SANDWICH — When the oldest and the newest members of Aurora’s International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 461 came together to celebrate the local’s 100 years of dedicated service, it was the older members that stole the show.

They made it clear they had seen it all before, whether it was the on-going fight against labor, labor law fights or the fight to find work.

But more importantly, they made it clear how proud they are to pass the baton to the younger union members, who they know are more than willing to grab the reins and run with it.

At the celebration, Bart Curtin Sr. received his IBEW pin for 55 years of service. During his early years, Curtin explained IBEW members performed jobs that no body wanted to do, at a time when no body wanted to do it.

“We worked above ground or below ground — it didn’t matter. And we traveled a lot. That was a downside,” Curtin admitted.

As with any job, the more you work, the more you learn. Curtin wanted to make sure the younger IBEW Local 461 members understood and appreciated where they are in their careers.

“Right now, you’re at the best point in your life, in the best country in the world, at the best time ever. Just imagine what us ‘old guys’ have seen. Now imagine what you’re going to see and what you’re kids are going to see,” he explained.

International Vice President District 6 Lonnie Stephenson remembered working out of Local 461 in the in the 80s. Even though his home local is Local 145 in Rock Island, Stephenson said he’s made close relationships with various Local 461 leaders.
“When you think about 100 years and the challenges your local has faced and overcome, it’s simply amazing. It’s a lot of hard work by your predecessors, that faced a lot of adversity along the way to allow us to be here,” he added.

Current Local 461 Business Manager Joel D. Pyle II followed in his father’s footsteps, joining the union shortly after high school. During his time with Local 461, he’s spent nine years as its vice president and currently two years as Local 461’s business manager.

“When I think about all the brothers and sisters at IBEW that I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the course of my career, and how much I’ve learned from them, I hope I can pass more knowledge on to others,” Pyle said.

Looking to the future, Local 461 members feel optimistic and encouraged. They know they are in for a fight as neighboring state fall to the Right-to-Work laws.

“When you look what’s happening across the country today and the attack on labor — in many ways, we’re re-fighting some of the battles we’ve already had,” Stephenson said.

“We’ve got some real challenges ahead. But I know we’re up for them. We’ve survived before and when we all work together and support one another in the labor movement across the board. We’re all going to be better off and the country’s going to be better off. We all know if it wasn’t for labor, there would not be a middle class in this country,” he emphasized.

Curtin said the 100 year celebration was about the future, not the past

“This celebration is about you — the younger members. You’re the future and the future is with you. You’re the smartest or you wouldn’t be here. The future looks really good,” he said to applause.