‘It’s a brotherhood’ | Central Georgia union gathers for Labor Day celebration
‘It’s a brotherhood’ | Central Georgia union gathers for Labor Day celebration
The International Brother of Electrical Workers has over 820,000 members in total
FLOVILLA, Ga. — A local union took advantage of the good Labor Day weather to thank members for the work they do.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) local chapter 1316 hosted a Labor Day picnic at Indian Springs State Park.
It comes as we’ve seen growth in the labor movement in central Georgia recently with several plants voting to unionize.
Halley Duncan has been an electrical worker for 26 years. He also serves as the president of the local 1316 chapter. He says recognizing the federal holiday also shows support for the work they do.
“The job that I do now is challenging,” Duncan said. “Nothing in the field has ever prepared me for it. That’s because we come from construction.”
Duncan says he started his electrical career with a family friend as a part time worker, though he ended up enjoying the work and made a career out of it.
“My favorite part is it utilizes all my abilities that’s physical and mental capabilities. It’s not just one or the other,” he said. “It uses all of it together and when I’m working, I can zone out, and all the stress melts away. The union is great. It’s a brotherhood.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are around 200,000 labor union members in the Peach State. Edward Webster with the state AFL-CIO says the work it took to get a union at Blue Bird is why the labor movement is valuable.
“You’ve seen down here in Fort Valley, a bunch of workers just got a union and then they just got a contract ratified with 96% of the vote,” Webster said. “Then up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, 73% of workers voted to join UAW there. So there’s been a lot of victories and I think it’s really important and especially today with all those victories.”
Webster says even careers where there aren’t unions are moving to unionize.
“We talked to a couple of hotel workers down in Fort Valley that wanted to form a union. It’s a movement, you can always just support workers by thanking them just acknowledging when you go to work every day,” Webster said.
Duncan says their chapter prides themselves on their work, never cutting corners, and professionally doing the job so they can maintain a high working standard.