unfair labor practices during organizing efforts, and for other purposes.

”

The bill would have, first, allowed a union to be certified as the official union to bargain with an employer if union officials collect signatures of a majority of workers. The bill would have removed the present right of the employer to demand an additional, separate ballot when more than half of employees have already given their signature supporting the union.^[4] Second, the bill would have required employers and unions to enter binding arbitration to produce a collective agreement at latest 120 days after a union is recognized. Third, the bill would have increased penalties on employers who discriminate against workers for union involvement.

Employee Free Choice Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Road I Must Travel - The Nightwatchman

2012-09-02T13:16:00.001-05:00

2012-08-12T12:32:00.002-05:00

“Some things you must always be unable to bear. Some things you must never stop refusing to bear. Injustice and outrage and dishonor and shame. No matter how young you are or how old you have got. Not for kudos and not for cash. Your picture in the paper nor money in the bank, neither. Just refuse to bear them.”

Electrical Construction & Maintenance: Electrical Contract Awarded for Pueblo Airport Generation Station Projects

2010-12-16T06:42:00.000-06:00

December 15, 2010

Electrical Contract Awarded for Pueblo Airport Generation Station Projects

The Energy Alternatives Division of San Jose, Calif.-based Black Hills Corp. announced recently that subsidiaries Black Hills Energy – Colorado Electric and Black Hills Colorado IPP have awarded the electrical package contract to FPD Power Development for the Pueblo Airport Generation Station projects. FPD will work with IBEW Local 12 and Larkin Enterprises to hire qualified professionals to perform all of the electrical, instrumentation and controls construction work on these projects.

"We have a long history of working in Pueblo and are excited to continue sharing our 40-plus years of experience to make southern Colorado an energy epicenter," says Jeff Gale, executive VP of FPD Power Development. "We are pleased to be working with Black Hills on these exciting projects and look forward to working closely with local, experienced professionals to successfully complete this contract."

"This electrical package includes approximately 1.5 million ft. of cable between the two projects, is the third largest contract awarded and represents nearly 30% of the entire workload for the new generation projects under construction," says Christopher Burke, VP of operations for Black Hills Energy – Colorado Electric. "We continue our commitment to competitively soliciting qualified, least-cost resources, and we are particularly pleased that much of this additional work will be awarded to local companies and craft labor."

FPD will work about 200,000 man-hours on this project and plans to hire qualified electricians from IBEW Local 12. FPD subcontractor Larkin Enterprises will also hire pipefitters from Local 58. In addition, FPD will be sourcing the majority of the materials from local distributors. The Pueblo Airport Generation Station currently has more than 350 contractors and craft labor onsite. As of August, when the official ground-breaking ceremony occurred, both utility-owned LMS100s have been delivered and set on their respective foundations by mechanical contractor Fagen, Inc. and Pueblo-based subcontractor Vision Mechanical. Additionally, the switchyard access road and site grading construction services were completed by Rice and Rice, and the waterline construction was completed by K.R. Swerdfeger. Planning is in full swing for the cooling tower erection, planned for January 2011. Colorado-based Cooling Tower Depot will subcontract the erection work with Kirk Erectors, Inc. Kirk Erectors will use local carpenters, pipefitters, operators, millwrights, and laborers union halls. The project will take approximately 18 weeks and will employ 15 people. Additionally, the gas line and compression facility are almost complete, and work has begun on the pre-engineered buildings.

The Black Hills Pueblo Airport Generation Station will consist of four units, two utility-owned natural gas-fired LMS100 units and two Black Hills Colorado IPP-owned high efficiency combined cycle units. Each of the combined cycle units will consist of two 40MW natural gas-fired LM6000 turbines and one 20MW steam turbine. The generation facility is expected to be in service by Jan. 1, 2012.

Electrical Construction & Maintenance: Electrical Contract Awarded for Pueblo Airport Generation Station Projects

Still Made in USA.com - American-Made Tools

2010-12-15T07:54:00.000-06:00

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Cutting Tools [Back to Top]

American Carbide (South Easton, MA): carbide end mills, burrs, and router bits, all made in the USA
Eagle America (Chardon, OH): makers of over 900 quality, American-made router bits
Kodiak Cutting Tools (Webster, NY): supplier of American-made end mills, taps, twist drills, threadmills, burs, carbide drills and reamers
LakeShore Carbide (Buffalo, NY): high performance carbide endmills, made with American carbide, unique geometries, and high quality coatings. Custom tooling also available.
Niagara Cutter (Amherst, NY): carbide and diamond-coated carbide cutting tools, all made in USA (in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts)
RedLine Tools (Minneapolis, MN): machine tools (carbide endmills, drills, threadmills, and toolholders)
Severance Tool Ind. (Saginaw, MI): specialty high-speed steel and carbide cutting tools
SGS Tool Co. (Munroe Falls, OH): solid carbide rotary cutting tools. All products (burs, drills, endmills, and routers) are manufactured in Northeast Ohio.
Whiteside Machine Co. (Claremont, NC): manufacturing a complete line of solid carbide and carbide-tipped router bits for all your woodworking needs. Available from Woodworkers World

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Hand Tools [Back to Top]

Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools are exclusively made in USA by Danaher Tool Group at a facility in Fayetteville, AR. (Other Danaher tool brands, including Allen Hand Tools , and KD Hand Tools are a mixture of American-made and imported.) Available online from MSC Direct
Bondhus (Monticello, MN): ball-point hex tools, available from NorthernTool.com
Channellock Inc. (Meadville, PA): over 120 different sizes and types of pliers and other hand tools, including their patented tongue-and-groove and slip-joint pliers. (You can also have your Channellock tools engraved with your name or company logo.)
Chapman Tools (Durham, CT): ratchets and adaptors for Allen, Bristol, Phillips, and TORX fasteners since 1936
Craftsman brand hand tools, made for SEARS by Danaher Tool Group, are now a mix of USA-made and imported. (Craftsman power tools are imported). Available from SEARS and KMart.
Eklind Tool Co. (Franklin Park, IL): hex tools, including folding, L-keys, and T-keys, all made in USA
Estwing (Rockford, IL): hammers, mallets, axes, and geological tools, with a patented shock-reduction grip, made in USA. Available from Home Depot or Acehardware.com
Kalama Precision Machine (Kalama, WA): makers of Hold and Fold^TM Photo-Etch (PE) Tools for fine-scale metal modelers. Offering PE workstations, rolling sets, and cut-off kits, all made in USA.
Klein Tools (Lincolnshire, IL): manufacturing a wide variety of handtools at several facilities in Illinois. ( Some products imported from Mexico and elsewhere, so check origin ). Available at Home Depot , Lowe's , and other hardware and home improvement stores
LoggerHead Tools (Chicago, IL): adjustable Bionic Wrench, covering a range of SAE/metric sizes. Manufactured by Penn United Technology, Inc. (Cabot, PA).
Moody Tools (Warwick, RI): manufacturers of precision miniature tools.
Park Tool (St. Paul, MN): bicycle repair tools made in USA (multi-tools imported), available from REI
S-K Handtool (McCook, IL): socket and drive tools and wrenches, made in USA.
Snap-on Tools: a business division of Snap-on Inc., Snap-on Tools Group manufactures tools for motor vehicle service and repair at 4 facilities in the U.S. (Elkmont, AL; Algona, IA; Elizabethton, TN; and Milwaukee, WI). Known for their franchised dealer vans, Snap-on tools are now also available online. Many, but not all, tools imprinted with the Snap-on name are made in US, other tool brands (including Blue Point) are imported. County of origin is provided for each product on the Snap-On website, so check before you purchase.

Snyder Manufacturing ( Salamanca, NY): ratchet and non-ratchet screwdrivers

Stanley-Proto (New Britain, CT): a division of Stanley, making heavy-duty industrial hand tools used in the manufacture of autos, aircraft, transportation/fleet maintenance. Most Proto tools are made in USA ("Some days a good wrench is the only friend a man's got.") Available from Grainger and MSC

Stiletto Tool Co. (Winton, CA): titanium and steel hammers

Vaughan Mfg. (Hebron, IL): hammers and prybars made in USA since 1869 and still made with American-made steel. Available from NorthernTool.com

Wright Tool (Barberton, OH): wrenches, sockets, screwdrivers, pliers, and hammers, made in USA with U.S. steel

Hand Tools and More

Sharpening Solutions from

Hardware [Back to Top]

Viking Plastics (Corry, PA): in addition to making OEM parts for the auto industry, this company manufactures plastic and nylon fasteners (nuts, bolts, screws, washers). Available direct to consumers at CP Plastics

Knives and Outdoor Tools [Back to Top]

Arc Flashlight (Phoenix, AZ): LED pocket flashlights that run on a single AAA battery. Small and easy to carry, but bright. Made in USA by Mega Tech Devices
Bark River Knives (Escanaba, MI): this family-owned business crafts knives and other cutting tools, with an amazing selection of blade styles and handles.
Bear & Son Cutlery (Jacksonville, AL): American-made hunting knives, camp axes and saws, pocket knives, and multi-tools
Benchmade (Oregon City, OR): manufacturer of folding and fixed blade knives for camping/outdoor use, as well as self defense and public safety applications. Several product classes (Red Class, HK, and NRA Outdoors) include imported product.
Buck Knives (Post Falls, ID): family-owned manufacturer of knives, including folding and pocket knives, for hunting, fishing and general use. All knives made in USA are noted with an American flag icon. (Check out the plant tour )
W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery (Bradford, PA): manufacturers of premium hand-crafted pocket knives, hunting, and fixed-blade knives since 1889. Available from XX Cutlery
Council Tool (Lake Waccamaw, NC): American-made striking, digging, and firefighting tools, including axes, mauls, mattocks and sledge hammers
DMT (Marlborough, MA): Diamond Machining Technology makes diamond sharpeners for kitchen, garden, and workshop tools. Diamond crystals bonded to a metal plate, will not break or chip. Available from My All-American Store
Emerson Knives (Torrance, CA): tactical knives handcrafted in California from steel made in Chicago..."deployed with the most elite military and law enforcement organizations in the world..."
Estwing (Rockford, IL): camping axes, wood-splitters and geological tools. Available from Home Depot and Acehardware.com
Kershaw Knives (Tualatin, OR): utility knives made in their Oregon facility--look for "Made in USA" in product descriptions. (Other product categories mostly made in Japan and China.)
Leatherman (Portland, OR): knives, pruners, and multi-tools, made in USA from US and imported parts. Available from Cabela's , The Cutlery Shoppe , and LL Bean
LogRite Tools (Vernon, CT): aluminum-handled logging tools for use at sawmills, woodlots and construction sites. Tools include cant hooks, log peaveys, timber carriers, and hand saws, all made in USA.
MagLite (Ontario, CA): my favorite example of a product that integrates beautiful design and performance--the red MagLite flashlight. "Every Mag Instrument flashlight, no matter where in the world it ends up, comes from a factory located in the U.S.A. and staffed by American workers." Read more about the company's commitment to U.S. workers .
Ontario Knife Co. (Franklinville, NY): sporting/outdoor and survival knives and edged tools, available from Brigade Quartermasters
Pro Tool Industries (Pottstown, PA): utility knives and saws, plus Woodman's Pal land clearing tool--"Designed by Americans, made of American materials and crafted with 23 meticulous hand operations by Pennsylvania workers."
Randall Made Knives (Orlando, FL): hand-crafted knives for outdoor, hunting, saltwater, survival and military applications

(For additional outdoor gear listings, see Sporting Goods)

Ontario Knife Co.

Wilson Bohannan Padlocks

Measuring & QC Tools [Back to Top]

Bodelin Technologies (Lake Oswego, OR): makers of the ProScope HR hand-held digital microscope for science education, law enforcement, and manufacturing quality control. Made in Oregon.
Deltronic (Santa Ana, CA): optical comparators made in USA
Fisher Machine (Hawthorne, CA): edge finders, v-blocks and clamps, sine bars, and thread measuring wires. All made in USA.
L.S. Starrett Co. (Athol, MA): precision tools, including micrometers, calipers, levels, dial indicators, and gage blocks. Many still made in USA at facilities in MA, OH, MN, and NC. Some products made overseas, so check origin.
MagEyes (Kerrville, TX): optical quality magnifying lenses with a headband for hands-free close work. Manufactured and assembled completely in the US.

