Did you ever want to participate in a community fundraising event, like the Terry Fox Run, a Dragon Boat Race or Run for the Cure?

I think it's important that Local 37 and its members are seen as being involved in our communities, and one of the best ways to do that is through participation in community fundraising efforts for health related causes. Every year there are dozens of events occurring throughout New Brunswick like the Terry Fox Run, Skate to Care, Dragon Boat Races and Run for the Cure. Not only can we help great causes, but we can have fun and get some exercise at the same time.

In order to help our members participate in these worthy causes, we created a special fund to help those who want to get involved. Applicable events must be for a non-profit fundraising event that is health related, involving physical activity by the participants, with the majority of the team comprised of Local 37 members. Members interested in organizing a team can apply for a grant that can be used to help pay registration fees and other costs necessary to participate in these activities.

An example of a recent event we sponsored was the IBEW 37 Saint John Dragon Boat team "Positive Energy"! The team made it in to the "B" group finals where they finished a close second to the Rothesay Regional Police Force team. More importantly though, the team raised over $18,000 for the St. Joseph's Hospital foundation. In October we're also sponsoring a "Run for the Cure" team in the Fredericton area that Annette Perry (our Training Trust Fund coordinator) has helped organize.

We'd love to work with you to get something going in your workplace! If you'd like to start up your own Dragon Boat team or Run for the Cure team, check out the Health, Wellness and Safety section of http://www.ibew37.com/ and look for the financial support application for Workplace Wellness and Community fundraising activities. More details on the application process and selection criteria are contained there, and if you'd like more information, please feel free to contact me at any time.

So what about the Federal Election?

As you probably know, Canada is having a Federal Election on Monday, October 14th. Compared to the theatrics going on in the United States, our election seems a little boring, but despite that, it's more important than ever that we get involved in our political process.

Some unions actively support one party only, but I think it's more important that we encourage our members to become actively involved, and support a candidate, no matter what party they favour. If a large number of our members do that, then no matter who gets elected, we will have some members who worked for the winning candidate and who will be in a position to talk to and influence them about matters that are important to the IBEW and its members. The fact is, if you join a party, donate to a candidate, or volunteer to help with their campaign, you will be in the best position to have some positive input on their policies.

On the topic of donations, are you aware that you can have a real impact in supporting the candidate of your choice and it won't cost you very much? For example, if you donate $200 to a political candidate, did you know that you will receive a tax credit of $150? That means that the $200 donation will only cost you $50.

I also think it's important that we try to educate our members on issues that are important to working people, so they can make informed decisions and vote for the person in their riding that will best represent them. Below are the links to the Canadian Labour Congress election website, which can lead you to a lot of other links with details pertinent to the election. For example, if you click on “Who is on your side?” you can see every MP’s voting record on labour issues.

http://canadianlabour.ca/en/election-2008

http://congresdutravail.ca/fr/election-2008

Finally, and most importantly, please remember to vote on October 14th!

Welcome to the new IBEW Local 37 Blog!

When I decided to run for Business Manager of Local 37, I gave a lot of thought to the kind of Local Union I wanted to be involved with. Open communication is really important to me and I decided early on that what I wanted was a two-way conversation. I’m not just asking you to listen to my ideas – I want to hear yours as well. So, I made a decision that the Local 37 website wouldn’t be a stagnant, boring place, but instead, it would include a blog.

Over the coming months, I’ll talk about issues that are important to me and hopefully you’ll get to know me better. I also hope you’ll respond, so I can get to know you a little better, too. It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree with my views, the key thing for me is I’m really looking forward to hearing from you, so I can better serve you as Business Manager.