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 a plan that would show that local 2330 could move forward on its
own.
At the time Local 2330 owed millions of dollars to creditors. Russ worked out a deal to get most of this money dropped. There was a huge push on organizing at the time and Local 2330 did not have the funds available to hire an organizer. Russ reached out to Washington on our behalf and was successful in getting two years’ worth of funding approved so our local could hire an organizer.
The International was concerned about policies and processes being followed, Russ arranged to have weeks of training scheduled for our Executive Board. He assigned International Reps Paul Dolsen and Cordell Cole to oversee our local.
Under Trusteeship all meetings of the Local Union are canceled, and it was hard to get or pass along information to our Executive Board and Membership. Russ arranged to have monthly Executive Board meetings with the International and our Executive Board.
Working closely with IVP Shewchuk and International Rep Cordell Cole we came up with a plan to make sure LU 2330 could sustain itself. The Plan included a steep dues increase and allocating funds from our collective agreement increase to be transferred into our building account.
We knew this would be a hard sell to our membership. We needed to increase dues from 2.75% to 3.75%. Local 2330 lost the first attempt to get this dues increase passed by the membership. Local 2330 went back to the International to come up with a new plan. Washington insisted that the only way LU 2330 comes out of trusteeship is if it had the financial means to do so. IVP Shewchuk told us we had to try again. This time he sent International Reps along with Shaina from the media department to do assist with a social media campaign along with producing videos that could be shared with our membership to show the importance of this dues increase. Local 2330 was successful in this attempt and our dues increase passed.
Russ has stepped up on other occasions to assist LU 2330. Several years ago, we were attempting to organize DF Barnes, a large multi discipline contractor specializing in Maintenance work. They had dozens of electricians hired completing a commissioning job at the VALE Nichol Mine in Labrador.
These electricians were working under a carpenter’s maintenance agreement. It turned out some of these electricians in senior roles were 2330 members. Russ immediately turned this job into a hot job. He wrote and sent a letter to these electricians informing them to resign their positions or be removed from the IBEW. Several key employees put in notices to quit their jobs and DF Barnes reached out to LU 2330 to discuss signing on with the Local. Russ took the lead on these negotiations and was successful in Signing DF Barnes on to our collective agreement. He was also successful in getting DF Barnes to pay working dues to our local for all electricians working on that site under the Carpenters agreement until that agreement expired.
IVP Shewchuk made a commitment to LU 2330 that they would assist us in getting back on our feet and get us out of trusteeship. We may have gotten extra attention from the International because of our situation, but Russ Shewchuk did honor the commitments he made to us.
Local 2330 held great resentment towards the 1st District and the International in Washington because of what happened in Newfoundland. Our members still have issues trusting the International, but this has shifted over the last couple of years. Russ made commitments to Local 2330 and he kept his word and did everything he could to help us get us where we are. Local 2330 still has some long-standing issues to resolve, we still have ongoing lawsuits to deal with, we still have financial issues caused by poor mismanagement of funds and we are still under the watchful eyes of IVP Shewchuk and his first district staff. The man kept his word to Local 2330.
Russ and his team will support locals when needed. The help is there and Russ will always take my call, respond to my emails and provide me with direction and advice when needed. The last four years have been much smoother then the four years before that. We may not always see things in the same light at times, but we always find a way to work our problems out.
If any other local needs assistance from the 1st District, from my experience, I can ensure you it will be there. All you have to do is ask.
Russ Shewchuk kept his words and commitments he made to me and the membership of Local 2330.
I will endorse Russ Shewchuk for IVP.
JAMES MARTIN
Business Manager
IBEW Local 2330