Painting Tools [Back to Top]

CAN-GUN 1 (Ashland, OR): spray can handles that attach to any standard aerosol can (spray paints, lubricants, adhesives, window cleaners etc.) for ergonomic spraying with better control. Made in USA from recycled plastic.

Power Equipment [Back to Top]

Briggs & Stratton (Wauwatosa, WI): manufacturers of small gasoline engines, based in Wisconsin and with additional facilities in AL, FL, KY, MO, and GA. Briggs & Stratton engines power many welders, pressure washers, and generators
Lake Buchanan Industries (Buchanan Dam, TX): manufacturer of BarrelBlaster blast cabinets and pressure pot blasters, that work with a variety of abrasives including glass beads and walnut shells
Mi-T-M Corp. (Peosta, IA): pressure washers, generators, air compressors, and wet/dry vacs, manufactured in Iowa since 1971
Rizk National Industries (Warren, MI): American-made battery chargers, booster cables, and transformers

Power Tool Accessories [Back to Top]

Montana Brand Tools (Ronan, MT): drill and drive sets, including titanium drill bits, magnetic screw guides and bit holders, and innovative tools like the Drill & Driver tool that allows drill and drive or countersink of screws without chucking new tools
Power Shelf (Plymouth, OH): an outlet cover complete with a small shelf that keeps hand-held electronics out of harms way during charging, and charger cords out of sight. Made from recycled steel in USA.

Tool Organizers & Holders [Back to Top]

Addendia: creator of Hi & Dri Storage Pallets, modular pallets for home and business use. Stack and store inventory, personal belongings, and bulk supplies safely off the floor. Made from polypropylene plastic by Customatic Inc. (Worcester, MA). Available from The Container Store.
Occidental Leather (Sonoma County, CA): tool holders and tool belts, made in USA from American leathers, fabrics, and hardware. Available from My All-American Store
PDY Systems (Newport, TN): makers of Lift-N-Lok toolboxes with compartmented storage drawers, a storage bin for larger items, and a locking handle.
Wall Control (Tucker, GA): manufacturer of wall organizers systems, made in USA from 20-gauge steel with baked-on powder coat finish in a variety of colors. Similar in appearance to peg board, but stronger, and can be customized with hooks, brackets, shelves and bins. EZ Wall Organizers available from Stacks and Stacks (Keyword "tool organizer USA")

Welding Tools [Back to Top]

Archer Tool Co. (Keytesville, MO): precision or specialty tools for five primary markets - welding, hardware, automotive, industrial and medical. Available from Archer On-Line
Hobart Welders (Troy, OH): all Hobart MIG and stick welders are made in Ohio. (Hobart is owned by Illinois Tool Works). Available from NorthernTool.com
Lincoln Electric Co. (Cleveland, OH): (stick, MIG, and TIG welders) welders manufactured at several facilities in Ohio. ( Some product lines imported ). In 2003, Lincoln bought the Century brand, and many Century welders are made in USA. Available from MSC
Miller Electric (Appleton, WI): all Miller welders are still made in Wisconsin. (Miller Electric is owned by Illinois Tool Works.) Available from MSC

Shop by Brand, Look for "U.S.A."

Woodworking Tools [Back to Top]

Barr Specialty Tools (McCall, ID): hand-forged woodworking tools, including chisels, knives, gouges, and mallets. These are beautiful, and worthy of including on my Handcraft Artisans page, but I think more folks will see them here.
Blue Spruce Toolworks (Oregon City, OR): beautiful woodworking hand tools, including marking knives, scratch awls, chisels and mallets.
Bridge City Tool Works (Portland, OR): high-end woodworking hand tools, combining solid brass and rosewood for beauty and performance
Forrest Mfg. (Clifton, NJ): Forrest Saw Blades for table saws, radial arm saws and chop/miter saws, all made in USA.
INCRA Precision Tools (Dallas, TX): all INCRA woodworking tools are designed and manufactured in USA. Available from Rockler Woodworking and Hardware
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks (Warren, ME): quality woodworking tools, including block planes, bench planes, and chisels. Also carrying Starrett measuring tools made in USA.
LumberJack Tools (Colorado Springs, CO): specialty cutting tools for timber framing or log furniture making, including tenon cutters, chamfer tools, and counter sink tools. All made in the USA from 6061 aluminum or steel.
Noden Furniture Design (Trenton, NJ): Adjust-A-Bench allows easy changes to work surface height, to suit the woodworker and the work. Designed and manufactured in USA.
Pacific Rack & Machine (Medford, OR): tools and accessories for the home woodworking shop
U.J. Ramelson Co. (Newark, NJ): woodworking and scribing tools of high carbon tool steel with wooden handles
How-to Woodworking DVD's
Woodpeckers Inc. (North Royalton, OH): Woodpecker woodworking tools are designed and manufactured in U.S. (Most other brands on the site are also made in USA.)

Personalized Workshop Sign

INCRA Woodworking Tools

Incra Universal Precision Positioning Jig

This site is a voluntary effort by one woman to help shoppers find products made in USA.
No warrantees are expressed or implied.

Still Made in USA.com - American-Made Tools

The IBEW Union Burying Ground: Tramp Union Reformer Challenges Expulsion from Electrical Workers

2010-04-18T12:28:00.000-05:00

Sunday, March 14, 2010
Anonymous said...: i just finished working in the shell upgrader expansion in alberta.this job is very unfriendly to unions.there is no posting of union info allowed in the break trailers,no mention of unions allowed during the 5 minute long "safety meetings" which are run by supervision.
i was fired at noon the day i asked for a layoff and my travel monies home. according to shells rules if you are "fired" they wont pay you to return home(for me that is a 15 hr. drive to winnipeg.)
so instead of giving me a layoff i was fired for "insubordination"
i never refused working, or cursed my foreman . i just went to the steward's office to see about my travel pay. i was fired for leaving my work area to go to the steward office about 100 yards away.
witnesses were brought in after i was accused of cursing the foreman etc...they backed me . one even called him a liar,to no avail i was still terminated for my "bad attitude". upon hiring , my dispatch papers said 30 day call..."may be more". i had worked 45 days to that point, and just wanted to take another call 6 hours closer to home.
i will never work in alberta again unless i really have to.; Sunday, April 18, 2010
B.A.T.S. said...: Hey Brother!

