NEWS
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Please be advised that the draw for the 2020 IBEW Local 1928 Scholarship has been postponed until the newly appointed Executive Board meets in early July. We will be contacting the successful applicants as soon as the draw takes place and will post the winners on our website. Please check back soon for updates.
Good luck to all scholarship applicants and all the best for the upcoming school year!
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IBEW Statement on the Death of
George Floyd
IBEW International President Lonnie R. Stephenson issued the following statement in reaction to the death of George Floyd:
“The men and women of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers stand with the millions of Americans demanding a full investigation into the death of George Floyd, an African-American pinned down by a white Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck as Floyd pleaded, ‘I can’t breathe.’
“The cause of labor has always been the cause of human solidarity, human dignity and justice and equality for all, so the IBEW cannot afford to stay silent as our African-American brothers and sisters suffer in fear of violence at the hands of either the state or by private citizens like we saw with the case of Ahmaud Arbery.
“We believe that we as a country are better than what we saw happen in Minneapolis. And we believe that the majority of our police officers, who are dedicated public servants protecting their communities every day, are better than what we saw there as well.
“But it’s all too clear that the plague of racism which has beset this nation since its birth remains to be overcome.
“This is the time for all those who love America and care deeply about its values to speak out in the name of justice and against systemic racism. More than ever, every American, regardless of race, gender, faith, sexual orientation, or gender identification, must come together to heal the wounds of division and hate.
“The labor movement has long stood shoulder to shoulder with those fighting for civil rights and a society free from the blight of racism and discrimination.
“And the IBEW is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with those peacefully calling for justice for George Floyd and all victims of racism.”
[Source: IBEW Media Department]
COVID-19 Update
- All Canada Progress Meeting: On May 22nd, correspondence went out to all local unions announcing the cancellation of the 2020 ACPM in Niagara Falls. We are currently investigating options for a virtual ACPM and will provide details as they become available.
- Membership Development Conference: On June 1st, correspondence was sent out from IP Stephenson regarding the cancellation of the 2020 MD Conference in Chicago.
- NextGen Caucus: The NextGen caucus held annually at the ACPM will be going virtual. This is a great opportunity to engage all of your NextGen aged members. Details regarding dates and times will be communicated in the near future.
As the curve begins to flatten, many sectors of our economy will continue to re-open. However, we must remain vigilant in following the advice of public health authorities. As we head into the summer weather, it can be tempting to gather with friends and family but we must remember that this pandemic is not over. We must continue to practice proper hand washing hygiene and physical distancing. Together we will get through this.Stay healthy and stay safe!
In solidarity,
Cheryl Paron, International Representative
Local Union Updates
They say, “difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations”. There is no doubt that COVID – 19 has led us down a difficult road but that doesn’t mean we can’t rethink how we hold events in 2020. We are excited to announce we will be hosting the first ever IBEW 213 Cyber Games. The IBEW 213 Cyber Games is an international video game tournament that is open to all IBEW members across all 11 districts. Video games will allow everyone to participate from the safety of their own homes (social distancing certified) while allowing a truly IBEW wide event. The Cyber Games will be held next year in 2021 and will be a charity event, where each local union represents a charity in their own community. The winning team will have the charity pot go to their local union’s charity of choice. In preparation for this event, we are holding a Canada wide tournament on June 20, 2020. This event is open only to Canadian IBEW members and retirees and is strictly for bragging rights. This will help make sure everything runs smooth at a large scale before opening it up to all other districts next year. To learn more about the event, check out our video.
To participate in the event on June 20 all members will need is:
Registration to this event will happen through the REGISTER HERE link on the IBEW 213 Cyber Games website. Each team must consist of three (3) members and the team registration should be completed by your Team Captain. If you don’t have a complete team, you can register as an individual or a team of two (2) and we will put you onto a team and assign one of you as Team Captain.
- Game Console (Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC)
- Internet Connection
- Gamertag (User account name for playing video games online)
- A copy of the game “Rocket League”
Registration closes on June 12, 2020. After this date we’ll have a meeting with all the Team Captains to make sure they understand the details for game day. Further information, including game day schedule and tournament rules will be sent to participants and posted to the web page, so bookmark it now! You can also find updates on our Local 213 Facebook page.
