IBEW HAWAII
CONSTRUCTION
OCEANIC CABLE
TELECOM
DOD CIVIL SERVICE
HICKAM
PEARL HARBOR
Official Publication of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1186, AFL-CIO
Photo by Leyton Torda
Volume XXXV No. 5
October 2011
STATE OF THE UNION
By Damien Kim
Business Manager–Financial Secretary
Business Manager’s Message
38th annual convention
E
very five years the IBEW holds
its International Convention, and
this year it was held in Vancouver,
British Columbia, Canada.
At this Convention the Delegates elect
the International Officers, pass resolutions,
make changes to the IBEW Constitution,
hear appealed Grievances, and listen to
information about where the IBEW is heading and what our goals are.
International President Edwin Hill
and International Secretary Treasurer
Salvatore Chilia ran unopposed in their
re-election to office. Ninth District Vice
President Michael Mowrey and Seventh
District International Executive Council
member Patrick Lavin also ran unopposed
and got re-elected.
IBEW is the biggest construction union
in the United States and Canada with over
650,000 members.
Our Ninth District is the largest of all
11 IBEW districts with over 126,000 members. The Ninth District is comprised of
California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada,
Part of Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam.
Please read additional highlights about the
Convention on page three in this newsletter.
CONTRACTS
Negotiations continue with both
the Inside/Outside Contract and
Telecommunications. We are finding it
challenging in these economic times to provide fair wages and benefits to our members.
The economy is on a slow rebound,
with the State's capital improvement projects (CIP) starting to begin. Up and coming
projects that are on the horizon include:
Ho'oplii, Sheraton's two new hotels / time
share, Hilton Hawaiian Village's two new
towers, PV farms, Maui's Hyatt, etc. . . .
POLITICal action
We have given formal endorsements to Colleen Hanabusa for the First
Congressional District, and to Tulsi
Gabbard for the Second Congressional
2
"IBEW
is the bigges t cons truction union in the
U n i t e d S ta t e s
and Canada . . . ."
District. Congresswoman Hanabusa is finishing her first term and is fighting the fight
for the people in labor. Current Honolulu
Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard will bring us
a youthful, open-minded friend of labor, and
a freshness to represent Hawaii in Congress.
She is also in the National Guard with the
rank of Captain and served two tours of
duty in Iraq.
We are hopeful that one day Tulsi will
be in a position like Senator Inouye, being
the most senior Senator and well-respected
in Washington D.C.
RAIL TRANSIT
Honolulu Rail Transit is on the move.
The City has let out three Notices to Proceed
to Kiewit for Phases 1 and 2 of the rail project from Kapolei to Aloha Stadium. The
third Phase is for the Maintenance Yard.
The Core Contract is close to execution
with Ansaldo being chosen. Boring and
soil sampling has also started in the downtown area.
giving thanks
As always, thank you to all of the
volunteers that came out to help with the
Adopt-a-Highway program and those
that participated in our Youth Basketball
Camp. Have a great Thanksgiving !
In Solidarity,
IBEW HAWAII is the official publication of the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
Local 1186, AFL-CIO, 1935 Hau Street, 4th Floor,
Honolulu, Hawaii 96819, Phone (808) 847-5341.
Damien Kim
Business Manager-Financial Secretary
Peter Akamu
President / Assistant Business Manager
(Telecommunications / Oceanic)
Tracy Hayashi
Vice President / Assistant Business Manager
(Construction)
Dennis Kaloi
Recording Secretary / Organizer / Compliance
(Construction)
Michael Tanaka
Treasurer
John Nash
Executive Board - Unit 1
Business Representative (Oceanic / Telecom)
Terry Uyehara
Executive Board - Unit 1
Training Coordinator (Apprenticeship)
Don Bongo
Executive Board - Unit 2
Alan Kimoto
Executive Board - Unit 2
Carmelo Diaz-Rotger
Executive Board - At Large
Eric Okazaki
Executive Board - At Large
Walter Weatherwax
Executive Board - At Large
Brian Lee
Director of Research & Communications / Registrar
Leonard Egdamin
Referral Agent (Construction)
Donn dela Cruz
Business Representative (Big Island)
Ray Shimabuku
Business Representative (Maui)
Richard Jose
Business Representative (Kauai)
Royal Carroll
Business Representative (Federal Sector Unit 2)
Examining Board
Robert Aquino
Edward Maldonado
Don Minatoya
Lyle Miyahira
Eli Tangonan
ON THE COVER: Matt Turner and
Alapai Nichols install FAA lighting
283 feet above the H-Power 3rd Boiler
Expansion for American Electric.
