Brothers and Sisters,
My name is Brendan McCue. I am the Business Manager of IBEW Local 2010, representing railroad employees across eastern Ontario who work for CN Rail.
Four years ago, I received a call from Russ Shewchuk seeking my Local’s support in the upcoming election at the Chicago Convention, where he was running for International Vice President of the First District. I had never spoken to Russ before that day. Needless to say, Russ had me on the phone for a couple of hours, sharing his vision for the future of the First District. To say I was impressed with what he had to say would be an understatement.
Russ laid out some ambitious goals. He talked about growing the membership of the First District and taking Canada from “worst to first.” He wanted better communication between the First District and our Local Unions, stronger representation with government, and better support for the issues affecting our members.
For those of us in the railroad, Russ made some specific commitments. He promised us an International Representative who came from the railway and understood the industry. He promised greater support from the First District when dealing with government and lobbying on the issues that directly affect railroad workers.
But the biggest thing Russ did during that first conversation was listen.
He listened to the issues my Local was dealing with and the challenges we faced as members working for a multinational railway. He asked questions about where we needed support and what we thought he and the First District could do to help. He wasn’t just calling to tell me why we should support him. He wanted to know what we needed from him if he was elected.
After that call, I spoke with my Local, and we decided to support Russ. We believed he was the best option for the support and representation our members needed. I won’t lie, there was some trepidation. We had been sold lines before. We were putting our support behind Russ based on the promises he made and the things he told us he would deliver.
Four years later, he has come through on those promises and then some.
One of Russ’s first acts as our Vice President was appointing an International Representative from the railroad who understands our industry, our unique challenges, and our place within the IBEW. Russ gave us access to the support and resources of the IBEW, and when our Local needed help, he made sure we had it.
He also followed through on the bigger commitments he talked about four years ago. Communication with the First District has improved. Our access to the resources of the IBEW has improved. We have had support when dealing with government and when raising issues that affect our railroad members.
Over the last four years, I have had the opportunity to work with Russ on a number of issues. He is accessible; he asks questions, and he listens to the people who are actually dealing with the issues. We haven’t always agreed on everything, and I don’t expect that from any leader. What I do expect is someone who will pick up the phone, hear us out, and work with us to find a way forward. Russ has done that.
That willingness to listen matters even more with the challenges railway workers are facing today. Russ knows the issues affecting our members. He knows that different levels of government are talking about restricting our right to strike and that the anti-scab legislation, Bill C-58, is under attack by corporate interests. I have spoken to Russ at length about these and other issues. He understands what is at stake for our members, and I know we have his support.
Four years ago, Local 2010 supported Russ based on the promises he made and what we believed he could do for our members.
Today, we don’t have to base that decision on promises. We can base it on his record.
Russ told us what he was going to do, and then he did it.
For that reason, IBEW Local 2010 is proud to endorse Russ Shewchuk for another term as International Vice President of the First District, and I encourage my Brothers and Sisters across Canada to support him.
In Solidarity,
Brendan McCue
Business Manager
IBEW Local 2010 (Railroad)