Sounds like an all too familiar circumstance where the IBEW has again has failed to properly represent a member in the face of corporate oppression. Another case of obvious collusion with NeKa or a Mega Kontractor . I'm not very familiar with Canada's system of Labor dispute resolution process ....but if it's like the NLRB here in the states your at a disadvantage from the outset.....

United We Stand...... Divided We Beg!; Sunday, April 18, 2010

The IBEW Union Burying Ground: Tramp Union Reformer Challenges Expulsion from Electrical Workers

OMOV!

Video: IBEW Workers Bid Adieu to Space Shuttle Program

2010-01-04T22:12:00.002-06:00

With NASA’s space shuttle program set to end in 2010, union members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) reflect on the shuttle program and their work that sent men and women into space for several decades. IBEW put together this video about their contributions to the space shuttle program.

A IBEW Comeback!

2009-09-05T23:27:00.006-05:00

I've wasted enough time....... but gained knowledge and insight nonetheless.

IBWT Crew 72 ..... jimbo we still love you brother!

"Neca eos omnes. Deus suos agnoset" proclaimed the papal killers of the Cathars ("Kill them all. God will know His own."}

freechoiceact

Labor Day brings a new generation of opportunity

Labor Unions’ Green Efforts Are Cause For Celebration This Labor Day

Challenges for US labor unions and lessons for all businesses

IDEAL Announces Recession-Busting Pricing on Its Most Popular Apprentice Electrician Tool Kits

New York Times Building Incorporates IBEW-Installed Total Light Management System

Vallejo union Digs In Heels

Justia US Court of Appeals Cases and Opinions - 674 F.2d 939 - Billy N. Chadwick, Appellant, v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Unionno. 175, International Brotherhood of Electricalworkers, Appellees

Billy N. Chadwick, Appellant, v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 175, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Appellees. - U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit - April 09, 1982, Federal Circuits, Docket 81-1699 - vLex

Billy N. Chadwick, Appellant, v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Unionno. 175, International Brotherhood of Electricalworkers, Appellees - 674 F.2d 939 - Justia US Court of Appeals Cases and Opinions

NECA helps get things done!

2008-11-11T18:53:00.000-06:00

Unemployment Compensation Loophole Closes January 6. NECA Helped!

For the past 34 years, certain unemployed people have been allowed to file for unemployment compensation in a state where they may never even have held a job, and states with lower maximum benefit levels have suffered for it. However, this gaping loophole in the federal regulations (20 CFR 616.6) slams shut on January 6, 2009.

Unemployment compensation is administered at both the federal and state levels. All states currently participate in a federal program entitled “The Interstate Agreement for Wage Combining.” Under current law, people who work in more than one state during the year before they lose their job are eligible to file what is called a “combined wage claim” (CWC) in any state.

And that’s where the practice of “forum shopping” comes in. What happens is, jobless people often travel to a state that offers more generous unemployment compensation benefits than the state in which they actually live in order to file a CWC. (Such claims have to be filed in person; they cannot be mailed in.) But, when the successful claimant goes home, it’s the state of residence that must pay the benefits —at the higher rate.

The Charleston (West Virginia) Daily Mail, which recently published a couple of articles on this subject, provides the following example:

“Consider a West Virginia resident who worked in both Ohio and West Virginia in 2007. In 2008, the person is laid off and decides to file a combined wage claim in Massachusetts. ... If qualified, he or she would receive the $600 maximum [weekly] benefit established by Massachusetts officials instead of the $424 maximum that West Virginia sets. The money would come from the West Virginia trust fund.”

Employers in states struggling to keep their unemployment compensation trust funds on sound footing as job losses increase fear that the amounts they have to pay for unemployment insurance will skyrocket beyond control if this situation is allowed to continue. Fortunately, it’s ending early next year.

On October 23, the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration published a Final Rule in The Federal Register that limits the combined wage claimant to filing only in a state where he or she worked during the base period to qualify for unemployment benefits. DoL also amended 20 CFR 616.7 (“Election to file a Combined Wage Claim”). The amendment adds a new paragraph to the regulation that requires a state that denies a CWC to notify the claimant of the option of filing the claim in another state in which he or she worked during the states base period.

For access to the Final Rule, go to www.doleta.gov/usworkForce/whatsnew/eta_default.cfm?id=1970

_____________________

NECA News thanks Steve Allred, manager of NECA’s West Virginia-Ohio Valley Chapter, for bringing this important development to our attention. Steve says, “Apparently, enough disgruntled employers contacted their elected officials and forced a change.”

And, we’d like to thank Nebraska-NECA Chapter Manager Ruth Chermok for providing this "fun fact" about why it took so long for this change to come about.

On November 2, 2007, the Labor Department published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the definition of ‘‘paying State’’ for purposes of CWCs filed under the Federal-State Unemployment Compensation program and closed off comments on that proposal on January 2, 2008. And, then ... nothing happened.

Ruth tells us, “We were having this battle in our area and our attorney discovered that this correction reg had been sitting on a desk in D.C. Our local labor commissioner office called that official on our behalf and within three days it was published.”

NECA helps get things done!

IBEW ALASKA

2008-09-12T15:53:00.004-05:00

Local Union Spotlight:IBEW Local 1547

IBEW Local 1547 is one of the strongest unions in Alaska with nearly 5,000 members. There are close to 70 collective bargaining agreements administered by the IBEW statewide. There are also about 200 contractors across Alaska that are signatory to IBEW. Chartered in 1946, Local 1547 will celebrate its 62nd anniversary this October.

The IBEW represents a wide range of electrical and communications workers. Electrical classifications include power linemen, inside wiremen, power plant workers and technicians, mechanics, warehouse workers, line clearance tree trimmers and heavy equipment operators. Communications classifications include linemen, installation and repair workers, telephone operators, central office technicians, cable maintenance workers, and fiber optic specialists. In addition, Local 1547 represents workers in many classifications outside of the electrical and communications fields from cooks to certified nursing assistants, and from librarians to radar operators.

