CSAEW: End of Summer Electrical Roundup
Welcome to the State Electrical Association’s 2025 end-of-summer newsletter. I’m excited to be stepping in as the new President of the State Association following the well-deserved retirement of Tom Hansen, our previous president who served for six years as our steadfast leader. He led us through many successful battles that benefited our 83,000 electrical members around the state.
It’s a daunting task stepping into Tom’s shoes, but I’m up for the challenge.
I also wanted to welcome to our ranks our Association’s new Vice President, Brian Holt from IBEW 428 in Bakersfield. Congratulations to all the officers.
I’ve recently returned from the National Training Institute’s 34th annual training conference in Michigan where over 2,000 electricians, contractors, trustees, ETI instructors, and IBEW leaders come together to network, learn about the latest technology, and take classes in everything from lesson planning, to our fiduciary responsibilities as part of the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC).
It’s an impressive group of union leaders and contractors who come together to provide structure and guidance for our impressive apprentice training program.
Attending events like this always remind me of the endless opportunities that both IBEW & NECA provide – whether you’re an apprentice, a consultant, trustee, or leader in the industry. There’s a place for you, and there’s always more to learn.
At the State Association, we have very ambitious goals this year. The future is bright for electricians and electrification. We represent the future. It’s exciting to be part of a state that is leading the charge in renewable technologies.
Of course, we still need our traditional energy sources – nuclear, gas and oil – and we continue to train our workforce to do those jobs as well. Renewable energy sources will likely need a 10–20-year transition period to come online in a responsible way.
The grid’s simply not ready yet.
We’re proud of our recent win against a brazen assault on prevailing wages – Assembly Bill 130 that threatened to slash our members’ wages to below the minimum wage. By standing together we were able to ensure that construction would be done safely and by skilled and trained members. We believe it is a win-win for everyone.
We are living in a changing world with many challenges and constant fights. The attacks are coming not only from our traditional opponents, but now from a Washington, DC administration that wants to crush labor. Gone are the days when we would fight over an issue, then move on. Now, the battles are constant. Whether it’s over prevailing wages, affordable electricity, the state’s wildfire fund, Net Energy Metering (NEM) or degrading our safety programs, we are on alert, poised for battle to protect our members and the American dream.
In Solidarity,
Neal Lauzon
President CSAEW
