About the Business Manager

---

Greetings Brothers and Sisters. My name is Justin Roberson and I have been voted in to replace David Clay as the IBEW Local 2295 Business Manager in December 2024. I have been an electrician with Anheuser-Busch for 10 years and the Shop Steward for the last 4. During my time as Steward I have saved jobs, upheld safety standards, improved training, and above all I upheld the contract.

Like many of you at age 18, I found myself at the end of my parents legal obligations to financially support me and in need of a job. Costco Wholesale hired me to push carts back in 1998. My strong work ethic was recognized and in a few short years I found myself in a management position. The gauntlet of training involve included contract negotiation as well as being an effective manager in a union shop. I was thriving in a role that was founded on respecting the workforce, positive motivation, and rewarding milestones. I didn't see much of a use for the union because the culture that Costco championed truly made us feel like family.  Then things began to change...

Costco was not alone in the aggressive shift towards maximizing production. I had a lot of people in different industries noticing a shift from "employees are are biggest assets" towards "everyone need to do more with less". I was no longer being rewarded for being a leader and a motivator. Instead my normally shining performance reviews, I was criticized for being too soft, not writing up enough people, not cracking the whip. I tried to conform, but resigned after a few years. While I did not like what they wanted me to become, I understood that the labor force indeed needed a union to push back in what was changing into a toxic workplace. 

My father comes from a long line of skilled tradesmen and was always in my ear about learning a skill that could give me an edge in the job market. After leaving Costco, I attended Los Angeles Trade Technical Collage and got my A.A. in Electrical Construction and Maintenance. In 2015 I was offered a job at the Budweiser brewery in Van Nuys. The intention was to work my shift, earn a decent wage, and keep my head down. Unfortunately, I'm not wired that way.

5 years into my electrical career, our long -time Shop Steward at Budweiser retired. Within 2 years we had 2 Stewards step up only to find greener pastures with other companies. With what felt like a declining management culture, nobody wanted to take the reigns, myself included. Reluctantly, I stepped up at the last minute to take the position. I felt that without a proper Steward, the union would truly become useless.

I was not prepared for the fulfillment being a Shop Steward would bring me. Perhaps it was a way for me to stand up against the same type of managers I refused to become. Maybe my father, a former Steward himself, indoctrinated me with a lifetime of lectures of unions and a strong middle class. Whatever it was, I was proud to be a voice for my brothers. Covid-19 hit and a lot of electrical jobs flooded the market once companies were able to resume business. We lost a lot of brothers to better wages over that year and even the most loyal were beginning to worry about being the last ones there. I worked a deal, mid-contract to get everyone with a two years an 11% raise to retain some talent, and it worked. 

While the former Business Manager was grooming me to assume this role, I made it clear that I would not leave Anheuser-Busch until we were done with negotiations. It took 6 long months, but I felt proud to leave my brewing brothers with a 12% wage increase while solidifying a lot of quality of life improvements to the contract. On December 4th, I was sworn in as the new Business Manager.

I have an ambitious vision for what I want the Local 2295 to become. I am adamant about unifying our members to see each others as more than just co-workers. I want everyone with card to once again be proud to be in our Local. I need to be held to the highest of standards by surrounding myself with Officers and Executive Board members who will do just that. I can honestly say that I hear all of you, loud and clear, with the issues our Local has had recently. I share your frustrations and disappointment with the value our Union failed to provide. Stand with me brothers and sisters and I will show you not only what the IBEW can be, but that the evolution of the Local 2295 will become the new standard for what all unions should be.