LA Mayor Shows Support for Habitat Project

Though the media seemed more interested in getting the mayor to comment on the strike by the writers union, Antonio Villaraigosa put on the tools and helped build a home in South Los Angeles. Working together former President Carter cut the siding to size and Antonio installed it using a nail gun. The Mayor’s staff looked nervous as he climbed the scaffolding but he looked like he had done it before. At one point the mayor teased Carter about working too slowly. It seemed like the former President wasn’t listening but then he smiled and laughed which reminded me of an apprentice messing with a journeyman. Afterwards Antonio thanked the union electrical workers for their continued support of the project.

Jimmy Carter Building Homes in South LA

Former President Jimmy Carter was at the South Los Angeles Habitat for Humanity project today. Though busy installing siding he was kind enough to stop for a picture with me. City Council Members Janice Hahn and Eric Garcetti were both at the site as well along with 200 or so volunteers.

Habitat Habit

There were far more volunteers today then previous days. Over 20 union electricians at the South LA project alone including 2 retirees. Work continued but at a much faster pace. The solar panels are nearly completed. Some of the families who will eventually be owners were there to help as well.

Habitat for Humanity in LA

Former President Jimmy Carter is in Los Angeles this week to celebrate the opening of more Habitat for Humanity homes. The newly built homes will feature state of the art photovoltaic systems installed by members of the electricians union. Roofers put the final touches on the roofs today.

You Heard It Here First

On June 10th in a blog post entitled “The End of Journey?” I alerted readers about rumors of Journey Electrical Technologies, Inc. having financial troubles. Contacts at wholesale houses said large sums of money were allegedly owed suppliers so future deliveries would only be made C.O.D. I spoke to the workers on the job sites. For the most part the workers seemed unconcerned, which didn’t surprise me. I’ve seen this happen before. The workers are always the last to know. They said, “That’s old news” and “our foreman says everything is fine”.

Bounced checks were just “accounting errors”.

Trailers recalled to the shop meant “they’re making repairs”.

Lack of material just meant “everyone has to make due”, etc……

Well apparently everything wasn’t “fine”. Industry insiders say that as many as 200 employees were told Friday that they no longer have a job with Journey.

Remember- you heard it here first.

2007 Membership Development Conference

The Membership Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia was a huge success. The conference was held on October 15- 17 and there were over 1400 union organizers from the U.S. and Canada in attendance.

On Monday Gene Morrill from the National Labor College gave a great presentation on communicating with unrepresented workers. Organizers were challenged to approach Gene on stage posing as an unrepresented worker and try to persuade him to accept a better life for himself.

On Tuesday my favorite training session was the Developing New Contractors session by Matt Kolbinsky president of Pro Union Consulting, Inc. His company trains union members to become successful union contractors. To date Pro Union Consulting is credited with creating 50 new construction contractors and has set a goal of creating 1000 within 10 years. I have no doubt that this number will be far exceeded.

On Wednesday motivational speaker Gary Zelesky took the stage and challenged everyone to say YES to their passion. If you’ve ever seen Gary, you know just how funny he can be. I purchased his new book when I got home. The book is entitled “The Passion Centered Professional- How to Go from Having Just a Career to Having a Life”. It’s not even out yet and I have no doubt it’s going to be great! I recommend everyone pre-order a copy at his website.

Overall the conference was great! The sound system was amazing. The training sessions were informative and the mood was upbeat.

Going Going Green

I've been meaning to do it for awhile now; join the Sierra Club that is. I finally went ahead and did it. For the last 6 months or so I've been participating in Apollo Alliance meetings and providing input on how to promote green union jobs and support the creation of a green career ladder. We're making progress. So it just makes sense that I would become a member of the Sierra Club. It's a great organization. Have you been putting it off and waiting for someone to invite you to make the move? Consider this an invitation.