27th Annual Electrical Workers Minority Caucus

The 27th Annual Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) Leadership Convention began on January 11, 2017. The five-day event, themed “Building a Better World Together,” was hosted by IBEW Local 47 and Local 11 in Anaheim, CA. The five hundred attendees hailed from all over the United States and Canada. A total of forty-three delegates from Local 3 attended, led by our Business Manager and Chairman of the IEC Christopher Erikson.
The Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) New York City Chapter is comprised of four Local 3-sanctioned clubs: Amber Light Society, Asian-American Cultural Society, Lewis Howard Latimer Progressive Association and the Santiago Iglesias Educational Society.
The Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (EWMC) conducts its yearly gathering over the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. As a fervent advocate of community building and activism, Dr. King once stated, “The time is always right to do what’s right.” The EWMC embodied Dr. King’s spirit by allocating a full day of service to giving back to those who are in need and those who have sacrificed so much.
Three groups, totaling three hundred eighty delegates participated in servicing various organizations including two local food banks and a veterans housing facility. Over six thousand pounds of food were sorted, boxed and ready for distribution to those in need. Volunteers also performed electrical work and painted housing units, home to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, serving our country faithfully in the armed services. President of the EWMC Keith Edwards stated, “Everything that we have in America is because of the veterans and things would be truly different if it weren’t for their service.” As work was being performed, veterans showed their appreciation by thanking the volunteers, one saying “It’s great to know we are not forgotten.”
The EWMC Day of Service did not go unnoticed. CBS Los Angeles visited the volunteer locations and featured the great work taking place on the local news broadcast. A video of the story can be seen at losangeles.cbslocal.com by typing in the search box “Hundreds of union workers put their skills together to help those in need.”
Following the Day of Service, attendees engaged in a myriad of plenary sessions and discussions. Bill Fletcher, trade unionist and former president of the TransAfrica Forum gave a rousing and motivating speech on the necessity of staying true to one’s å_values when negotiating with politicians. The Harvard alum encouraged leadership to not be swayed by fancy dinners or invitations to the White House but implored leadership to be audacious and have the membership’s best interest at heart. Guest speakers at the conference also included Congresswoman Linda Sanchez of California’s 38th District, California’s State Treasurer John Chiang, Environmental Justice State Coordinator of the Sierra Club Sharonda Williams-Tack, Esq., National Labor Organizer of the Sierra Club Larry Williams, Jr. and President of the UCLA Labor Center Kent Wong, Esq.
The plenary sessions aimed to address many vital issues that affect not only those in the trade union movement but also those who exist in low to middle income America. The topics discussed were: Mass Incarceration ‰ÛÓ Why prison sentences feel like life sentences and what IBEW/EWMC can do to help; How to talk politics when there is a new sheriff in town; Understanding parliamentary procedures; race, inclusion and labor; The faces of immigration reform and movement building; Achieving livable wages on a livable planet. These courses provided a platform for open discussion and debate. Many ideas were born and new knowledge obtained. Participants will take home their newly acquired skills to further pro-worker agendas in their home locals.
The EWMC conference also allowed time out for fun and entertainment. Local 47 and Local 11 coordinated efforts to hold a special reception for all conference delegates. Attendees descended upon downtown Disney and had two restaurants to choose from, Tortilla Jo’s and Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen. Participants were treated to a variety of entertainment acts including a Brazilian Samba band and dancers, comedians and a breakdancing crew. Guests also took pleasure in attending an evening of å_dining and dancing. Both events provided an atmosphere of fellowship and helped foster long-standing friendships formed in this year’s conference and in years prior.
The yearly EWMC Leadership Convention satisfied its shared mission of promoting activism, workplace excellence, foster leadership development, reinforcing education and building coalitions across spectrums.