The July issue of The Electrical Worker carried a piece about South Bend, Ind., Local 153 member Frank Emery, who received an award for saving the life of a pregnant woman. Our caption incorrectly identified the presenter of the local's award as Mike Compton, the local's business manager. The presenter was Stan Miles, the local's president, left, with Emery and Cindee Goodling.

Toledo, Ohio, Local 245 member Ken Erdmann's award-winning research on retiree social policy was inspired by current events.
"Whatever the government takes away from retirees today may affect all of us tomorrow," said Erdmann, who wrote his National Labor College thesis on inspiring retires to become involved in shaping policies that affect their lives. The paper earned him an award from the Bert and Annabel Seidman Foundation.

For his research, Erdmann met with local chapters of the AARP, the Alliance for Retired Americans and other groups to discuss Medicare, Social Security and pension reform. "All of the groups were very different," said Erdmann, who concluded that retirees want to get involved, but they just don't know how. By forming groups of activists with a common goal, Erdmann discovered what calls them to action. "What makes them become involved is when they know that their peers will stand behind them and work with them."

Erdmann, an assistant business manager at Local 245, graduated in 2009 from the NLC with a Bachelor of Arts in Labor Studies. Erdmann has long been involved in local retiree organizations.

The Bert and Annabel Seidman Award is presented by the Alliance for Retired Americans, which honors the Seidmans and their passion for retirees, workers' rights and social justice.

Des Moines, Iowa, Local 55 counts four generations of the Thompson family among its membership, starting with Leonard Thompson, who died in 1998. Some family members have retired, others are still active and a few have moved on to other locals. Along with the Thompsons pictured in this 2007 picture, still more of the family have been members, including Emma Jean Thompson, Mary Lou O'Dea and Donna Petterson. One member of the fourth generation, Clay O'Dea, is also not pictured. Pictured from left are Local 55 members Sloan Thompson, Terry Thompson, Clint O'Dea, Maynard Garman, Rio Thompson, Ross Thompson, Dan Persons, Tom Thompson and Martin Thompson