Brothers and Sisters,

We have some upcoming events that I wanted to get on your calendar as they do all require an RSVP. 

First, we have our awards banquet coming up at the Blue Chip Casino.  This will be August 16th.  Doors open at 5 pm, cocktail hour begins at 5:30 and dinner will be promptly at 7 pm.  If you have not already, please RSVP that you will be coming.  www.ibewlocal531.org/banquet2025

Next, our annual Golf Outing will be held on Saturday, September 27th at Chesapeake Run Golf Course in North Judson.  Registration will begin at 7 am and shotgun start at 8 am CST.  Please sign up so we have an accurate head count.  If you do not have 4 golfers, that's ok, sign up anyway and we can move people around that morning.  www.ibewlocal531.org/golfouting

Next, we will be hosting a Bio-Metric screening on Saturday, October 11th.  This is in partnership with Telligen, our Wellness Program provider.  By doing this, you will earn $100 in your HRA.  If your spouse does it as well, you will also earn another $100 into your HRA.  For our members, if you participate in this, we will also give you a $100 voucher from our incentive program.  This will be at the hall from 9 am to noon.  You MUST pre-register.  We need to have at least 30 participants or they will not have the event.  This is a great way to earn money in your HRA, while also doing an important screening that could potentially catch any issues before they become a real "issue".  See attached for full details on this event and for info needed to register.  

I am also looking at hosting a FAQ workshop on Workmans Comp.  I do not have a date set for sure yet, but I'm trying to line it up for 5 pm on November 7th.  This is the same night as our November Union Meeting.  It should only take an hour or so which will give us time to break down the room and set up for our Union Meeting at 7 pm.  So if you have time, come out early and listen in and/or ask questions. Once I have this locked in for sure, I will let you know. 

I am also planning on hosting another Retirement workshop sometime this late fall/early winter.  Once I have the details, I will let you know.  I highly recommend participation in this workshop.  Even if your young and not thinking about retirement.  It is important that our members understand how our retirements work in order to make appropriate financial planning.  

We are also looking at doing some other training now that the hall remodel is done.  I know everyone is busy, and it's hard to get to the hall, but we do feel it's very important to educate our members on different topics.  When we have more info on some of these other events, we will get the info to the members.  

In Solidarity,

Jim Clarida, Business Manager 531

2025 NECA Biometric Screening_531_Oct 11.pdf

As many of you know, there is alot of pushback on many of our renewable projects. We're even seeing Data Centers getting scrubbed due to various factors. While I agree that these projects need to get built in the appropriate locations, the narrative has shifted where the court of public opinion is not wanting them regardless of location. When it comes to Data Centers, where we're going to get the power is often a hot topic. While this is a great question, we actually have the answers. I recently had this Op-Ed published in the LaPorte Herald Argus to help shape the public narrative and where I address some of these questions. We need these projects, not just for the jobs, but the tax revenue that comes with them. If we don't build them here, they will get built somewhere, so let's shape the conversation for NWI and bring these jobs here! Below is the link to the Op-Ed that was just published or you can download the PDF.  https://www.lpheralddispatch.com/

Jim Clarida_OpEd (002).pdf