An Injury to One is an Injury to All 

With the nation’s eyes focused on Los Angeles and the protests here against the random Immigration raids, I have some good news to share about the power of solidarity. 

First, by standing together with our EAA brothers and sisters, we were able to save many of our members’ public sector jobs from being eliminated during the latest round of LA City budget cuts. I want to acknowledge all of our dedicated members and staff who have rallied in front of City Hall and attended City Council meetings over the past few months as the depth of the city budget deficit became clear. Flexing our muscles and making our voices heard made a difference.  

We let our elected officials know that IBEW 11 and EAA members are critical to making this City run. The Mayor and City Council heard that message and made good common sense accommodations to the budget to ensure the safety and continued services to Los Angeles’ nearly 4 million residents. 

Labor Leader Arrested 

In another nod to the power of solidarity, I was proud to stand with our members and the labor community following the disgraceful arrest of SEIU labor leader David Huerta earlier this month. Brother Huerta was out in front of a garment factory during an ICE raid to make sure immigrant members of the labor community were treated lawfully. But he was arrested, thrown to the ground, and put in jail over the weekend. Our protest was heard, and he was released after three days. 

This administration, in partnership with ICE, is going after hard-working immigrant families, not the hardened criminals that they had promised on the campaign trail. And if you think you’re not affected, think again. We’ve already heard from members about construction job sites being raided by ICE, and other sites getting locked down in response. 

If you’re not a Native American, then you too are an immigrant. In labor we say, “An injury to one is an injury to all.” That’s why we need to stand together with our brothers and sisters, and demand what’s right.  

To help our members, the Local will be offering training given by the LA Federation of Labor on what to do if ICE knocks on your door, comes to your worksite, or to your children’s school. 

ITS Allocation Vote  

In other news, I’m pleased to report that the Intelligent Transportation Systems unit voted to go with the committee’s recommendation on where to allocate their most recent raise. They voted to put $1 towards wages, 25 cents on the Defined Benefit pension plan, 20 cents on the Defined Contribution plan and 55 cents toward the HRA card.  

Congratulations to the ITS members on this democratic vote. This is money you’re putting away today to help our members plan for their future retirement. The effective date of the allocation is July 28, 2025.  

I’m also excited about a new idea that several of our members had suggested: to set up a self-directed Defined Contribution pension plan with a menu of investment options members can select – ranging from conservative to aggressive options. We’re putting together a simple survey that will go out to members in the next few weeks about the plan to gauge your interest. 

The Future & the Past 

IBEW continues to explore and promote renewable energy projects that both create more good jobs for our members while helping us realize a more livable planet for our families. To that end, I, along with other IBEW Business Managers, recently attended an offshore wind conference where we heard from public and private sector industry experts about this growing industry, and what it means for our members.  

Officials from the Port of Long Beach were there to discuss their ongoing offshore wind projects – from wind turbines to transmission stations. The last big renewable projects many of our members worked on were the Palm Springs turbines. Offshore wind is one of the next generation technologies that is part of our future.  

One final note on  acknowledging the importance of our past. I want to give a big shout out to the IBEW 11 retirees group who have worked hard to put together a comprehensive museum of IBEW 11 artifacts going back decades. They have collected and categorized thousands of artifacts from our members, from our files, from ETI and other locations and put many of them on display.  

So if you get a chance, come on up to the second floor of our Pasadena office and check our new museum out.  

In solidarity, 

Robert Corona
Business Manager/Financial Secretary