Our Shared History

Ivan De Herrera, Jr.
Asst. Business Manager/Director of Safety
IBEW Local 11

I pray you and yours are healthy and doing well. Member stories are our history and lead to traditions. Every IBEW member knows a good story. Every member knows a bad one as well. These stories we know… we need to share. It could have been in the past or happened yesterday. During this pandemic, our lives changed. I am sure the terrible things we are going through during this historic time there will be good stories in the future because of the type of good brothers and sisters you are. Always look for the good. Go out of your way to take care of each other always and make sure all around you are working safely. Every day is a day to make a good memory. Let all the stories we tell in the future be good ones. Here is a story told to me that I am sharing with you.

This story was told to me by great Local 11 brother, Brother William “Wild Bill” Bickar, Jr. #D286590. He says…

”I have a couple of good friends from Akron, Ohio #306, they found this picture in their archives and turned it on to me. “They” now say we are local Brothers because they had the local 11 charter first. The story they tell goes like this. Sometime after this photo was taken a local hand (#11 Akron) was involved in a high voltage accident. The wife of the member sued the local for negligence. I don’t know if she won but the local went bankrupt or just closed the doors to escape the lawsuit.”

Bro. Bill continues… “Then much later (1940) as we know from our history, L.A. County merged all the small city locals into one. I think there was 7. Then the number 11 was re-issued. When I was a kid, my dad and his working buddies called it “7-11.”Bill says, “somewhere hidden in the piles of papers, I have a travel letter for my dad stating he was initiated into either Pasadena or Burbank in 1938.””I guess that makes him a “Charter” member of local 11. I have no idea how accurate this story is, but I always thought it was a good story.”

We are our Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper. Here is to the future but let us not forget the past sisters and brothers who got us here today. Your “yellow ticket” make you a member, your actions make you a Brother or Sister.

Love one another. Lift one another. Look out for one another. WE are IBEW members and that is just what we do. Call me if you need anything.

May God bless, protect, and watch over you, yours and our IBEW family.