Increasing Market Share was and will continue to be a priority for Local 716. By bringing additional Signatory Contractors into the fold, we are ensuring that more of our membership is continuously employed here at home. 

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After reviewing the finances, it was determined that some changes needed to be made to the Houston Plan. By removing it from the By-Laws, we were able to give the membership full authority over these funds by allocating them to the General Fund. ​​

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As a Trustee, one of my goals is to always find ways to increase benefits while still keeping the fund solvent. After careful review, the Committee and I determined that we could increase the Per-Year of Service amount to $75, the highest it has ever been in the history of our local union. This not only benefits our retirees, but it also helps organize new members.

When taking office, one of my main objectives was to bring Dental and Vision Insurance back into our Medical Coverage Benefits. Through our membership's hard work and determination, we were able to fully fund the Medical Trust Accounts needed to negotiate these benefits back into our Benefits Package. 

Like many other local unions, we elected to pursue a 4-year program for our Apprentices. As a result of our proven commitment to the industry, we were able to negotiate a shorter program with the hope to produce quality electricians, organize more members and increase our market share in the workforce. 

Despite being told by numerous people that this could not be done, we met all the requirements to put this to the floor, and the membership successfully voted to reduce the Working Assessments and put more money on their checks.

We started this program with the goal to get more apprentices involved, and it has surpassed all expectations. Not only do Apprentices consistently outnumber any other classification at our General Monthly Meetings and volunteer projects, but they are forming the foundation to become our future leaders.

Since taking office, we have heavily focused on organizing new members. With the influx of additional Signatory Contractors and extra job calls, it was imperative that we increase our numbers in order to fulfill our obligation to man the work. 

To date, we have doubled the number of Paid Holidays in the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Local 716. Through hard work and careful negotiations, we secured an additional (3) three days of Holiday Pay over the next (3) years, bringing the total amount of Paid Holidays to (6) six days.