During the General Membership meeting held on July 10th in the Auditorium of the Electric Industry Center, Electrical Workers Without Borders North America (EWWBNA) and their partners at the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA) delivered a special presentation about their ongoing efforts to electrify thousands of households in the Navajo Nation. Over 20 members of Local 3 have volunteered two to three weeks at a time in the fall and spring to install meter loops and home wiring as part of the “Light Up Navajo” program.
According to NTUA General Manager Walter Haase, there are over 10,000 Navajo households currently living without electricity in a service area that is larger than the state of West Virginia and overlaps the four corners of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Don Siegel, retired International Vice President of IBEW’s 3rd District and EWWBNA board member, also addressed the membership. Haase and Siegel were joined on stage by the volunteers, elected officers of Local 3, including Business Manager Christopher Erikson who currently serves as President of EWWBNA, retired NYECA Executive Secretary and EWWBNA fundraising chair Edwin Lopez, EWWBNA Executive Director Jim O’Leary, and Tom Collins on behalf of Thorogood, a manufacturer of American and union-made work boots.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to further EWWBNA’s mission of bringing electricity to those less fortunate. If you are interested in volunteering with EWWBNA, sign up by calling Organizer Archie Alcantara at (718) 591-4000 ext. 438.
