Death of IBEW First District VP Phil Flemming

With sadness we pass on the news of the death of First District (Canada) Vice President Phillip Flemming on May 25 at the age of 68.

Brother Flemming was appointed First District International Vice President in 2003. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Flemming was initiated into Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Local 1432 in 1967. He worked as an inside wireman for eight years before being elected business manager/financial secretary in 1975. Brother Flemming was also active in island’s labor movement, serving as president of the P.E.I. Federation of Labour.

“He was a great guy to work with,” says retired First District International Representative Jerry Wilson. “He was so honest, that if he said it, everyone knew then that was the way it was going to be.”

Succeeding Donald Lounds as VP in 2003, Flemming help lead the First District though some of Canada’s biggest economic and political changes in decades. He presided over an aggressive membership development effort, which grew the IBEW’s First District membership even through the worst of the 2008 recession. The First District also beefed up its political action program, building a grassroots network across Canada. One of his greatest accomplishments, says Wilson, was helping to start the First District’s NextGen initiative to reach out to younger members. “It was an uphill battle, but now has taken legs,” he says. He also worked closely with contractors and others to boost skilled construction training to meet the demands of Canada’s energy boom and anticipated manpower shortage, helping to found the National Electrical Trade Council.

Brother Flemming is survived by his wife Loretta, two sons, two stepdaughters, and two grandchildren. Local 1928 extends its most heartfelt sympathies to Brother Flemming’s family and friends.

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IBEW LOCAL 1928

Suite 204
14 McQuade Lake Crescent
Bayers Lake Industrial Park
Beechville NS B3S 1B6

P: 1 800 450 5366
F: 902 450 5080