President’s Message – October 2024

Stepping Up To The Plate And Making A Difference

It’s a busy time here at IBEW 11. There’s the election on Nov. 5, not just for President, but local school boards, city council, state officials and Congress as well. We also have an important Sound & Comm allocation vote coming up.

We spent this past weekend in the Antelope Valley door knocking for George Whitesides. He is our choice for a new voice in Congressional District 27 in Northern LA County. We have quite a few members in that precinct. That seat is important for union members to reclaim the US House of Representatives for the Democrats from the current dysfunctional, do-nothing Republican-controlled Congress. It’s time for a change in Congress – time for more jobs, time for no more conflict of interest investigations, time for no more lies about stolen elections, time for change and time to move forward past all this wasted time on things that don’t matter to our members and their families.

It’s time to turn the page.

I want to thank the members of IBEW 11 who turned out to talk to our fellow IBEW members who live in the area about the importance of this race. It’s a key seat to help us regain control of Congress to improve the lives of everyday people. We’re tired of dwelling on grievances that only matter to the wealthy 1%. This race is so crucial that the current minority leader of the House, Hakeem Jeffries came out in person to rally the troops. He gave a riveting talk about the importance of this race in the big picture of making a better life for most middle-class Americans.

He also spoke about the terror he felt on being on the House floor during the January 6, 2021, insurrection. When the building was breached, members of Congress were told to get down on the ground and put on their gas masks that were under their seats. Jeffries had served in Congress for four terms and never realized they all had gas masks under their seats. Because never before had they needed to use them. Sobering thoughts.

I also want to remind our Sound & Communications folks that your latest allocation vote is coming up this Nov. 2 and encourage you to attend the meeting. We have lots of members in the Sound & Comm classification, and it’s crucial for you to participate and have a voice in how your raise is allocated. It’s important for you to make an educated decision on how to allocate your raises. We’re a democratic institution, so everyone who shows up in person gets a vote. Please show up, educate yourself and VOTE!!!

One final note: We’re taking volunteers for our salting program. This program involves putting qualified union members on non-union job sites to help in the efforts to organize new contractors into the union. More contractors mean more work, especially in the sectors that our market share is low in. See our flyer for more details. It’s a good gig for out-of-work members while you’re helping the union grow. Best of all, you can keep your place on the out-of-work list while you continue to put food on your table and keep a roof over your family’s head.

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your President.

In Solidarity,

Alton Wilderson
IBEW Local 11
President