Brother Sheridan fresh out of the Navy and after a brief stint at the Steel Mills in Chicago started his career in 1980 at Chicago Central reading meters at $ 6.77 an hour, dodging dog bites and strange interactions on the city bus, yes that was a thing back in the day riding the city bus to the daily Meter Reading routes. From there, Terry went on to the Overhead qualifying as a Journeyman in October of 1985 then Overhead Electrician Special in 1994 and finally Overhead Crewleader in 2014.
Terry was involved in the Union as a Steward and Chief Steward, then Business Representative in 2007 and later promoted to Assistant Business Manager of Local 15 in 2012.
Over the course of his career Terry has furthered his education to better represent the members of the IBEW by attending several courses and classes at the University of Illinois and the National Labor College in Silver Spring Maryland to name a couple. The fields of study were Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), family medical leave act (FMLA), Arbitration training (both preparation and presentation and advanced arbitrations training) as well as contract negotiations and IBEW Business Manager training. “Terry is an invaluable asset to Local 15 and will be sorely missed” says Local 15 President Terry McGoldrick.
Terry had a passion for safety which is unmatched, He challenged the Company and his co-workers to work safely and follow the rules, he truly led by example. This passion wasn’t always met with kindness, nonetheless Terry never wavered and continues to advocate for a safe workplace for all Local 15 Members. That passion never ceased when Terry agreed to take on the role of Business Rep. He was a driving force behind the Safety Rule book re-write and positive changes, namely ridding the ComEd electrical System of the dreaded Pot Head, energized hand operated cable terminations practice, which the company begrudgingly ceased as a practice only after they realized Terry’s persistence for safety wasn’t mere words.
Terry always had a passion for Unionism and labor friendly politics. He was an advocate for working people, not only ComEd/Exelon but working people in general. Terry has walked picket lines, attended Union rallies/conventions and also served on many boards and councils such as the Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL). Terry was heavily involved in the IBEW Illinois State Conference for many years working side by side with then President of Local 15 Dean Apple who chaired the conference. Terry worked tirelessly on grievances and arbitrations and was a major influence on many negotiations such as the wildly popular 2010 Underground Package and the AMI agreement, keeping the vast majority of Smart Meter work in house with Local 15 members; as well as the Distribution Testing, Lead Crew Leader and Construction Worker negotiations. These are just a few of the projects Terry has had major influence on over the years here at Local 15. Terry was the Unity editor and also developed the Local 15 Logo’s that appear on countless items from T-Shirts to bumper stickers.
“The knowledge, experience and work ethic Terry has is second to none and he has been a valuable asset to our Local. Terry has had a profound impact on our Local and we are in a better place due to his hard work over the years”, says Assistant Business manager and Arbitration coordinator Dave Wiggins.
Terry plans on spending time with his wife Kathleen and Children Brook, Liam, Joe, nephew Danny and the newest addition his grand daughter Hazel.
Terry’s last Chicago Unit meeting will be July 14th 5pm at IBEW Local 134 - 2722 S Martin Luther King Dr., Chicago, IL 60616. Stop by and wish him well!
A message from Terry Sheridan
“ I thank all the IBEW members who came before and bargained for the pension and benefits that I intend to enjoy. Thank you to Local 15 staff and Stewards who represent our members everyday in hundreds of ways. Thanks to our members who keep the lights on. Protect what we’ve earned, save some money, vote for labor friendly candidates, and attend your local union meetings.”
THANKS Terry, have a long and healthy retirement!!!!!