The leaders and members of Local 1547 are not sitting on the sidelines this election season. Watch this video of Business Manager Larry Bell, Assistant Business Manager Mike Notar, and Organizer Dennis Knebel describing their participation in Labor 2008:

As you can tell from the video, IBEW is making a substantial effort to elect candidates who understand the needs of working families. According to Local 1547 Business Manager Larry Bell, “The IBEW has endorsed Mark Begich for the U.S. Senate. We are excited about this race. Begich has been very supportive of working people, both as mayor and as an assemblyman. He has always been responsive to our members.”

One of the many reasons that IBEW Local 1547 is standing behind Mark Begich is because he supports the Employee Free Choice Act. “On a national level there is a direct correlation between the strength of organized labor and the strength of the middleclass,” says Local 1547 Organizer Dennis Knebel. “The Employee Free Choice Act will level the playing field so that working people who want to form a union can do so without harassment and intimidation.”

Larry Bell adds important insight into this often misunderstood legislation. “More disheartening than anything is what often happens after workers vote to form a union. Then you set out on the daunting task of getting a first agreement. The Employee Free Choice Act sets a path for getting that done. It requires a first contract so that unscrupulous employers cannot hold up negotiations.”

Local 1547 is also deeply concerned by the skyrocketing cost of health care. Bell illustrates the problem from his own experience, “As an apprentice coming up in the early ‘90’s, I can remember my predecessor telling me that my health insurance premium would probably be equal to my car payment. Shortly after becoming a journeyman wireman the same man stood in front of us and told us that our health and welfare premium would soon equate to our mortgage. By the time I became Business Manager a decade later, not only is that true but for many Americans who are fortunate enough to have health insurance it has surpassed the cost of our mortgages. I am excited to see candidates actually running with the recognition that our private healthcare system is broken. We’ve got to fix the foundation of health care in America.”

Mike Notar lays out the situation bluntly. “We have a failing health care system in the United States. I serve as a Health and Welfare Trustee on the IBEW/NECA Health and Welfare Trust in Anchorage. I have seen our premiums rise. We have had to cut benefits in order to keep the fund financially sound. I think that one of the most important things this election is health care for all. The IBEW has endorsed HR 676, which is John Conyers' bill for universal health care.”

In the coming weeks, you can look forward to more in depth coverage of IBEW leadership and issues on the Labor 2008 blog. In the meantime, Local 1547 is urging all union members to get involved. Contact Volunteer Coordinator Dawn Bowie at 344-0910 to find out how you can leaflet your worksite, labor walk to union households, phone bank to other union members, or help with local union mail.

(Top Photo: IBEW members marching in the 2008 Fairbanks Labor Day Parade. Bottom Photo: Local 1547 Business Manager Larry Bell signs in to Labor Walk.)

COMPLIMENTS: ALASKA LABOR BLOG 2008

IBEW Local 1547 is one of the strongest unions in Alaska with nearly 5,000 members.

Footnote: Alaska 2006 Population (estimate) : 670,053

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

U. Utah Phillips, Folk Troubadour, Dies at 73

2008-06-05T06:59:00.000-05:00

Bruce Duncan Phillips, the itinerant folk singer, songwriter, storyteller and social activist who jokingly called himself U. Utah Phillips, “the Golden Voice of the Great Southwest,” died on Friday at his home in Nevada City, Calif. He was 73.

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Bruce Duncan Phillips, who called himself U. Utah Phillips, performing at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in 1992.

The cause was congestive heart failure, his family said in a statement.

An instinctively independent guitar-slinger and self-described anarchist with an affinity for history and a trove of one-liners, Mr. Phillips was a regular on the folk circuit from 1969 into the 21st century. “It is better to be likable than to be talented,“ he often said.

His sets were monologues that interspersed anecdotes, political jabs and wry observations with songs — some traditional, some from the labor movement and some he had written, like “Green Rolling Hills,” “All Used Up,” “The Telling Takes Me Home,” “Goodnight Loving Trail” and “Rocksalt and Nails.” His songs were recorded by Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, Joan Baez, Waylon Jennings and Ani DiFranco, who signed him to her label, Righteous Babe, and produced two albums for him in the 1990s. Mr. Phillips sang about workers, historical events, the West and his great love, trains; for a while he lived in a railroad caboose.

At a performance last year, he said: “It’s nice to know there are some things in early 21st-century post-industrial culture that don’t change very fast. I am one of those.”

Mr. Phillips was born in 1935 in Cleveland, the son of labor organizers who moved to Utah in 1947. He was an Army private in the Korean War. In an interview with Works in Progress, a newspaper in Olympia, Wash., he said about the war’s aftermath: “I was very angry and frightened by what I’d seen and what I had done there. I got on the freight trains, and I rode for quite a while to try to sort myself out. I think I was drunk most of the time.“

He returned to Salt Lake City and ended up at Joe Hill House, a homeless shelter run by a Catholic anarchist, Ammon Hennacy, who shaped Mr. Phillips’s lifelong perspective. Mr. Phillips joined the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the Wobblies, the internationalist union. Mr. Phillips wrote songs influenced by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and country singers like T. Texas Tyler (after which he modeled his U. Utah Phillips name). He worked at Joe Hill House and then for the State of Utah as an archivist. But after he ran for the United States Senate in 1968 on the independent Peace and Freedom ticket, he lost his state job and decided to try to make a living as a performer.

Encouraged by the singer Rosalie Sorrels, he moved to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and found his way onto the circuit of coffeehouses, clubs and festivals that would sustain him for the next 38 years — “learning how to make a living, not a killing,” he said in a 2007 podcast. “I discovered a dignified, ancient, elegant trade, one where I could own what I do and never have to have a boss again.”

He recorded his first albums for the Philo label and later recorded for Red House, including an album of duets, “The Long Memory,” with Ms. Sorrels in 1996. He was a straightforward folk singer throughout his career. But for “The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere” (Righteous Babe), Ms. DiFranco winnowed down a hundred hours of concert tapes and melded his songs and stories with electronic tracks influenced by hip-hop. “Fellow Workers,” a 1999 album with Ms. DiFranco and her band, was nominated for the Grammy Award for best contemporary folk album.

In the late 1980s, Mr. Phillips settled in Nevada City with his fourth wife, Joanna Robinson, who survives him along with his sons Duncan, of Salt Lake City, and Brendan, of Olympia, Wash.; his daughter, Morrigan Belle of Washington, D.C.; his stepsons Nicholas Tomb of Monterey, Calif., and Ian Durfee of Davis, Calif.; his brothers David, of Fairfield, Calif., Ed, of Cleveland, and Stuart Cohen, of Los Angeles; his sister, Deborah Cohen, of Lisbon, Portugal; and a grandchild, Brendan.

