Mike Mueller: Recharging Labor Unions in Southeastern Wisconsin
Mike Mueller is the first person to admit he's been around for a while.
Ever since he started in the trade as an apprentice in 1966 (“Around the time electricity was invented,” he jokes), Mueller has seen substantial changes in the way union labor has grown and worked to respond to changing times and differing expectations.
There have been plenty of adventures along the way before he left the field for the union office in 1994. For example, Mueller is glad he took the opportunity to travel with his family while doing his job – even avoiding a Wisconsin winter in 1980-81 to work on Disney World's Epcot Center, which was then under construction.
Mueller also worked on such significant local projects as the Milwaukee Center downtown in 1984, the Super Steel factory on North Avenue in 1988, and the Strong Funds office building in Menomonee Falls, also in 1988.
One thing he marvels at is the tools now available to electricians, which have speeded up the work process and cut back on the number of man-hours needed to complete a job.
In fact, Mueller says if there is one disappointment in his current role as Business Manager of Local 494, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) it is that he spends too much time in the office.
“I want to go out and play with the new toys,” he laments.
With those new toys come new responsibilities. Mueller points in particular to the efforts to promote training and continuing education programs. Since beginning to stress the notion of additional training about six years ago, Mueller notes seminars are going four days a week and are “very well-attended.” The continuing education covers everything from PC programming, to OSHA safety training, to educating workers on wind and solar technology.
This aggressive pursuit of broadening educational opportunities, and preparing for changes in the industry, are all paying off. For example, electrical workers will be required to hold a state journeyman license by the year 2013, when the law will go into effect. Mueller says the IBEW Local 494 agreement ensures workers will be holding licenses by June 1, 2010.
In tandem with educational efforts, IBEW Local 494 is stressing safety on the job to a greater degree than ever before.
“Employers are being watched by insurance companies, so the pressure is unprecedented,” Mueller notes. “Safety is paramount, and we have to change that perception over time with workers.”
Mueller is also heavily involved in marketing the labor union label to prospective customers throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. In conjunction with the BIG STEP, Mueller was involved in creating an unindentured worker program that allows underrepresented individuals to have the chance to experience electrical work first-hand by being employed on job sites while waiting for apprenticeship opportunities to open up.
Marketing the unions presents its own challenges. Mueller says at times, it feels as if things are not moving fast enough – noting the challenge is to change internal and external perceptions of unions that have built up over the decades.
“There are still those who think unions are the worst thing ever,” Mueller acknowledges. “But our workforce is skilled, we stay on-time and on-budget. We are working to change the bad, old perceptions.”
That includes ensuring workers understand the impact their on-the-job conduct has on perceptions.
“When you go out on a job, you reflect on that company,” Mueller says. “We represent quality, we can do a better job and if we want to be the source for [the customer's] needs, our attitude has to focus on how we can serve the customer.”
That realization extends to the efforts to get different unions to work together. In a business world where extraordinarily specialized tradesmen are in higher demand than ever before, IBEW has partnered with the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry (UA). This joint agreement addresses a manpower shortage while fostering positive relationships between unions – setting a new course for unions, which have a long history of failing to work well together. The program addresses a severe shortage of qualified technicians in the field of instrumentation and control systems.
Although Instrumentation Technicians are in great demand internationally, the members currently training intend to stay as close to home as possible, playing a crucial role in maintaining the operation of the Oak Creek and Port Washington power houses, as well as working at ethanol plants at a time when the ethanol industry is experiencing unprecedented growth in Wisconsin. Additional demand for these skill sets will also come from other industrial facilities such as hospitals, manufacturing plants and any site requiring installation, calibration and maintenance of controls and instrumentation for use in operation of equipment.
Mueller says such partnerships grew out of a lot of soul searching.
“We realized we can fight over whose job it is, or get together and do it together,” Mueller notes. “It reflects badly on all of us if we get into these jurisdictional disputes. Progress is being made in this regard.”
Part of the challenge in selling prospective customers on union labor can be costs. Mueller points out the case is easier to make when considering the overall long-term value of using highly skilled union labor, rather than enjoying short-term savings that skimp on quality.
“When it comes to plumbing, electrical, and other work, it can be hard to tell what is a good or a bad
job,” Mueller says.
In his view, quality electrical work becomes apparent over time, and saves clients money and headaches over the long haul.
After all, Mueller says, customers should expect that “when they plug in an extra coffee pot, it's not gonna trip circuit breakers.”
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