Registration will be limited so register early!
To make the event more interesting, we have some exciting prizes to give away. Currently we have three (3) Milwaukee M18 hammer drill/driver sets. We'll be announcing more prizes as we get closer to the event, so be sure to check back frequently with our website and Facebook page.
For members who want to watch, you will be able to view the tournament through the streaming platform Twitch. This is an online platform that allows people to tune in and watch video game events like this. Live viewing information will be posted to the Cyber Games web page after registration closes on June 12, 2020.
Thanks in advance to all of the First District Local Unions for your support as we push into a new frontier. Our Local NextGen committee never imagined we’d be hosting a live e-sports event, but the intrinsic value within this is too large to pass up. We look forward to seeing members from your Local participate in this event.
In Solidarity,
Manny Randhawa,
IBEW Local 213 NextGen Chair
News and Events
Webinar Wednesdays!
Our first edition of Webinar Wednesdays was held May 27th. Over 20 participants joined to take part in "Introduction to the Education Department". Due to the numerous time zones our country covers, the webinar is going to be repeated June 10th at 6pm PDT to provide better access for those in Western Canada. It is also an opportunity for those who were unable to attend our last webinar to participate. To attend the webinar, participants will need to register here.
Going forward, webinars will be offered twice - once at a convenient time for Eastern Canada and once at a convenient time for Western Canada. The next new webinar titled, “Structure of the IBEW” will cover how the IBEW is structured along with the roles and responsibilities of elected officers and staff. It will take place as follows:
- Eastern Canada – Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 7pm EDT
- Western Canada – Wednesday, July 8, 2020 at 6pm PDT
Registration links for both webinars will be posted to our IBEW Canada website and our social media accounts.
For those new to Webinar Wednesdays, we will be covering a variety of subjects on the IBEW and labour movement. Webinars will take place via zoom and will run for 1 hour. Details on the subjects covered and how to register will be communicated to your local union and can be found on our social media accounts and website. This is a great opportunity to stay connected to your union and become a more informed member. Hope to see you there!
Thank you to all of the committees who joined the May calls. NextGen Committees took place on May 13th and Women's Committees was held May 20th. These calls serve as a way to stay connected with committees across the country. They help us share ideas, solve problems, build solidarity and provide general support to each other. All local unions are welcome to participate, however we ask that you limit your participation to 3 people from your local union. If you're interested, please email International Representative, .Calls for June are as follows:
Zoom meeting information will be sent out to all interested participants by email.
- NextGen Committees - Thursday, June 11th 7:30-8:30pm EDT
- Women's Committees - Tuesday, June 16th 7:00-8:00pm EDT
National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples. June 21st also marks the summer solstice which holds significance for many Indigenous communities as they have long celebrated their culture and heritage on or near the longest day of the year. National Aboriginal Day was first recognized in Canada in 1996. In 2017 the name was changed to National Indigenous Peoples Day. Take some time to learn about the rich heritage and culture of the Indigenous People in your community.
National Lineworker Appreciation Day On October 2, 2018, IBEW Canada joined the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) to launch a national campaign calling for federal legislation which would designate July 10th as National Lineworker Appreciation Day. A day that is also significant to the IBEW, as our founder Henry Miller, passed away while on the job working as a linemen back in 1896. Severe weather events from coast to coast to coast have elevated the importance of lineworkers to ensure a steady supply of power to Canadians. COVID-19 has also brought attention to front-line workers who are keeping this country going during this pandemic. It is thanks to our lineworkers that we have had the power we need to work from home or self isolate in comfort. They have also continued to keep the lights on for our essential businesses and services. This day of recognition is our way of saying “thank you” to all of the workers involved in restoring power safely and efficiently to Canadians across the country.
We are pleased to announce the winner of the Early Bird Harley draw; ticket number #0377 for $5,000.00 – drawn May 21st live on Facebook at the IBEW, First District Office is:
Bernard Gauthier, Local Union 568 – Laval, QC
Congratulations Bernard!!!