He started a series, “Loafer’s Glory,” on the Nevada City public radio station, KVMR-FM, which was syndicated nationally and collected on CDs on his own label, No Guff. In 2005 he opened Hospitality House, a nonprofit group that aids the homeless in collaboration with churches, in nearby Grass Valley, Calif. He learned he had heart disease in 2004, and health problems forced him to retire from touring in 2007.

“I don’t need fame and I don’t need power and I don’t need wealth,” he said last year. “I’m in need of friends, which I have found in abundance.”

Underwriters Laboratories Finds Faulty GFCIs

2007-12-16T16:58:00.000-06:00

Recent testing by Northbrook, Ill.-based Underwriters Laboratories (UL) of samples obtained from both the marketplace and several manufacturers indicates that some GFCI units do not meet all current UL requirements and, under rare conditions, may not trip when a fault is present, resulting in a loss of protection from electric shock. There have been no reported incidences of these products causing injury in the field, and under normal circumstances UL expects these products will perform their intended function. While GFCIs provide an effective means for protecting against electric shock, UL recommends that they be tested regularly to verify they are operating properly, using the self-test feature that is built into these devices.

UL has notified all manufacturers identified to date whose product samples did not meet all current UL requirements so that they may take appropriate action. UL has not withdrawn its certification mark from existing products nor does UL believe the products should be removed from homes or other locations entailing normal use

Article:

Underwriters Laboratories Finds Faulty GFCIs

2007 PRIMEDIA Business Magazines & Media Inc.

Publication:

Electrical Construction & Maintenance

Google - Council Bluffs Data Center

2007-12-07T02:08:00.000-06:00

Hello Council Bluffs!

Google is very happy to be constructing a new data center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Your community has all the qualities Google looks for when developing a data center to serve millions of Internet users.

Limited testing of the facility should be underway in the second half of 2008 and the center should be fully operational sometime in 2009. Eventually, we plan to employ approximately 200 people, ranging from technology assistants to experienced data center managers. We’re confident this $600 million investment will be good for Council Bluffs, Google and our Internet users.

In the meantime, we’re eager to share more information about what we’re doing. On this site, you’ll find information about:

what exactly a data center is
the kinds of jobs that are available
what Google does
how to contact us

Use this site to familiarize yourself with the Council Bluffs data center, and feel free to share this site with anyone who may be interested.

We appreciate your help and support, and feel privileged to be part of the Council Bluffs community.

Map

Satellite

Hybrid

Klein Tools Announces $250,000 Tool Scholarship Commitment

2007-11-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

Staff Writers

Klein Tools recently announced a five-year $250,000 tool scholarship commitment at the 2007 NJATC National Training Institute week in Knoxville, TN.

During NTI's graduation ceremony, Klein awarded its first-year commitment of $50,000 to 10 local IBEW-NECA training programs.

Klein Tool's scholarship program was awarded to the training programs in two parts. Each training program is welcome to use the scholarship materials as they see fit.

The first part of the scholarship program consists of 25 Klein 14-piece apprentice tool sets awarded to each of five winning training programs. These tool sets are intended for distribution to individual apprentices based on criteria determined at the local program level. The second component of the scholarship program consists of a $5,000 endowment for each of five training programs to purchase needed Klein tools for use in their classrooms or training labs.

For more information contact: www.kleintools.com.

Tramp Union Reformer Challenges Expulsion from Electrical Workers

2007-10-31T02:30:00.000-05:00

On April 27, 1979, Billy Chadwick was expelled from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers(IBEW) for "publishing among the membership or L.U.'s, false reports or misrepresentations," as Article 27, Section1 of the IBEW Constitution reads.

What this meant, of course, was that Chadwick had been a critic of the union's leadership and an active reformer for some years. The specific incident that led to the expulsion was a leaflet Chadwick distributed at a Tennessee Valley Authority worksite where he was being harassed by management.Billy Chadwick is a traveling wireman, known in the union as a "tramp." His home local is 760 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was working at the Watts Bar TVA nuclear plant, which is under the jurisdiction of Local 175. According to Chadwick, however, the TVA is exempt from many labor laws and regulations and does not have to deal with union grievances.

Chadwick's grievances went nowhere,so on January 24, 1979, he distributed a leaflet suggesting that since Local 175 did not actually represent anyone, there was no justification for its collecting a 2% tax on wages.

Chadwick was fired, allegedly for "loafing," by TVA management on January 26. After that he was brought up on charges and eventually expelled by Local 175, in spite of the fact that he was not a member of it.

Chadwick was then told he had no standing to appeal to a higher body. For over a year he attempted to appeal to the International Executive Council with no satisfaction. A few weeks ago Chadwick's lawyer, Paul Levy, filed in Washington, D.C. 's Federal District Court for a summary finding. Levy is arguing that Chadwick's expulsion is in violation of Title I of the Landrum-Griffin Act.

There is little doubt that both the firing and the expulsion were the result of Chadwick's long-standing activity on behalf of the rights of IBEW members. He had long been active in the Federation of Linemen and Electricians (FLE) (pronounced flea), an informal fraternal organization of traveling contruction electricians said to be as old as the union itself.

While FLE does not engage in collective bargaining, nor act as a reform group within the IBEW, it does aid its members, encourage them to file grievances and sometimes, as Chadwick himself put it, engage in the tactics of the old IWW. The IBEW hierarchy has actually branded the FLE as a "subversive" organization. Its membership numbers in the tens of thousands........

Chadwick also helped found the Brotherhood of Electrical Employees (BEE), whose name was chosen to rhyme with (FLE) in 1970, as a legal rights center for FLE members. BEE published a newsletter and put out a legal rights handbook called "One More Tramp Guide," written by Chadwick himself. These activities brought him, as he put it, "a certain amount of not altogether welcome notoriety at hiring halls."

Chadwick made his intentions clear to all when he wrote in 1978 in "One More Tramp Guide," It is the opinion of this writer that a great need exists for an effective and well-led reform organizaton within the IBEW, and that "The BEE" might well be developed to fill this need.

