I.B.E.W. – LOCAL UNION 415 NEWSLETTER
March 30, 2012
810 FREMONT AVE
PHONE: 307/632-5944
CHEYENNE, WY 82001
FAX: 307/637-7526
Email: ilocal415@aol.com
www.ilocal415.com
TOLLFREE: 1-877-415-IBEW
(4239)
Harvey J. Humphrey, Bus. Mgr.
harveylocal415@aol.com
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
election of officers and three stewards
and three alternate stewards have been
appointed, all these unit members have
hit the ground running. Congratulations
to these new members and welcome to
IBEW Local 415, you will be a great
asset to the local.
By the time this goes to print we will
have 80 local and traveling members at
work on the shutdown at the Wheatland
Power Plant; a big thank you to those
travelers helping us man our work. Our
contractors seem to be keeping everyone
busy with small jobs here and there with
the exception of the Gillette area where
things are a little slow. The overall work
picture looks to be a little better than last
year at this time, we must always
remember that much of our contractors
success lies with us. We must show up
to work everyday and on time, we
should be clean and have cloths without
holes, keep our breaks and lunches to a
minimum and have a good attitude that
shows we are professionals, and show
respect for our contractor furnished
vehicles,
equipment
and
tools.
Sometimes we are the only thing the
customer sees and we must represent
that contractor the best we can and make
sure that when that customer has more
work, he will call one of our contractors.
Most jobs are now requiring OSHA
(some within the last three years) and
Code of Excellence, the oil fields are
now requiring Safe Land USA
certification, please see the dates for
upcoming classes.
Enjoy the upcoming summer and please
play and work safe.
Harvey
Jeremy Bridges
Director of Membership
jeremylocal415@gmail.com
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
As most of you know I have taken the
position of Director of Membership in
Doyle’s place. I am very excited to see
what we as a Local can do and how we
Our brothers and sisters at the Dry Fork
Power Station have had their second unit
meeting and things are coming along
very well for them. They have had their
1
can grow in the coming years. I also
would like to thank Doyle for the help
on the transition and his continued
support of the Local.
WY JATC
Rocky Anderson, Training
Director
rocjatc@tribcsp.com
March 8, 2012
Since I have been in this position we
have brought in one new member that
was previously with Superior Electric
for 8 years. I think he will be a great
asset to our Local and he seems to be
very excited to be a member. I would
like to welcome him into membership
and wish him the best in his future with
the IBEW. We have also continued our
talks with REDI Electric and everything
seems to be progressing well with them.
We hope to have them signed up in the
very near future.
I would like to take this opportunity to
thank Harvey and Doyle for all their
efforts over the years to promote and
assist the Wyoming JATC. The efforts
made by them have strengthened the
program and are very much appreciated.
Doyle made many efforts to recruit and
help whenever needed and his assistance
was tremendous. Harvey in his position
as Business Manager and Trustee for the
program never wavered in his support of
apprenticeship training. His leadership
and dedication will be missed by me and
many others. Both of these men have
been a real pleasure to work with and I
wish them the best in all their future
endeavors.
Work has been holding pretty steady.
The loss of Wagner Electric and the
resultant layoffs of apprentices could
have been a real problem if not for the
Wheatland project. I wish to thank Jason
Pressnall for his assistance in placing
apprentices on the project and keeping
them employed.
There are currently no upgrade classes
scheduled for the Cheyenne area. We
will probably offer a code update class
in May or June. We are always willing
to try and put a class together if there is
interest in a particular course of study. If
the membership has an interest, please
get together with Jeff and we will do
what we can to assist. The renewable
energy class is still available and if there
is an interest we would like to put a class
on. We could really use the numbers to
meet out obligation for trainees under
the grant we received.
Membership growth is key to keeping
the IBEW, retirement plans, and medical
plans strong. If any of you know or talk
to anyone in the electrical industry that
is not a part of the IBEW please feel free
to contact me and I will pursue them
accordingly. We all know there is
strength in numbers.
If you members are on Facebook and
have not joined our IBEW Local 415
group please do. I have been trying to
post information on classes coming up,
meeting reminders, and random clips. I
think it can be a great tool for us all to
communicate and get information out to
each other.
Thank you all for your support in this
new venture! I look forward to working
with all of you in the future. Please
work safe!
Fraternally,
Jeremy Bridges
Director of Membership
2
With the weather slowly starting to turn
toward spring more outdoor activities
will become available. Please use
caution when enjoying the benefits of
the nice weather. Every summer we have
members hurt playing softball, fourwheeling and all the numerous activities
offered. We always think about safety
while on the job but tend to forget about
it when we are recreating. Have fun but
remember to protect yourself so that you
and your family are not financially hurt
by a long layoff from employment.
Finally, the Completion Ceremony for
the class of 2012 will be held on May
18, 2012 in Casper at the Ramkota.
