IBEW Local 124 received a special visit from a union member from the land down under in November of 2024: Matt Everding. Everding, a delegate for the Electrical Trades Union, (ETU) married a woman from Overland Park, KS who now lives in Australia with him. He visited Local 124 while in the country for a wedding.
Local 124 received Matt with open arms and sent him back to Australia with stickers, now adorning the hard hats of his union brothers and sisters. The ETU is home to more than 60,000 electricians, apprentices and electrical workers around Australia. Queensland is the third most-populous state in Australia, with a population just a smidge smaller than Missouri’s at about 5,640,900 people.
From Business Manager Bo Moreno: “Last November, Matt Everding a delegate for the Electrical Trades Union Queensland & Northern Territory branch (ETU QLD & NT) in Australia stopped by and visiting the hall at IBEW LU 124 here in Kansas City, MO. Matt is currently working on the Cross River Rail project in Brisbane, Queensland. This is the largest infrastructure project ever undertaken in the state of Queensland. CRR is a new 10.2km (6.3mi) rail link and will be Brisbane’s first underground rail line consisting of four new underground stations, 5.7km (3.7mi) of twin tunnels and upgrades to a number of existing above ground stations. Brother Matt was optimistic when speaking about it, saying “It has been a challenging project, but I and the ETU will always stand up for the members of our great union in the fight for safety, wages and conditions.” It was a pleasure to have him come visit us and is welcome in LU 124 anytime.”
Aussie sparkies are now wearing stickers from Local 124 on their hardhats.
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
