FAILED DRUG TEST RESCUED HIS LIVELIHOOD

At first, Michael Wilvorn was mad, plain mad, that he'd have to submit to a
drug test.

Why should he? He showed up for work every day and worked hard. What good
would it do for his own union to test him? Wasn't his off-hours behavior
his right?

His opinion didn't matter. As one of 2,000 union electricians in San Diego
County, he was faced with a mandatory drug test administered by IBEW Local
569 and the National Electrical Contractors Association, or lose his $24 an
hourob.

He flunked the test. His homemade masking agent failed him.

"I was angry for weeks," says Wilvorn, who had smoked marijuana regularly
for years to wind down at the end of the day. "I went into rehab, but I was
still angry. I didn't want to give up pot."

Wilvorn spent nine weeks in rehab, eventually convincing himself that his
life on and off the job was better without drugs. By successfully
completing the rehab program, he rescued his job.

"I didn't realize how pot was affecting me," says Wilvorn, who was one of
the first to fail the drug testing that began in January 1998. "I fought
giving it up, but now I'm glad I did."

It was necessary

Alan Shur, business manager for Local 569, realized from the outset that a
mandatory drug-testing program would be controversial.

"We knew that a lot of guys wouldn't like it, but we still thought it was
worth doing," he says. "This is a pretty dangerous business and we wanted
them to know how important safety was. We spent a lot of time educating
them on why it was necessary."

Since the program started, about 40 journeymen electricians and interns
have tested positive for drugs and have gone into rehab to save their jobs,
Shur says.

"There have been a few others who chose to lose their jobs rather than go
to rehab," he says. "They've moved on."

Wilvorn says it took him some time to realize that he might not always have
acted safely on the job because of his drug use. He didn't use drugs on the
job, but he admits there were times he didn't think clearly because of the
marijuana.

"This is a dangerous job," he says. "We've got to trust each other. We
handle 150 times as much voltage as it takes to die. Safety is very
important."

He's even gotten in some heated discussions with co-workers, going nose to
nose over the issue. "That's not a conversation you can afford to lose," he
says.

Something to share

Wilvorn says he has something to share with other members of the
electricians union who might test positive for drug use during a
pre-employment, annual or random test.

"I've been there," he says. "I know what they are going through. I have
made myself available as an unofficial counselor for people who fail the
test. I can relate to them because I've been through this."

IBEW and NECA dared to initiate a drug-testing program realizing that it
would be a challenge and that it might cost some people their jobs. IBEW's
Shur says the union has no regrets about the program and says it has helped
more than Wilvorn.

Wilvorn says he behaves much more responsibly since the union forced him to
give up drugs.

"It was never a choice I wanted," he says. "I quit smoking pot a couple
weeks before the test and figured I'd pass. I was angry when I had to quit,
but now I'm glad I did. My family life is much better now, and my family's
proud of me again."

Out of respect for the union, Wilvorn has taken on a three-year duty as
treasurer of Local 569.

"It's my way of thanking them for saving my life," he says.

Michael Kinsman writes about workplace and career issues. His e-mail
address is michael.kinsman@uniontrib.com