Tickets are available by contacting the
JATC. There will be eleven graduates
participating from Local 415 and we
encourage you to join us in celebrating
their accomplishment. See you there.
Illnesses and Recoveries
Brother Jonathan Archuleta is
recuperated after a sudden illness and
will be returning back to work.
Brother Bob Vining, Sr. is home
recovering from double knee surgery.
Retired Brother Bob Mayhew, who is
recovering from heart surgery.
We wish these brothers a speedy
recovery
Annual Picnics
This years Local 415 picnic will be held
on August 18, 2012, at Lion’s Park in
Cheyenne.
Truett Thompson and Scott Starke,
picnic chairmen, will be looking for
volunteers as the date gets closer.
Remember 1st year apprentices it is
tradition that you help with the picnic.
Births
Brother Jayson Russell and wife Tara
welcomed their second son, “Judson
Ace”, born Jan. 20th . Judson weighed 4
lbs. 7 oz .
Sister Jessica Sanderson was named
picnic chairman for the Gillette Unit/Dry
Fork Unit Picnic. A date of August 25th
has been chosen at the Camplex, shelter
#5. More information will follow.
Brother Scott Rorabaugh and Stacey
Smith welcomed their first baby, a son,
“Owen James” on Jan. 27th. He weighed
6 lbs., 11 oz. and was 22 ½ ” long.
Apprentice Picnic Notice
Hello Fellow Apprentices:
Brother Travis Spears and his wife
Chanda welcomed twins, “Kai Liam”, 5
lbs. 15 oz, 18 ¼” long and “Kelland
William, 5 lbs, 10 oz, 18” long on March
15th. The boys were born in Hawaii and
came out surfing.
On April 14, 2012, at noon, we will
have a short meeting at the Hall to
discuss the picnic. We will talk about
getting donations, helping set up, and
clean up after the picnic. I need your
help in making this a great picnic. So
please mark your calendars and attend
this short meeting.
Scott Starke
2nd Year Apprentice
3
Cole W. Kruse
David M. Schofield
Kevin Gray
Shawn F. McDougald
Renee A. Austin
Tyler Tschimperle
Kathy Holt
Joseph C. Scott
Jeffery T. Parish, Jr
Benjamin J. Hoxie
Randall Hanson
Stephen Heath
Justin Halfhill
Timothy McCommon
Sean Flannigan
In Memoriam
To Honor and Remember
Retired Brother Ralph Johnston, a 70
year member, passed away on
January 25th.
He was our oldest member at 97 years
of age.
Retired Brother Harvey M. Humphrey
passed away on Feb. 19th at the age of
89. He was a 64 year member of this
local and the father of Business Manager
Harvey Humphrey.
We remember these Brothers and offer
our sympathies to their families.
We welcome these Sisters and Brothers.
Stocker Applications
Condolences
Spring scholarship recipients:
Brother Gary Scarpelli on the passing of
his Mother, Norma, on Dec. 22nd.
Jacob Berg
Macey Burden
Brittanie Crockett
Della Jairell
Kylie Johnson
Carissa Lane
Mila Lemaster
Jason McKee
Jennifer McLaughlin
Kara Mitchell
Rebecca Wilson
Brother Stan Mosher on the passing of
his Mother, Lois, on Feb. 6th.
Brothers Carey and Marshall Lanning on
the passing of their Dad and
Grandfather, Ronald, on Feb. 24th.
Brother Loomis Booth on the death of
his son, “Little Loomie”, in February.
We offer these Brothers and their
families our condolences.
The Fall 2012 Stocker Scholarship
applications are due to the Stocker
Scholarship Executive Director before
August 9, 2012 for the August 16,
2012 Stocker Scholarship Committee
meeting.
New Members
Benjamin T. Josephson
Ryan A. Bland
Frank J. Somer
4
2012 Turnout Ceremony
When:
Where:
Time:
Code of Excellence
A Code of Excellence class will be given
on April 12, 2012, 6:30 p.m. at the
Cheyenne Union Hall. All those working
at the Wheatland Power Plant that do not
have COE must attend. Anyone else who
does not have COE is strongly
encouraged to attend to secure future
work in our industry.
May 18, 2012
RAMKOTA
Casper, WY
6:00 pm
The banquet cost is $25 and must be
purchased by May 11. Children under 12
are $13. Please contact the JATC to
purchase tickets. (1-888-286-3151)
Room reservations must be made by
May 1st to get the $60 room rate for
May 18th.
RAMKOTA (307-266-6000)
Free OHSA 10 Class
The Wyoming Department of Workforce
Services/OSHA is offering a free OSHA
10 class on May 23-24, 2012 in
Cheyenne.
They have a minimum of 50 that can
take the class and it does fill up fast, at
last check 15 had already signed up. If
you need this class please call them to
sign up at 307-777-7787.
Overseas Military
Donations
As discussed at the last meeting the hall
is collecting donations to send to our
troops in Afghanistan. We’ve already
made one shipment and we thank those
who contributed.
