Creating Opportunities for Our Members 

In my 34 years as a Local 11 member, one of the programs I’m most proud of is the annual contractors class that we have been hosting for our members for most of the past 20 years. We were the first IBEW local to hold the class on the West Coast. 

It all started years ago when I met Matt Kolbinsky, a fellow IBEW member from Ohio, who was conducting one of his multi-day Contractor workshops, teaching IBEW members how to get their C-10 licenses. The goal was for union members to open up their own union shops. I knew immediately it would be of interest to our members and I wanted to bring the program to our local. At the time I was an Organizer for the local, and I saw huge value in the program. I convinced our Business Manager at the time, Marvin Kropke, to bring the program to LA, and we’ve never looked back. Some 300 of our members have graduated from the workshop. 

Matt started Pro Union Consulting in 2002, and boasts that over 635 graduates have started their own union businesses since then. 

We just completed our 15th class in Pasadena last week – the most of any IBEW locals around the country — and I still get a kick out of talking to the student members about the value of the class and all the opportunities there are for them in the electrical industry. 

Each year we get up to as many as 30 IBEW 11 members who sign up for the class. They put down a deposit, which is returned when they complete the class. 

We target IBEW members with an entrepreneurial spirit who show an interest in opening their own shop. For those members, this class gives them a taste of what it’s like, and teaches them many of the skills needed to run a successful business. Everything from which suppliers to buy from to how to estimate jobs to marketing themselves. 

Over the years, I’ve talked to hundreds of our members, and met many journeymen, foremen, project managers who want to open their own businesses, but don’t know where to start. This is the class that will help them figure it out. 

And for the local, the class is a win-win. Most of these members are skilled and trained graduates of our apprentice program, they are dedicated union members, and understand the value of the union. They typically become signatory with the union and turn around and hire their union brothers and sisters. 

We all know the story about Morrow Meadows which was started in a garage 60 years ago by IBEW members and is now one of the largest Electrical union contractors in the region. Another large signatory contractor, CSI, was also started by three union brothers. When we look at our list of union signatories, the vast majority of them started out as union members – journeymen who decided to take the plunge. It’s a natural transition to go from being a journeymen or foreman to opening your own firm and hiring your union brothers and sisters. It’s easy to sign them up as signatories. And the best part is they get to maintain their membership in the union, along with their health and pension benefits. As I said, it’s a win-win. 

We get a lot of positive feedback from members who go through the class and that’s very gratifying to me when I go to speak to them each year. The course is a partnership between IBEW 11 and NECA with LMCC support. 

Interested? You can read more about the class in this edition of News@11. 

S&C Allocation Vote 

In other news, I’m pleased to report the Sound and Communications unit voted to go with the committee’s recommendation on where to allocate their $1.60 raise. They voted to put $1 toward wages, $0.50 cents to the health plan and $0.10 cents to the HRA card. 

This is democracy in action. Each cycle, President Alton Wilkerson and I attend the meeting and talk to members about the importance of the vote toward keeping their health plan viable and healthy. This year we had over 100 members turn out for the allocation vote, more than usual. I’m pleased to report that this year’s allocation was a win-win for the plan and for the membership. 

The effective date of the allocation is June 30, 2025. 

In Solidarity, 

In Solidarity,
Robert Corona
Business Manager/Financial Secretary