Brotherhood
B e yo n d
Borders
IBEW Locals Gather to Defy "Conventional" Thinking
I
n late September, nearly 3,000 delegates elected by union members from hundreds of IBEW Locals across the United States
and Canada met in Vancouver, British Columbia to chart the
course over the next five years for the largest construction union in
North America.
The IBEW International Convention, held only once every
five years, came at an important time due to the worldwide economic situation, and the continued attacks on working men and
women in the United States and Canada.
At the Convention, elections were held for our International
Officers, District Vice Presidents, and the International
Executive Council. The International Office also selected delegates to important positions. Delegates from Hawaii included
members from IBEW Locals 1186, 1260 and 1357.
Your Local 1186 Business Manager-Financial Secretary
Damien Kim was one of only two delegates from the entire delegation of the United States and Canada selected to represent IBEW at
the multi-union Metal Trades Council Convention. "It's an honor
to be nominated by IBEW International President Ed Hill, " said
Brother Kim. "As the only representative from the United States
for all of IBEW, I plan to support the working men and women
from Pearl Harbor at the Metal Trades Council, and the IBEW
federal sector Department of Defense workers from all 50 states."
RESOLUTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
Dozens of Resolutions were proposed, studied, debated, reviewed, and voted upon at the 38th IBEW International
Convention. Some of the issues ratified included opposing the
outsourcing of jobs, supporting the commercial shipbuilding industry, promoting safety and training, encouraging "BA" members to
become "A" members to take advantage of the greater benefits, and
supporting young leaders coming up from the ranks to become the
next generation of future leaders of the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers, like Local 1186's Jeb Kaneshiro from Maui.
A proposal affecting Unit II members adopted at the
Convention was Article XII, Section 10 of the IBEW
Constitution, regarding military service cards. The resolution
stated that members in the National Guard or reserves may retain
their card benefit if he or she is called to active duty. However, any
member voluntarily remaining in or re-entering national service
shall not be entitled to the military service card. Recognizing the
great sacrifices made by our military personnel, the IBEW Law
Committee concurred. After discussion and clarification, delegates
approved the resolution.
moving forward
Nearly a full day was spent reporting on the status of all 11
IBEW Districts in North America, often with details provided
for individual states, industries, and companies that were being
organized. Efforts to sustain and increase the IBEW membership
while being mindful of costs were also thoroughly debated. The
delegates concluded that to keep the IBEW and its membership
strong, renewed efforts and finances would be directed into adding
organizers from the International Office, and adopting innovative
strategies to increase our market share.
Some of the other highlights of the Convention included
reports to the delegates from national leaders such as AFL-CIO
President Richard Trumka, who advocated holding the feet to the
fire of those whom we give poltical support.
Carlo De Masi, Secretary-General of the Italian Federation
of Electrical Utility Workers, told delegates that the increasing
internationalization of trade makes global solidarity more important. "The number of European energy companies operating inside
the United States and Canada makes the relationship between our
Union and IBEW vital."
National Building & Construction Trades Department
President Mark Ayers, a past IBEW International Officer, told
the delegates it was "time to get tough about jobs" and told elected
officials that Congress must "put the focus on Main Street, not Wall
Street or Easy Street." For more information about the 38th IBEW
International Convention and the proceedings in Vancouver, including photos, videos, interviews, and more, please visit on the web:
www.brotherhoodbeyondborders.org
3
Step Up — Be a Member of the "A" Team
"BA" Members from Oceanic and Unit II can Increase Benefits
R
esolution 29, adopted at the 38th IBEW International
Convention by delegates from the United States and
Canada, directs all Local Unions to educate members about the benefits offered by the IBEW Pension Benefit
Fund to encourage “BA” members to become “A” members.
Currently, Local 1186 IBEW Oceanic Time Warner
Cable Unit I members and Federal Sector Unit 2 members
working on Department of Defense facilities are registered
as "BA" members.
Thousands of your fellow Unit I brothers and sisters in
the construction branch are already "A" members and enjoy
increased pension, retirement, and death benefits.
In addition to the National Electrical Benefit Fund
(NEBF) pension and Local 1186's pension available to some
members in Hawaii depending on your participation, there is
a third IBEW pension benefit that is available to all Hawaii
IBEW Local 1186 members — the IBEW International
Pension Benefit Fund.