The draw for the second $5,000.00 cash prize and the Grand Prize draw for the 2020 Harley-Davidson Road King FLHR was scheduled to take place as soon as all tickets are sold OR on Wednesday, August 19, 2020 at the IBEW First District All Canada Progress Meeting. Due to the current global pandemic the date, time and location of the draw is undetermined. We will communicate the details at a later date.There are still limited tickets available; please contact your local union office.
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This is my monthly president's report for May 2020. Please share this with your co-workers and have them sign up to receive our updates. Sign up here The labour movement is devastated by the loss of Sister Megan Whitfield, who passed away suddenly on May 24. Sister Whitfield was the first black president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers’ (CUPW) Toronto Local, the largest local of CUPW. She played a key role at the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), where she was a core member of the Executive Board, Executive Committee and the Workers of Colour Committee. We offer our condolences to her family and friends, many here in NS. Sadly, another NS worker has died in a workplace accident. Greg Bell, a truck driver and business owner, was pinned between a truck and a trailer while on the job in Exhibition Park. Our condolences to his family and friends. We have been working to push back on opening things too quickly and we are afraid that doing so will only mean another shut down with the spread of COVID – 19. Just look at how quickly that happened in New Brunswick. We are thankful that opening will see employers meet strict health and safety protocols, distancing rules and other protections in place limiting people in stores and restaurants. It seems to me the government was on track with opening in phases and quickly switched because of pressure from business.
Long-term careWhat we are seeing in long term care in Ontario shouldn't surprise anyone. The graphic to the left is a social media post we ran in April of 2017. Our unions have been raising many issues within the health care system for a long time and no one has listened. In Nova Scotia, we all know it is a crisis. The systemic failure over the years, like underfunding and the poor treatment of staff with poor wages, benefits, and understaffing to achieve profits, led us to where we are today. When our unions raised concerns to officials, both government and bureaucrats, over the years, it all fell on deaf ears. I am confident that many reports that our unions presented to officials were tossed in the dust-collection bin. When we have systems that put profit over people, this is where you will often end up. It's time to dust off those reports and take an in-depth look at what we need to do to right the system. It's time to adequately fund the system. The graphic from 2017 says it all. We need action and many unions are doing campaigns on long-term care. We encourage that you join those campaigns. In a surprise move, the government is trying to mitigate the narrative of the fact no beds have been added to our long-term care system when they announced a few new long-term beds. We need a public inquiry into long-term care - now. The Liberal government has moved and named the corporation that will build and operate the new P3 Highway between Antigonish and Cape Breton. The extra debt servicing and cost make me wonder why are we doing it this way? Why will we as taxpayers pay so much more through higher interest payments and other costs to the tune of some $66 million more to finance a P3 highway. That raises a bigger question, why would we turn over the maintenance and snow clearing to a private company? The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) last year estimated it could cost up to $66.6 million more the finance the P3 Highway. We know the government can borrow money more cheaply than a private corporation and as NS NDP Leader Gary Burrill pointed out, why are taxpayers taking on the risk? A contract is supposed to protect the government and taxpayers from risk, not create more financial risk. As Steve Joy from local 1867 the high way workers say's: If public infrastructure were built as it always was, and our roads and highway remained in public hands, we would have that $66 million in our pocket. That’s a lot of money that could be going to providing better services, like health care and or fixing roads. Instead, it's going into a corporate bank account. The same people building the highway would be the same builders by public procurement and could do the job just as quickly and save tax-payers big time. We have been raising the fact that big corporations who hide money and avoid paying their fair share of taxes will get a Federal government bailout. It makes me angry when we see bank profits still on the increase, as they continue to charge high fees and interest rates. Media reports it by saying things like this headline “Royal Bank reports lower fourth-quarter profit; misses estimates” Their net income is down to $3.21 billion from $3.25 billion in the same quarter last year. RBC made a record profit of $12.9 billion in 2019. All the banks are in the same boat and I just used RBC to make the point. They are doing very well when many others are suffering. That’s just over a billion dollars a month. On another front, we must ask, who are the real cheats morally speaking? Canadian companies avoided paying up to $11.4 billion worth of taxes they should have paid in the single tax year of 2014. The Canada Revenue Agency released its fifth and final report on the tax gap, this one focusing on corporate taxes. The report estimates that in the 2014 tax year, Canadian corporations managed to pay somewhere between $9.4 billion and $11.4 billion less than they should have in taxes. It makes me angry when big business representative organizations talk about the CERB and workers as being cheats? Really. Imagine how much was squandered in tax heavens since 2014.
