My name is an anonymous Change.org user, and I am one of the many members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) who are currently without health insurance. This situation arose because Lineco, our insurance provider, has been disregarding our hours worked. This lack of consideration not only affects me but also impacts my family and numerous other families who are part of the IBEW.

Our union was established to protect workers' rights and ensure fair treatment for all members. However, this current issue with Lineco undermines these principles by leaving us without essential health coverage.

According to a study by the American Journal of Public Health, approximately 45,000 deaths annually in the United States are linked to lack of health insurance. Without proper coverage from Lineco, we run the risk of becoming part of this grim statistic.

We call on Lineco to uphold their responsibility towards IBEW members by rolling over our insurance based on hours worked. It's time they recognize that their actions have real-life consequences for hardworking individuals and their families.

Please sign this petition urging Lineco to rectify this situation immediately – no worker should be left without vital health coverage due to administrative oversights or negligence.

For those that do not know. Line workers are the workers who maintain power lines and rush to the public's aide during national disasters when any issues cause the power to go down. We risk our lives to get it back up. 

In order for members to receive health insurance they must work 125 hours in a month to be eligible. When we work those hours, part of our benefit package is for the contractor we are working for to send roughly $7/hr to Lineco on our behalf to secure health insurance. We work for that $7/hr that sent.

If we do not get 125 hours, that money is still sent and we are DENIED coverage. If we gain 125 hours in a month, coverage starts and any overage hours is banked to use when you do not meet the 125 hours. However if you do not have enough hours to start it back up, and only say get 40 hours one month, 80 hours the next month, 110 the next month, and never achieve the 125 hours, they never give you insurance but still take the $7/hr. This is theft. Those hours are lost forever and the funds end up elsewhere.

These hours should be rolled over since YOU ARE PAYING FOR IT until you have the required 125 hours combined to start coverage.

We are short on work and a lot of us are only working when storms hit. Tons of lay offs all over the country (infrastructure bill????). The hours we receive on storm are the only hours we are getting. If we have 400 hours we are still not getting insurance and they are still taking the money. 

Where is this money going? I worked for it. Is it in a slush fund? Is it paying bad negotiated rates with insurance company? Doesn't matter. That is OUR money, WE worked for it. 

The board of trustees for Lineco who make the decisions are IBEW business managers and generally people that work in the union halls. Are they benefiting from the money stolen from us? I believe we should find out. 

Please sign this petition to let Lineco and the Board of Trustees know we WANT OUR MONEY AND HOURS TO GO TO OUR INSURANCE.