At age 65, IBEW "A" members with at least five years of
continuous membership receive a monthly pension benefit of
$4.50 multiplied by your years of work credit. For example,
a new 55-year old "A" member who retires at age 65 after 10
work years will receive $45 per month as an additional pension benefit for life, on top of their regular NEBF and Local
1186 pension they may qualify for. An "A" member with at
Yo u r
CPB
Dues
least 20 years of continuous membership can receive their
International Pension Benefit as early as age 62.
In addition, IBEW "BA" members who upgrade to "A"
membership status will receive a death benefit after six
months as an "A" member of $6,250, increased to $12,500
being paid out for an accidental death.
Current monthly per capita dues for both "BA" and "A"
members are $13. To register and upgrade from a "BA"
member to an "A" member, an additional $14 per month contribution is charged for the IBEW Pension Benefit Fund.
If you work in the Unit I construction sector, you are
already an "A" member and enjoy the increased pension,
retirement, and death benefits. If you are a Unit I Oceanic
Cable member, or a Unit II member working on the military
bases, you can greatly increase your benefits by upgrading
from your "BA" membership to an "A" membership status.
For more information or to answer any questions, and
to upgrade your membership status, please call Melanie at
the Local 1186 Union Office at (808) 847-5341 or come in to
the Union Office on the fourth floor of the Akito "Blackie"
Fujikawa Building in Honolulu.
By upgrading from a "BA" to "A" membership, the IBEW
International Pension Benefit Fund and death benefit will
automatically supplement your existing retirement benefits,
and provide added security for you and your loved ones.
F. A . Q .
Frequently Asked Questions About Your Excess Dues Account
• How come I don't have any money available in my excess dues account?
-Just started, takes a while to build
-Hourly rate is a factor, especially for early stage ap
prentices
-Not working full time hours
-We hold a reserve for next one quarter's dues
• I called to check my CPB but made no withdrawal, called again at a later date and the amount was less, why?
-Original call was done before quarter's dues were pulled
-Once quarter's dues pulled, we will hold a reserve for the next quarter's dues
• Why did I get a bill for dues if I'm working?
-Central Pacific Bank Account insufficient
-Not working full time hours
-Recently returned to work
-While unemployed, no paycheck = no dues deducted
• I got a bill for dues but when I called the office about it, I
4
owed less?
-The “Notice” is sent in advance (i.e. Notice sent in June
for dues through September), using the “full dues rate”. Once we verify member is unemployed or worked less than 80 hours, adjustments are done to reduce the dues charges and results in a lower balance owed.
• I started the same time as my friend but he/she has more
money available than I do?
-Hours worked may be different (straight time/overtime)
-Hourly rate is different so even if worked the same hours, gross wages are not the same
• How come my excess dues available is so much less than
what was deducted according to my paystub?
-Working dues (3% of gross) and Fixed dues (Per Capita/
Basic) are paid, balance remaining is left in your CPB account • How come the dues statement provided in January does not
match Employer's Year-to-Date deductions?
-Employer reports what was DEDUCTED from your wages in the Calendar Year (January to December)
-Employer submits dues withheld the month AFTER it is deducted
-Union reports what was PAID and POSTED in the Calendar Year (December-November)
Please call your Union Office if you should have any further questions. Mahalo!
IBEW Kids Learn How to Play Ball
HONOLULU, HAWAII — Tony Silva and James Roche, also known as “Da Braddahs” on the Da Braddahs &
Friends on Oceanic Cable's OC-16, hosted the Hawaii Electricians/IBEW Local 1186 first-ever basketball
clinic at neighboring Pu’uhale Elementary School.
Free of charge to participants, children aged five to 12 were treated to a series of drills, and
learned and perfected upon real game defensive and offensive strategies from Silva and
Roche, who not only have past athletic experience, but also extensive coaching backgrounds.
Brother John Hyytianinea, (Oceanic Time Warner Cable), brought his son, Jesper, 6,
to the clinic, and commented on how much his son enjoyed it. “I thought it was a great
way to introduce basketball to our son as he’s never really played before. We definitely
saw him open up over the few hours. I’m sure he enjoyed it. Thank you very much!”
Said Jody Segundo, grandmother of clinic participants Elijah-Noah, 8, and KaiahMarie, 6, (mom is Porsche Maemori of Oceanic Time Warner Cable), “I loved it – seeing my grandchildren in action being coached by ‘Da Braddahs’ made me feel like playing myself! I can’t wait until the next clinic.” Stay tuned for the next clinic, we hope to
see you there!
