Greetings Brothers & Sisters.
Are you taking care of yourself? Many of us are experiencing confusion because of what’s happening in the world. The chaos and white noise are designed to sow self-doubt, create nothing but anger, and turn us against each other. I am concerned this is landing with our members and causing anxiety about our collective future. However, we are the authors of our own story and do not have to fall for their divide and conquer game.
We may disagree about some things, but we share a lot of experiences. None of us were born with a silver spoon in our mouths or a trust fund. We all deal with the daily grind. We wake up, get our families ready, and get ourselves off to work. Mix in a few weddings, birthday parties, and union events, and it’s a very busy life. We get pulled in so many directions between people’s problems, the shop giving us another set of mis-directions they call drawings, and feeling exhausted. We try to steal a few moments to relax and scroll social media, and we’re met with angry political posts. It feels like there is no relief.
I am here to remind you it's OK to be overwhelmed. That’s completely normal, and IT’S OK TO ASK FOR HELP! Your union brothers and sisters have your back and are here to support you.
Many of us have the narrative that “crying is for sissies,” and if you have any feelings, you go at it alone. When my mother died, I went to work. My sister died, and I went to work. My grandfather died, and I went to work. I was taught that you grieve at home in private. I know a lot of you were taught the same. I want you all to recognize that there’s a lot of shit going down right now, and its OK to share your feelings and ask for help. Asking for help is a sign of strength. Not weakness! We are a union family and need to help each other through life. We build together and grow our families together. That’s the IBEW brother- and sisterhood.
Always Union,
Javier M. Casillas
Business Manager
332’s Work Outlook
The current work picture is outstanding for 332. Monthly calls are double what they were last year. We have allocations coming in a few months and plenty of hours to be worked right now.
However, with Trump’s tariffs, the cost for materials is going to skyrocket and create potential work slow-downs in the future.
So I urge members to work when work is available. I also want to remind you that that how we work matters. Be the best tradesman you can possibly be. This keeps us competitive in a changing industry and helps secure more work for us in the future. It’s the IBEW advantage!
