Phone: 2622522552
LOCAL 2150
Second Forrest Ceel Winner!
Posted On: Nov 19, 2019

Congratulations to Evan Brehmer, our second Forrest Ceel Scholership winner! I have attached his essay that won the contest for him. 

Evan Brehmer – Forrest Ceel Essay My name is Evan Brehmer and I will be attending UW Whitewater in fall for my bachelors degree in business. I am pursuing my education in business so I am able to be a productive and a proud citizen of Denmark, WI. I am a person that likes to give 100% everyday towards my academics as well as my personal achievements. My teachers say that I display a sense of leadership and that I am levelheaded and people are drawn to me. Mr. Fitzpatrick says that he is impressed with me for m work ethic, passion, and creativity and gives me the highest recommendation as a student leader. Debunking the myths of labor unions is necessary for both union and non-union workers as well as for all generations. It is important to understand that labor unions have many benefits to all workers regardless if they are in a union or not. Some people believe that unions force workers to go on strike. In fact, workers in unions have the right to vote whether or not to strike. Ninety-nine percent of contracts are settled without a strike. (luoe.org) It is a myth that unions just want workers’ dues. In fact, money that workers pay in dues goes directly back to the organization. Unions are not for-profit organizations. The improvements workers gain in salary, health benefits and equal treatment in their union are far better than the deduction of dues from their paycheck. Wisconsin is a “right-to-work” state which bars mandatory union membership and prohibits non-members to pay dues. With that being said, most employees elect to pay the union dues because they understand the benefits that unions bring to the table. Another myth is that needs to be debunked is the myth that we do not need unions. This is definitely not a fair statement. Unions protect workers from unreasonable firings based on a “just cause” provision that is negotiated in their collective-bargaining agreement. Without unions, many workers would be vulnerable to low paying jobs, long hour workdays, less vacation days and unsafe working conditions that could affect their health. (beaconbroadside.com) Unions also provide structure to promote employees and make fair decisions and keep an even playing field and reduce favoritism within the workplace. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $1051 in 2018, while those who were not union members had median weekly earnings of $860. The final myth that I would like to address is the myth about unions are only for the “working class” works only. Despite the old school belief that only “blue-collar” workers like auto workers or steel workers could join a union is false. Labor unions also include new industries and white-collar workers such as doctors, student athletes, hospitality workers and service occupations. The white-collar workers in unions have been steadily growing for over 100 years. My dad is a proud member of Local Union 2150 and he is employed as a Mechanic/Electrician at Nextera Energy. He has been a union member for 30 years. He believes that being in a union improves our family’s quality of life. He has had the same lunch box since he started working and his lunch box has 2 stickers on it. One sticker says, “Proud to be Union” and the other sticker says, “I paid my union dues.”


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Contact Info
IBEW Local 2150
N56W13777 Silver Spring Dr.
Menomonee Falls, WI 53051
  2622522552

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