Greetings Brothers & Sisters:
This fall, 332 was really back in the swing of things with our union activities. It’s nice to see the members turn out and participate. It strengthens the brother- and sisterhood of the union.
The November mid-term election was a big success for labor, not only on the national stage, but in California and locally, where our elected leaders really have a lot of sway around our members’ work. Out of 80 candidates and ballot measures that Local 332 endorsed, 78 won. Thank you to our members for precinct walking, phone banking, and most importantly, voting.
Another big thing that happened this fall was that we ratified the Sound & Communication contract. We won the biggest wage increase in our history with a raise of $4.50, demonstrating how the contractors see the value of our members’ skill and work. The contract is for one year, and the allocation vote result was as follows:
$3.25 for wages, $.85 went to pension, $.40 for health and welfare, and starting January 1st, there will be a dues checkoff for the unit.
I encourage members to spread the word about the S&C NorCal apprenticeship. We are seeing double-digit growth in that industry, and there’s a real opportunity for young applicants. Our commercial apprenticeship gets 3000 applicants a year with a waiting list of 600. The S&C only has a fraction of that, so the odds are good for people to get in. For more information, go to norcal-jatc.com.
Looking ahead to 2023, we are focusing a lot on the residential market. Because of legislation passed by President Biden as well as Governor Newsom, there are federal and state dollars coming down the pike to build affordable housing. We need to ensure that PLAs are in place and that work goes to our members.
In this newsletter, you can see our members in action this fall. I hope this inspires you to get involved in 2023 as well. Happy holiday season!
In Solidarity,
Dan Romero
Business Manager
EVCS Training Available
With the passage of President Biden’s historic infrastructure bill, $40 billion is coming to California over the next ten years, in part for electric vehicle charging stations. There is also $20 million being devoted to Santa Clara County VTA’s new electric bus fleet and charging stations. I highly encourage members take advantage of our Training Center’s electric vehicle charging stations classes coming soon in 2023.
Right now there is a lot of work on our commercial side, but with a potential recession coming, things could change. Having these valuable skills will help secure your work for the next decade in this new industry. Look for information in 2023 at ETASV.org.
