To all delegates to the International Convention in San Diego, I’m Lee Hooper the current president of IBEW Local 2042 and former Senior General Chairman of IBEW System Council No.11. I have been an IBEW member since our inception into the IBEW 36 years ago. I’m pleased to author this letter on behalf of IBEW Local 2042 with the unanimous support of the Local’s Executive Board. We are proud to offer our endorsement of Russ Shewchuk for the position of International Vice President, First District. As...

In most of our professional lives, we are judged by results. If I am to be fair to Russ Shewchuk and the IBEW I cannot ignore what he has achieved through his tenure as IVP. It is my genuine belief that a change at this juncture would be a mistake; the work done to date leaves us on the precipice of achieving even greater milestones. With the constant war for market share, the work done above the business manager level cannot be understated. Capital projects need tough negotiators that carry weight,...

I am writing in support of my friend Russ, not because he needs another endorsement, he has plenty. I am standing beside Russ because, in 2022 when he said he would take Canada from “WORST TO FIRST”, he absolutely meant it. I was not fond of watching the big screen at the MD conferences where the 1st District was solidly in last place more times than I care to mention. I thought it was a bold statement and frankly, I thought it was an impossible claim to make happen. Fortunately I was...

Our Future, Our Decision, Our Destination Being a business manager in any local union comes with challenges that nothing properly prepares you for. You often have to make big decisions every day, impacting the local and membership in all kinds of ways; some days you’re making several decisions throughout the day on the fly, and those decisions don’t always work out the way you wanted them to. Over the last 25 years as Local 230’s Business Manager, I’ve considered three things in every decision:...

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...

Established in 1900, Hamilton is the oldest original charter in the First District, currently representing over eleven hundred members in the construction sector. Over the past fifteen years, I have served as Recording Secretary, Executive Board member, VicePresident, President, and now Business Manager of Local Union 105. In all my years as an elected officer, I have never seen an IVP with a stronger commitment to organizing the unorganized. I began my electrical career as an unrepresented worker...

I cannot begin this endorsement with a claim of having known IVP Russ Shewchuk for decades or working with him at a local level on negotiating or organizing. However, I can speak to my experience since the IBEW Locals of Canada elected Russ Shewchuk as our First District IVP. I first met Brother Shewchuk when he began his campaign leading up to the 40th Convention in Chicago in 2022. I will be candid and say that our local did not vote for Russ at that convention because we weren’t convinced that...

Brothers and Sisters, The members of IBEW Local Union 2058 work within one of the most specialized sectors of the IBEW. The railroad industry presents unique challenges, and representing railroad workers effectively requires leadership that understands those challenges, values our experience, and ensures our sector has a meaningful voice within the broader Brotherhood. When Russ Shewchuk first campaigned to become International Vice President four years ago, he committed to strengthening the...

My name is Kevin Gaudaur. I am the Business Manager and Financial Secretary for IBEW Local 1687 – Northeastern Ontario. We represent over 700 electrical workers including electricians, powerline technicians, groundworkers, operators, and network cabling specialists in the construction industry. As we near Convention, I look back at where IBEW First District was five years ago, and it is night and day. This is specifically evident in the progress Russ and his team have made with the Government of...

Running a local up here in the industrial north means you’re always dealing with a tough economic reality. Representing our members at Kap Paper in Kapuskasing hasn’t been easy; most folks know the mill has had to navigate some severe financial headwinds, volatile paper markets, and constant operational pressures just to keep the lights on and protect hundreds of good-paying jobs. When you’re fighting to keep an operation like that viable, you find out fast who rolls up their sleeves to help....

To the Delegates, Officers, and Members of the First District, Since I became Business Manager of Local 1620, our local has had the privilege of working closely with Russ and his team at the First District Office. The support, guidance, and accessibility they have provided have helped strengthen our local union and have given us the confidence to pursue new opportunities that benefit our members. It quickly became clear to us that Russ had a vision for the IBEW in Canada—one built on cooperation,...

Over the years, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to observe Russ Shewchuk’s leadership from my role representing workers at Hudbay Minerals through Local 1405. Operating a federally regulated jobsite means our industry comes with its own unique set of pressures, complex labor dynamics, and high stakes. In that kind of environment, you quickly learn who has the backbone and practical sense to actually deliver for working people, and Russ has consistently proven he is that kind of leader....

To my Brothers and Sisters,  Over the past four years, I have watched Russ Shewchuk grow into the role as our International Vice President. Like any new leader stepping into a significant role, the transition came with challenges. Russ quickly discovered that some of the things he had hoped to immediately accomplish during his campaign were not as straightforward as he had anticipated.  What impressed me was not that everything came easily, but how...

I’ve known Russ Shewchuk for over 15 years. During that time, I’ve seen him serve four terms  as Business Manager of IBEW Local 2085, making him the longest-serving Business Manager in  the Local’s history since its charter in 1960, and now as International Vice President (IVP) of  IBEW Canada. For me, this election comes down to one thing: a proven track record and a  demonstrated ability to deliver results for IBEW members across Canada.  When Russ became Business...

I’ve known Russ Shewchuk for a little over 4 years. Russ was elected as IVP around the same time I was elected Business Manager of 2330. Local 2330 was going through a rough patch at the time. We were under International Trusteeship for almost 3 years at the time I was elected Business Manager. I requested a meeting with IVP Shewchuk so we could discuss a plan to move forward. I asked IVP Shewchuk to put us in a room with IP Kenneth Cooper, which he did. IP Cooper advised us to come up and implement...

I’ve known Russ for over 20 years. I’ve watched him as Organizer and then Business Manager for Local 2085 then as International Vice President of the IBEW. He has made the hard decisions while lending a helping hand whenever the need arose. If you are attending the IBEW International Convention this September in San Diego I urge you to consider voting for Russ Shewchuk. There is no shortage of things that need to be attended to at the IVP level and Russ is up for the job. This is not a popularity...