Here are some of my ideas. Please email me at the link below to share your ideas.

Reduce Staff Salaries

We can start to restructure our organization by amending our bylaws to bring staff salaries in line with comparable positions. What do you think is fair?

The savings we get from trimming salaries and staffing levels to a reasonable level can be put towards the development of programs that help meet our member’s needs. The construction industry has a suicide rate three times higher than the nation as a whole. The primary driver is financial hardship. A Journeyman at my previous job made less than $50K in 2024.

Restructuring our leadership to increase organizational democracy requires re-aligning the union’s governance with the principle of worker empowerment. This can enhance member engagement, foster accountability, and ensure decisions reflect the interests of the broader membership.

Expand Member Participation in Decision-Making

It is a widely known fact that union leadership, not just in the IBEW, find democracy within the organization too messy. They seek to tightly control information flows and communication. They wonder why the public has the highest approval of unions in decades, while trust in union leadership is at its lowest.

• Introduce Referenda for Major Decisions:
  • Encourage members to vote directly on significant policy changes, contract negotiations, and leadership decisions.
  • Use secure online voting systems to ensure broad participation, especially for remote or traveling workers.
• Establish Advisory Committees:
  • Form committees composed of rank-and-file members to provide input on key decisions, such as collective bargaining, legislative priorities, and apprenticeship programs.

Increase Transparency

• Regular Financial Reporting:
  • Publish detailed financial reports accessible to all members, including leadership salaries, union expenditures, and political contributions. To whom, and how much, and why.
• Accessible Meeting Minutes:
  • Make summaries of leadership meetings available online or through newsletters to keep our members informed about decisions and discussions.

The last newsletter was put out in 2023. Have you ever seen the minutes of the Executive Board meetings? When you approve the minutes of the Executive Board, you approve everything they did. Wouldn’t you like to know what it is that you are approving?

Why don’t we have a virtual forum where members can question leaders and propose ideas?

Strengthen Local Union Autonomy

• Decentralize Decision-Making
• Allow for the development and support of independent political candidates
• Break free of divisive partisan political battles and corporate money politics

If you look back over the last 30 years of both Democratic and Republican administrations, they all have the same hedge fund managers and financial industry executives as economic advisers.

Establish an Anti-Nepotism Policy

Competition is vital for maintaining a healthy organization and providing equal opportunities for success.

This would apply to office staff as well as apprenticeship slots. Nepotism is defined as the practice of an employee using his or her influence or power to aid or hinder another in the employment setting.

Personal relationships for this purpose include but are not limited to, association by blood, adoption, marriage and/or cohabitation. In addition, there may be personal relationships beyond this general definition that could be subject to these policies.

Enhance Education and Leadership Development

• Leadership Training for Members:
  • Offer workshops and seminars on union governance, labor law, and public speaking to prepare members for leadership roles.
• Apprenticeship Integration:
  • Introduce organizational democracy concepts into apprenticeship training programs to instill a culture of engagement early.
• Peer Mentorship:
  • Pair seasoned leaders with rank-and-file members interested in advancing within the union.

Use Technology to Enhance Engagement

• Digital Platforms for Voting and Feedback:
  • Implement secure online tools for member voting, surveys, and feedback submissions to increase participation.
• Communication Channels:
  • Regularly update members on union activities and invite input.
• Virtual Meetings:
  • We hold virtual Executive Board meetings, why not virtual General meetings to make participation more accessible for members unable to attend in person?

We should be bringing this issue to the International Convention next year.

Cultivate a Culture of Accountability

• Performance Reviews for our Leadership:
  • Establish mechanisms for members to evaluate union leaders, providing feedback on their performance.
• Recall Elections:
  • Allow members to initiate recall elections for leadership positions if they feel representation has faltered.
• Term Limits:
  • Introduce reasonable term limits for leadership positions to prevent stagnation and encourage fresh perspectives.

Promote Grassroots Advocacy

• Member-Driven Campaigns:
  • Enable and support grassroots initiatives by members, such as organizing drives or lobbying efforts.
• Political Action Committees (PACs):
  • Ensure union PACs reflect the economic priorities of the rank-and-file membership.
• Engage Younger Members:
  • Continue to actively involve apprentices and younger members in union campaigns to build long-term engagement.
• Introduce member referenda for major decisions and expand grassroots involvement in leadership structures.

By adopting these changes, we can strengthen our democratic foundations, ensuring we remain a vibrant, member-led organization that effectively represents the interests of all of our members.