Local 40’s James Minasian always seems in constant motion, so when the moment hit that stopped him in his tracks, he wasn’t quite sure how to respond. That moment came when Local 40 Business Manager Stephan Davis called to tell Manasian, a fourth-year apprentice and Local 40’s Reach out and Engage Next-gen Electrical Workers (RENEW) committee…
Like many of his fellow IBEW Local 40 Brothers and Sisters, Executive Board member Josh Geller’s union journey began with an application and an aspiration. “I was going through a career transition, and I wasn’t really even sure what the IBEW was,” Geller said. “Once I learned what the union was about and the kinds…
Local 40 member Dwayne Cook joined the redevelopment of the Warner Ranch property in Burbank in May of 2024 and, by September, he was operating as the worksite’s shop steward. “You’re eyes and ears and a voice to a certain extent for the hall and the guys,” said Cook. “When someone’s frustrated about a circumstance…
Q: Can you start by telling us about your background and history with the union? A: I’m a second-generation IBEW member. My father, Lane R. Stewart, was also a member and he’s retired now. He worked his whole career at what was once MGM, now Sony Studios. Growing up, my exposure was all about union…
Phillip Otto has been an IBEW Local 40 member for just over three years. He became an electrician and joined Local 40 to better provide for his wife and three daughters. Otto recently completed a job as a foreman for Morrow-Meadows on the new Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Hollywood. He took some time…
Every weekday IBEW 40 Journeyman Electrician Edgar Figueroa drives more than 260 miles to work as a wireman, shop steward and mentor. The commute, which can creep close to three hours on the way home, doesn’t faze him. It would take a lot more to deter Figueroa from a mission that has defined his union…
Larry McCall is not just a senior member of IBEW Local 40’s unit of audio mixers at Universal studios. He is the senior member, with 27 years on the job. A full-time employee, McCall is at the top of the roster and is also one of four stewards for the union, which is under the same contract…
Erica Christensen has been a member of IBEW 40 for the past 19 years, yet she’s not an electrician. It’s funny, she noted, that while she’s in an electrical union she’s “not even allowed to turn on the lights.” That’s because she’s a Stage Manager at Universal Studio Hollywood’s theme park. Instead of actually working with…