Kimberly Lehano
HEMEP Director of Marketing & Public Relations
5
IBEW Power Member Bowls Over Maui
Rodney Carillo Pays His Love of Sport Forward
MAUI, HAWAII — Brother Rodney
Carillo (Service Technician-Hospitality,
Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Maui)
is the featured “IBEW 1186 Power
Member” this month. Currently residing
in Wailuku, Brother Carillo was raised
in Paia by his grandparents. He and
his wife, Lori, have been married since
1985, and have one grown daughter,
Krystin, who teaches first-grade for
Maryknoll School (on Oahu).
In 1980, Brother Carillo began with the
IBEW Local 1186 Electrician Apprentice
program. “I worked for American
Electric, Brite Electric, and ended
up at Piltz Electric until 1982,” said
Brother Carillo. “We worked on some
notable projects such as the Safeway in
Kahului, the Maui Vista Condos, Sands
of Kahana, and the Kahana Manor.”
Maui Business Representative (at the
time) Galo Kimura, then sent Brother
Carillo to Camp Cable TV, which is now
known as Oceanic Time Warner Cable.
“We do all of the high-speed internet
installations and service calls for most
of the condos on Maui,” said Carillo.
To add to Brother Carillo’s history with
Local 1186, he is being recognized as a
“Power Member” because of his dedication and service to the youth bowling
community on Maui.
Brother Carillo began bowling at the
young age of nine, but his interest was
off and on until he met his future wife,
Lori, and the two of them began to bowl
together. After their daughter Krystin
was born in 1986, they started bowling
regularly twice a week, and have not
stopped since. Brother Carillo’s love for
bowling then turned into a lifetime career
of coaching. “I started to coach bowling
around 1995, and in 2000, Lori and I
founded our current Junior Bowling club,
Central Maui Jr. Bowlers,” said Carillo.
According to Carillo, the program is held
year-round, non-stop, for two hours on
Saturdays. “I have about 20 to 30 kids in
my program ranging in age from eight to
20.” The Carillos recently were able to
take a team of a dozen bowlers (along
with their parents and grandparents) up
to Las Vegas to compete in the USBC
National Tournament. The kick to
all this – the Carillos do it all . . . FOR
FREE. In addition to their own bowling
team, Brother Carillo also coaches boys
bowling for Baldwin High School.
Kimberly Lehano
HEMEP Director of Marketing & Public Relations
IBEW Cleans Up With Adopt-A-Highway
MILILANI, HAWAII — IBEW Local 1186
has been helping every quarter for years
to clean up our adopted portion of the
H-2 Freeway, town-bound, on the mileslong stretch from the bridge up to the
Waipio exit to Costco.
We are looking for volunteers next year
for our first Adopt-a-Highway cleanup
of 2012 – on Saturday January 14, 2012.
With our usual number of generous volunteers, quick work on clean-ups usually take a couple of hours as we work in
teams. Teams meet at the Union Hall or
at Watanabe Electric in Waipio near our
cleanup area. Please call Kim Lehano
at 841-6169 for more information.
6
TECH TALK
Can circuit s that have two or more outlets or
receptacles contain splices with taps of a smaller
size awg wire than the circuit wiring? In other
words, can an outlet in a box with two (2) each no.
twelve romex wires be tapped with smaller awg
size wire than the circuit wire? Where in the NEC
do we need to look to find the answer?
Fines of up to $500 for each violation! [ Act 28, SB2325 - 2010 ]
Answer: Article 210.24 Branch-Circuit Requirements - Summary,
and Table 210.24 states that 15, 20, and 30 amp circuits can contain
taps of No. 14 awg wire., even though the overcurrent protection of
the circuit is greater than the ampacities of the tap conductors.
KEEP INFORMED BY E-MAIL
Sign Up for Local 1186's
Group E-mail List
Receive alerts, updates, notifications, and
opportunities to get involved.
Pleas e call your IBEW Admi nistr ative
Office at 841-6169 if you have not received
your new CVS/L ongs Drug Presc riptio n
card with the blue Health & Welfare logo.
Don't miss out! Send your personal
E-mail address to:
[email protected]
IBEW & HFD Keep Hawaii S.A.F.E.