Evidently, the leadership of the IBEW took him at his word and decided to rid themselves of the threat of reform.

Chadwick's lawyer is confident of a favorable decision, because of the obvious denial of freedom of speech.

Chadwick is also confident and plans to run for Business Manager, the most important local officer, of Local 760 when he is reinstated.

It is no surprise that there is pressure for reform from inside the IBEW. The building trades unions have been under brutal attack, backed by the employers' powerful Business Roundtable.

Unemployment is chronic. As one member put it: "IBEW stands for I'm Broke Every Winter."

On the other side of the equation is a conservative, business unionist leadership. Charles Pillard, IBEW President, is even said to be a "card carrying Republican." It is not unheard of for high supervisory personnel to hold local union office or even to sit on the negotiating committee for the union.

Billy Chadwick is not alone in the fight to change the IBEW. Reformers like him have sprung up around the country in the last few years. A New Jersey IBEW member, Daniel Boswell, has gone to court to challenge Article 27, the same section used to expel Chadwick. Glynn Ross, another expelled member from Arizona, is fighting a battle similar to Chadwick's. And members in Canada and on the west coast of the U.S. have been active in trying to change their union as well.

This document was furnished compliments of: LABOR NOTES
Labor Notes is a non-profit organization that has been the voice of union activists who want to "put the movement back in the labor movement" since 1979.

Three burned in accident at MidAmerican Energy IBEW Brother severely burned

2007-04-12T05:08:00.000-05:00

Nitro cover up looming - Steward's Still Wanted!

Three burned in accident at MidAmerican Energy

Three men were burned in an accident Saturday at the MidAmerican Energy Co. power plant, 7215 Navajo St.

Mark Reinders, communications coordinator for MidAmerican, said three contractors came into contact with calcium hydroxide shortly before noon Saturday.

Reinders said it was still unclear exactly how the men were exposed to the chemical, but he said there was no explosion.

Because the men were not employees of the company, Reinders could not identify them.

One man, 44, suffered serious burns to the back, arms, hands and neck area and was flown to Nebraska Medical Center, said Assistant Chief Larry Wohlers of the Council Bluffs Fire Department.

The other two were less seriously injured, Wohlers said. A 50-year-old man sustained burns to his neck and arms and was taken by ambulance to Nebraska Medical Center. A 31-year-old man received burns on his ankles and was taken to Jennie Edmundson Hospital.

"We will certainly cooperate with any investigation, and conduct our own," Reinders said.

The men were working on the new Council Bluffs Energy Center Unit 4. The new unit is scheduled to go online in June.

- Tim Johnson

In Brotherhood We Trust!

Marine Awarded Navy Cross

2007-02-05T19:28:00.000-06:00

Those of you who might not know, the man on the left is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and he is proud to know the man on the right.

Maybe you'd like to hear about a real American, somebody who honored the uniform he wears

Meet Brian Chontosh
Churchville-Chili Central School
Class of 1991.

Proud graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Husband and about-to-be father. First lieutenant (now Captain) in the United States Marine Corps.

And a genuine hero, the secretary of the Navy said so yesterday.

At 29 Palms in California Brian Chontosh was presented with the Navy Cross, the second highest award for combat bravery the United States can bestow.

That's a big deal. But you won't see it on the network news tonight

And all you'll read in Brian's hometown newspaper is two paragraphs of nothing.

The odd fact about the American media in this war is that it's not covering the American military. The most plugged-in nation in the world is receiving virtually no true information about what its warriors are doing.

Oh, sure, there's a body count. We know how many Americans have fallen. And we see those same casket pictures day in and day out.

And we're almost on a first-name basis with the jerks who abused the Iraqi prisoners. And we know all about improvised explosive devices and how we lost Fallujah and what Arab public-opinion polls say about us and how the world hates us.

We get a non-stop feed of gloom and doom.

But we don't hear about the heroes.

The incredibly brave GIs who honorably do their duty. The ones our grandparents would have carried on their shoulders down Fifth Avenue.

The ones we completely ignore, like Brian Chontosh.

It was a year ago on the march into Baghdad. Brian Chontosh was a platoon leader rolling up Highway 1 in a humvee.

When all hell broke loose.

Ambush city.

The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades.

And the kid out of Churchville was in charge. It was do or die and it was up to him.

So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men to safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his humvee came under direct enemy machine gun fire. It was fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish. And Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack.

He told his driver to floor the humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at them. And he had the guy on top with the 50 cal unload on them.

Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and Chontosh was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the humvee directly into the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines.

Over into the battlement the humvee went and out the door Brian Chontosh bailed, carrying an M16

and a Beretta

and 228 years of Marine Corps pride.

And he ran along the trench, with its mortars and riflemen, machineguns and grenadiers. And he killed them all.

He fought with the M16 until it was out of ammo.

Then he fought with the Beretta until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up a dead man's AK4 and fought with that until it was out of ammo.

Then he picked up another dead man's AK47 and fought with that until it was out of ammo.

At one point he even fired a discarded Iraqi RPG into an enemy cluster, sending attackers flying with its grenade explosion.

When he was done Brian Chontosh had cleared 200 yards of entrenched Iraqis from his platoon's flank. He had killed more than 20 and wounded at least as many more.

But that's probably not how he would tell it. He would probably merely say that his Marines were in trouble, and he got them out of trouble. Ooh-rah, and drive on.

"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."

That's what the citation says.
And that's what nobody will hear.
That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news.

Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American difficulties are heralded as objectivity. It makes you wonder if the role of the media is to inform or to depress - to report or to deride. To tell the truth, or to feed us lies.

But I guess it doesn't matter. We're going to turn out all right As long as men like Brian Chontosh wear our uniform.

If you are as proud of this Marine as I am, then send this to EVERYONE YOU KNOW

Written By journalist and broadcaster Bob Lonsberry

Page by Mary Jones
June---2005

If you would like to share this page with a friend or relative just fill in the blanks below and then hit "send email", it's just that simple.