Donations of non perishables, such as
candy, gum, peanuts and various snacks,
magazines, books and puzzle books are
needed.
Please help us make this an ongoing
contribution that the troops will look
forward to receiving.
If you would like to make monetary
donations we can always do the
shopping.
Other Free Dates and Places:
Casper: April 18-19, 2012
Gillette: June 6-7, 2012
Green River: Aug. 22-23, 2012
Jackson: Oct. 3-4, 2012
Riverton: Nov. 14-15, 2012
SafeLand USA
Many oil and gas operators and
producers require or prefer their workers
on well sites to complete this 8-10 hour
course of basic safety policies and
procedures. Using the Petroleum
Education Council’s Premier Basic
Orientation curriculum, students will
learn the basic occupational and safety
requirements for many
operator/producers, acceptable worksite
5
policies and procedures, hazardous
situations, incident reporting and
emergency response plans.
Participants who successfully complete
the class will receive a SafeLand
Certification Card. Classes will be held
June 25th and 26th, 2012, the cost is
$180.00, to register call 307-778-4381.
2012 Scheduled Meetings
Regular Body Meetings
Apr. 4, 2012
May 2, 2012
June 6, 2012
July, TBA
Aug. 1, 2012
Sept. 5, 2012
Oct. 3, 2012
Nov. 7, 2012
Dec. 5, 2012
Cheyenne Hall, 5:30 p.m.
Financial Reports
The Fiscal Year ending 6/30/11
Department of Labor’s LM2 and the
Internal Revenue Service Form 990 have
been filed utilizing the audited financial
information from James Childress, CPA.
Gillette Unit Meetings
Apr. 10, 2012
May 8, 2012
June 12, 2012
July, TBA
Aug. 14, 2012
Sept. 11, 2012
Oct. 9, 2012
Nov. 13, 2012
Dec. 11, 2012
Gillette Hall, 6:30 p.m.
Either of these two reports can be
viewed, by contacting Chris, and setting
up a time to view and go over the
reports. In addition the Local’s LM2 can
be viewed on the Department of Labors
web site
Executive Board Meetings
Apr. 17, 2012
May 15, 2012
June 19, 2012
July 17, 2012
Aug. 21, 2012
Sept. 18, 2012
Oct. 16, 2012
Nov. 20, 2012
Dec. 18, 2012
Cheyenne Hall, 5:30 p.m.
Member in Arrears
This is not meant to embarrass, but
to remind.
Delinquent 2nd Qtr, 2012
Steven Chavez, Jeffrey J. Cain,
Peter Foust, James L. Harris, Floyd
W. Harrison, Ken Henexson, Ricky
D. Hopper, Tom Hushbeck, David M.
Kelley, Alex J. Kiser, James R.
Krestan, Daniel E. Mills, Jesse
Roseberry, Todd A. Sampson,
Daniel
Sanchez,
Richard
A.
Snowardt, Leonard L. Torres and
William J. Vasoli.
Dry Fork Station Meetings
May 9, 2012
July 11, 2012
Sept. 12, 2012
Nov. 14, 2012
Jan. 9, 2013
Gillette Hall, 7:00 p.m.
6
Have You Ever Danced?
The barrels of the shotgun never
wavered in the old man’s hands, as he
quietly said, “Son, have you ever kissed
a mule’s back side?”
An old prospector shuffled into the town
of El Indio, Texas leading an old tired
mule. The old man headed straight for
the only saloon in town, to clear his
parched throat. He walked up to the
saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch
rail. As he stood there, a young
gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with
a gun in one hand and a bottle of
whiskey in the other.
The gunslinger swallowed hard and said,
“No sir…. but….I’ve always wanted to.”
There are a few lessons for us all here:
Never be arrogant.
Don’t waste ammunition.
Whiskey makes you think you’re
smarter than you are.
Always, always make sure you know
who has the power.
Don’t mess with old men; they didn’t get
old by being stupid.
The young gunslinger looked at the old
man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man,
have you ever danced?” The old man
looked up at the gunslinger and said,
“No, I never did dance….never really
wanted to.”
I love a good story.
A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger
grinned and said, “Well, you old fool,
you’re gonna’dance now,” and started
shooting at the old man’s feet. The old
prospector, not wanting to get a toe
blown off, started hopping around like a
flea on a hot skillet. Everybody was
laughing, fit to be tied.
The Wyoming Connection
Spring 2010
When his last bullet had been fired, the
young gunslinger, still laughing,
holstered his gun and turned around to
go back into the saloon. The old man
turned to his pack mule, pulled out a
doubled barreled shotgun, and cocked
both hammers. The loud clicks carried
clear through the desert air.
The crowd stopped laughing
immediately. The young gunslinger
heard the sounds too, and he turned
around very slowly. The silence was
almost deafening. The crowd watched
as the young gunman stared at the old
timer and the large gaping holes of those
twin barrels.
7