• Posted: February 11, 2019
• Apprenticeship Program, better careers, Lily Wu

For IBEW Local 134 third-year apprentice, Lily Wu, getting the call was surreal.

“I was kind of shocked,” said Wu. “I said ‘what is this all about?’”

Just days ahead of President Donald Trump’s 2019 State of the Union address in Washington, D.C., Wu received a call from Gene Kent at the IBEW/NECA Technical Institute letting her know she was invited by Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth to be her guest of honor at the address.

“It was really cool because I’m not very political, but I was trying to get myself up to date on politics and current events before I left,” Wu said. “Just like her I am a first-generation immigrant from immigrant parents. We are both minorities trying to make a living here in America and living the American dream.”

Wu’s trip was short in time, but long on memories. She flew from O’Hare to Baltimore and took the train down and spent the better part of two days with Sen. Duckworth traversing the Capitol’s underground tunnels, sharing stories, and getting to know each other.

“I am proud to bring Lily to the State of the Union to remind my colleagues about the critical need to invest in our communities, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and support apprenticeship programs that give workers the skills they need to succeed in high-demand industries across our country,” Duckworth announced. “In the face of the president’s attacks on immigrants, I also believe it is important to send a message about the valuable contributions immigrant families make to our country.”

IBEW Local 134 Business Manager, Don Finn, who honored Wu during February’s union meeting, said Wu is a perfect example of the type of workers Local 134 looks for.

“For Sen. Duckworth to call us directly and ask for someone out of our apprenticeship program speaks leaps and bounds to where we were, but also where we are now,” Finn said. “Lily was such a phenomenal pick. Not just as an apprentice, but as a person. She’s intelligent and hardworking and that’s what we look for.”

Wu said she’ll never forget her time in D.C. with Sen. Duckworth, noting it was a little different than her last trip to the nation’s capital in eighth grade. What’s also changed since Wu’s last trip to D.C. is just how far organized labor has come in the city of Chicago.

“We are a union of inclusiveness, not exclusiveness and back in the day I think that’s what people thought organized labor was,” Finn said. “We’re changing and I’m very proud of that. It’s a big, big deal and I couldn’t think of a better candidate to send then Lily.