HONOLULU, HAWAII — Throughout
the past year, IBEW Local 1186 volunteers participated in our third Smoke
Alarms For Everyone (SAFE) project,
a community service partnership with
the Honolulu Fire Department (HFD),
and installed smoke alarms for senior
citizens around Oahu – from Kapolei
and Mililani, to Waimanalo and Hawaii
Kai. It was yet another successful
event, as Local 1186 Vice President
Tracy Hayashi stated, “The reasons we
continue to help with the project are very
fulfilling."
you folks do on a daily basis fits hand in
hand with education and prevention, and
as soon as the residents find out that
unionized electricians and electrical contractors are entering their homes, there
is an instant trust that they feel
with you.”
With over 400 alarms installed alone
in this past June’s SAFE partnership,
HFD Fire Prevention Bureau Captain
Brett Lomont expressed his gratitude
to IBEW Local 1186 and our regular
volunteers. “Local 1186 has been our
best partnership for this project – what
Please call Kim
Lehano at 8416169 to participate in one of
the many community service
programs helped
by your Union at any time in the future,
or to star in our television or radio commercials, or if you would just like more
information.
Our next SAFE
service project with HFD is
scheduled for
January 18th 20th, 2012.
7
IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS
LU 1186, IBEW Office
Honolulu . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hilo Office . . . . . . . . . . .
Maui Office . . . . . . . . . .
Kauai Office . . . . . . . . . .
Hawaii
Electricians
*
Administrative Office . . . .
Health & Welfare,
Pension, Annuity, SUB,
Vacation & Holiday,
General Education,
Prepaid Legal
LOCAL UNION 1186, IBEW
1935 Hau Street, Room 401
Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
847-5341
961-6444
244-8002
245-7840
841-6169
Nonprofit
Organization
US Postage
PAID
Honolulu, Hawaii
Permit No. 719
Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 847-0629
Credit Union . . . . . . . . . . . 848-1599
*Neighbor Islands call toll-free 1-800-622-3830
Attention: In our effort to keep our members well
informed, we would appreciate your cooperation in
notifying us of any change of address. Please call
the Union Office at 847-5341 to report any change.
www.hawaiielectricians.com
10/11
Staying Connected
NOVEMBER OAHU MEETINGS
WEDNESDAY
2
Unit 2
Executive Committee
Room 202
5:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
10
Unit 1
Membership (Private Ind.)
Room 202
5:00 p.m.
2
WEDNESDAY
Unit 2
Membership (Federal Sector)
Room 202
5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
16
LU 1186
Executive Board
Fifth Floor
4:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
10
Unit 1
Executive Committee
Room 202
4:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
16
LU 1186
General Membership
Room 202
6:00 p.m.
DECEMBER OAHU MEETINGS
WEDNESDAY
7
Unit 2
Executive Committee
Room 202
5:00 p.m.
THURSDAY
8
Unit 1
Membership (Private Ind.)
Room 202
5:00 p.m.
7
WEDNESDAY
Unit 2
Membership (Federal Sector)
Room 202
5:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
21
LU 1186
Executive Board
Fifth Floor
4:30 p.m.
THURSDAY
8
Unit 1
Executive Committee
Room 202
4:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
21
LU 1186
General Membership
Room 202
6:00 p.m.
In Memoriam
Our deepest sympathies and condolences are conveyed to the
families of the following members who recently passed away:
Raymond S. Kanetake • Joseph Kaniaupio
Rowland H. Nakai • Shoichi Takeshita
Paul J. Vehec, Jr. • Matthew G. Victor
Robert S. Watanabe • Raymond J.C. Young
Local 1186 President Peter Akamu at the Commissioning Ceremony
for his appointment by Hawaii Govenor Neil Abercrombie to the
State Board of Electricians & Plumbers. At the State Capitol,
from left: State Senate President Shan Tsutsui, Brother Akamu,
Governor Abercrombie, Lt. Governor Brian Schatz, and Judge
Sabrina McKenna.
ARE YOUR DUES CURRENT ?
T
he IBEW Constitution provides that dues shall be
paid in advance. Local Union 1186 would like to
remind all members that it is the responsibility of
each member to maintain a good dues standing with the
Union. A member is considered suspended when dues
are three months in arrears. When dues are six months
or more in arrears, a member is officially dropped from the
IBEW.
Article XXII of the IBEW Constitution provides for
reinstatement into the Local Union for any member suspended for being in arrears for three (3) months but less
than six (6) months. The reinstatement fee is $10 for “A”
members and $3 for “BA” members. An “A” member shall
also pay a pension reinstatement fee of $20.
The union encourages members to see that their
dues are current to avoid paying reinstatement fees.