Politicians keep saying workers should be protected during COVID-19, but we don't see much action. Heroes deserve sick leave. It's time for our government to act now. Our good friends at the CCPA Nova Scotia call for the transformation of Nova Scotia's social safety net. In a new report released recently, Are you with us? Covid-19 confirms the need to transform Nova Scotia’s social safety net, authors Tammy Findlay, Christine Saulnier and Alec Stratford provide evidence that the pandemic has proven just how fragile our current social systems are and why we must fundamentally shift our political and economic system to become a sustainable, fair, and just province. Thank you to our firefighters at the Department of Lands and Forest and the volunteer and paid fire brigades as we seem to be battling a number of fires early in the year. Below are the things we have raised or statements we have done. It’s all on our website. We have provided them here for your convenience: NSFL President Danny Cavanagh is urging Prime Minister Trudeau to support municipalities Read it Here Statement May 1 International Workers’ Day read it Here Statement May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada read it Here Statement May is celebrated as Jewish Heritage Month in Canada read it Here Statement on May 9, we mark the grim anniversary of the Westray Disaster Read it Here NSFL Westray Memorial Education Fund now includes children of NS union members who die as a result of an injury at work Read it Here Westray May 9th, 2020. Laying a wreath at the Westray Memorial Park. Read it Here A new normal after COVID-19 - What have we Learned? Read it Here Presumptive Workers' Compensation coverage for workers who get COVID-19 Read it Here Reopen the Economy with a Health and Safety Lens Read it Here NSFL urging the provincial government to extend health care coverage for residents in Nova Scotia who are uninsured Read it Here The CERB is a drop in the bucket compared to the money we have lost through tax avoidance rules for Canadian corporations Here What employers are saying that when workers have a choice to make more money there are taking it. Our open letter to Premier McNeil on the Nova Scotia recovery from COVID-19 Read it Here Our statement on Paramedic Services Week | May 24 – 30 Read our statement Here Federation praises NDP for securing a commitment from Federal Government to push provinces for 10 days of paid sick leave - read it Here Danny Cavanagh The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Our office is located in Halifax on the land of the Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People. We are the Nova Scotia provincial labour organization representing some 70,000 unionized workers in our province and we were founded in 1956. |
Every Nova Scotia worker deserves paid sick leave. No one should ever have to choose between their job, their health and the public interest. Our federal and provincial governments must work together to implement a uniform policy of 14 paid, job-protected sick days for all workers. Sign the petition and send a letter 
Greetings,
Given the current state of COVID-19 we are unable to meet and hold events in person. However, challenges in life tend to lead to innovation. The NextGen committee from Local Union 213 wanted to find a way to bring everyone together during these times and build solidarity. They also wanted to find a way to give back and raise money for charity. The result is to host an International video games tournament titled, “IBEW Local 213 Cyber Games”. Teams from all Local Unions in the IBEW across all districts will compete for a charity of their choice. This event is tentatively scheduled for 2021. Please click HERE for more information
Stay Safe!
Dear Members,
The Election Committee has mailed out the Local 1928 Election Ballots out on May 22, 2020. We have been advised by Canada Post that the mail delivery will take a few extra days due to COVID-19. Due to this delay we will be extending the deadline to receive ballots. The Election Committee will be counting the ballots on June 17-18, 2020. We will be accepting ballots no later than June 16th.
Please check your mail and take the time to cast your vote.
If you haven't received your ballot by the end of this week or early next week, please contact the union hall: 902-450-5366.
Thank you!
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