IBEW Electrical Training - Advocates of solar power see bright future

2004-07-19T16:33:00.000-05:00

Advocates of solar power see bright future
PORTLAND - Solar energy boosters see broad public support, declining production costs and a financial commitment by Northwest utilities to harness the power of the sun.
Now, they've got a trained work force to make it happen.
A series of three solar panels sits atop the roof of the NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center in north Portland. On a sun-splashed morning last week, union electricians offered a tour of their new rooftop array of photovoltaic cells.
So far, the center has trained about 200 electricians in solar installations.
One solar array was installed two years ago, and two additional arrays went into service to coincide with the National Solar Energy Conference last week in Portland.
Although the solar panels generate enough power to electrify a single home only slightly reducing the center's average monthly $4,000 electric bill training center directors see a role in stoking the demand for more solar panel installations.
Apprentice and journeymen electricians will be able to learn by pulling them apart and reinstalling the panels.
"It's not a typical installation for most electricians," said Ken Fry, executive director of the center. "A contractor is going to feel comfortable to know that we have the people skilled enough to do the job."
The training center, at 16021 N.E. Airport Way, is sponsored by the National Electrical Contractors Association and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 48.
Curt Stephens, industrial services manager for Dynalectric in Portland, said that even though solar power right now is "mostly attractive to the green people," the company expects the demand to pick up as costs for solar panels continue to drop.
Last year, he said, Dynalectric invested about $100,000 for the manpower, equipment and training necessary to install solar panels.
Stephens said the company is looking to capitalize on its investment with larger commercial projects.
"We believe there's going to be a large market for this," he said.
In Oregon and Washington, electric ratepayers pay to provide incentives for homeowners and businesses willing to take on the comparatively high cost of solar installation.
The training center in Portland, for example, received $12,000 from the Energy Trust of Oregon to offset the total installation cost of $28,000 which means the center should recoup its investment through energy savings in 10 years rather than 20.
Although solar power accounts for less than 1 percent of the Pacific Northwest's total energy supply, supporters say they are finding more and more people willing to make the investment for clean, renewable energy.
They say solar electricity is its own reward.
"You pay extra for an organic apple, and nobody asks you what the payback is," said Tanya Barham of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which collects premiums paid by public utility customers through its "Green Lights" program. The foundation pools money raised through the program to subsidize the construction of solar panels, wind generators and other renewable forms of energy.
But the number of people willing to pay extra to support renewable energy remains relatively small.
Clark Public Utilities, for example, has for the past two years offered customers the option of paying a premium of $1.50 on a block of 100 kilowatt-hours. (The utility's average customer uses 1,150 kilowatt-hours per month.)
So far, however, only 338 of Clark's 160,000 customers have signed up for Green Lights.
Marlene Brown, an electrician attending this week's conference from Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico, said economics are important to many people, and financial incentives can help to convince them to make the investment.
"People say solar doesn't work, and I say the sun works just fine," Brown said.

Oklahoma Capitol makes room for Woody Guthrie

2004-07-15T21:18:00.000-05:00

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Dust Bowl troubadour Woody Guthrie's portrait will be hung Thursday at the state Capitol.

Guthrie wrote hundreds of songs after leaving Okemah, Okla., as a teenager, including the folk anthem, This Land Is Your Land.

He is best known for speaking to the plight of displaced Americans during the 1930s with such songs as Hard Travelin' and So Long, It's Been Good to Know You. His Oklahoma Hills is the official Oklahoma State Folk Song.

Artists from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen have called Guthrie a major influence on their careers. His son, Arlo, was an important musical figure in the 1960s and 1970s with such songs as City of New Orleans, and Alice's Restaurant, the comedic saga made into a movie.

Artist Charles Banks Wilson chose Guthrie as the subject when asked to do another Capitol portrait, said state Sen. Charles Ford of Tulsa, president of the Oklahoma Senate Historical Preservation Fund.

The Oklahoma Gazette, the largest weekly newspaper in Oklahoma, is raising money for the portrait and Wilson is donating his fee to the fight against Huntington's Disease, officials said.

Guthrie died in 1967 in New York of Huntington's Disease, a degenerative brain disorder.

Thank you brother for the inspiration.

"God bless our Local 3 brothers who gave their lives on 9/11/01 and all the rest"

2004-07-12T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ground zero has passed from the hands of rescuers to the hands of mourners to the hands of dreamers to the hands of planners. Now, with the Freedom Tower cornerstone in place, it is passing into the hands of builders.

Deep within the smoke-blackened ruins of an underground parking garage, 30 workers are installing tendonlike bundles of steel cable, called tiebacks, to anchor the concrete perimeter foundation wall to bedrock. This will permit the demolition in coming months of the last major structural vestige of the old World Trade Center.

A stairwell, open to the sky, bears other traces of the 1993 and 2001 attacks: glow-in-the-dark paint strips (in case of power loss), banisters dented by the falling debris and a fluorescent orange heart and cross, evidently an impromptu memorial to the 16 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local who died in the attack. "God bless our Local 3 brothers who gave their lives on 9/11/01 and all the rest," it says.

NYC - World Trade Center (WTC) Archive - Rebuilding New York City and Lower Manhattan

2004-07-04T07:06:00.000-05:00

AMERICA WILL NEVER FORGET!

How was the electrical industry specifically affected? Losses in the construction family were particularly painful, as employees of various building trade unions took a particularly hard hit in the WTC attack. Among the more than 200 IBEW Local 3 members who were working in the twin towers that morning, 16 died in the collapse of the WTC, according to Ray Melville, assistant business manager of the IBEW Local. A total of 72 employees of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey are still missing and presumed dead. One New York distributor lost a delivery driver. Many contractors and electricians working at the WTC and Pentagon narrowly escaped death. And several engineering and construction firms housed in the 110-story twin towers were destroyed.
By Joseph R. Knisley, Senior Editorial Consultant

The Crusades are not by any means over.

Granite cornerstone marks start of Freedom Tower at Ground Zero

2004-07-04T06:38:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK -- Nearly three years after the twin towers fell, a 20-ton block of granite will be set in place today to mark the official start of construction on the 1,776-foot tower that will rise on the site of the World Trade Center

The Freedom Tower is set to rise 1,776 feet, a height meant to symbolize the year of America's independence. It will be the tallest skyscraper in the world.

It will be several months before progress is seen above street level, and five years until it is completed.

And I'm sure Local 3 will ensure that this project is done entirely with Union Labor.
Although an occasional Gambino sub may take residence there, I would assume that the electrical installation will be all IBEW!

OMOB - One Man One Brick

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