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Illinois Local Hits Homer with Little League Scoreboard

When it comes to attitudes about unions and our members, Americans often summon the negative images spread by our adversaries, rather than considering the contributions of union members who could be their neighbors like the firefighters, police personnel or nurses. Or electricians.

Jon Gardner Retires as Seventh District Vice President; Steven Speer Appointed

Seventh District International Vice President Jon Gardner will retire from office on June 1.

Alberta Oil Sands Workers Vote IBEW

For the IBEW's Darrell Taylor, organizing water treatment workers at the Alberta oil sands has been a lot like the tricky process of extracting raw fuel from the soil - slow and steady, but promising in the end.

Research Encourages Young Worker Movement

Effectively bridging the different perspectives and experiences of three and, sometimes, four generations in the same workplaces can be a daunting challenge for seasoned leaders and emerging activists alike.

IBEW Veteran Joins First Lady for Jobs Initiative Announcement

Eric Varela’s story is all too common. After serving as a combat infantryman in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division, Varela returned to California in 2008 to record high unemployment.

Returning High School Graduate Brings Back Solar Power and Sunshine

When Dave Royle was a student at central New Jersey’s Woodbridge (N.J.) High School in the late-1980s, he was well known for his smile.

Paycheck Deception Legislation Advances in Mo. State House

Missouri’s House Workforce Development and Workplace Safety Committee approved “paycheck protection” legislation on April 10. The bill would weaken public-sector unions by prohibiting members from having dues earmarked for political action from being automatically deducted from their paychecks.

Fundraising Effort Supports Pa. Campaign for ‘Right-to-Work’

When Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, joined with his Democratic colleague W. Va. Sen. Joe Manchin, to propose a bill on background check for gun owners, he was hailed as a “voice of reasonable compromise.” Not so fast.

On Workers Memorial Day, Activists Remember Victims, Step Up Fight for Living

To honor those who have lost their lives as a result of job-related illness or injury, dozens of countries around world have designated April 28 as Workers Memorial Day.

Edison Electric Institute, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Honor National Lineworkers

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) today salute the nation’s men and women who risk their lives daily to keep electricity flowing to the nation’s homes and businesses.

Groundswell Challenges President’s Social Security Cuts

Labor unions and progressive activists are speaking out and organizing in opposition to President Obama’s proposal to reduce Social Security benefits as part of his budget proposal announced on April 10. 

British Columbia Members Protests Domestic Outsourcing

Labour activists in Western Canada are calling for a moratorium on the federal temporary foreign worker program, saying that the system is rife with abuse.

Pittsburgh-Area High School Student Excels in Trade Skills

Celebrated poet Maya Angelou once said, “Living a life is like constructing a building; if you start wrong, you'll end wrong.”

If the same statement can describe a career, Michelle Braga, a 17-year-old Pittsburgh-area vocational-technical high school student who is aiming for an IBEW journeyman wireman apprenticeship, is on the right track in both spheres.

NACTEL:  Teaching Telecom Technology Tools

The best way to keep working is to keep up with the work, an increasingly demanding task with telecommunications technology.

IBEW Says Eastern Pipeline Means Good Jobs, Energy Independence for Canada

IBEW members in Canada are cheering TransCanada Corp’s. proposal to build a pipeline to transport crude oil from Western Canada to refineries in the east.

Comcast: No Paid Sick Days for Philly Workers

The Philadelphia City Council passed a bill last week that would require virtually every employer in the city to provide their workers with paid sick days – earning the enmity of Comcast, a major player in Philly politics.

Shipyard Workers Protest Sequestration

Workers across the nation rallied March 20 and 21 to protest likely furloughs brought on by the more than $1 trillion in automatic federal spending cuts known as the sequestration.

Obama Nominates Pro-Worker Attorney for Secretary of Labor

IBEW leaders are praising President Obama’s March 13 nomination of civil-rights attorney Thomas Perez for Secretary of Labor.

IBEW President Edwin D. Hill Lauds President Obama’s Energy Department Pick

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers President Edwin D. Hill says President Obama’s nomination of Ernest Moniz to be the next U.S. Department of Energy secretary “is the right choice to lead our nation as we enter a new era of energy policy.”

Policy, Industry, Labor Leaders Release Bipartisan Energy Plan

It’s not easy finding common ground in Washington, D.C., these days. Getting Democrats and Republicans – not to mention business and labor – to agree on anything seems an impossible challenge.

Burden of Sequestration to Fall on Government Employees

Thousands of IBEW members who work for the federal government or for private government contractors awoke Friday morning facing a shaky economic future. The sequestration – the series of draconian federal spending cuts totaling $1.2 trillion – went into effect March 1, meaning that more than 1 million federal workers face unpaid leave or worse unless Congress takes action to rescind the cuts.

Business, Labor Agree: Time to Act on Retirement Security

It’s one of the biggest challenges facing the economy today: providing retirement security for America’s work force.

What the Sequester Means for You

If you think the looming “sequester” – the series of automatic federal spending cuts set to go into effect Friday, March 1 – doesn’t affect you and your family, think again.

Five-Year Agreement Brings together Merged Utility Units in Vermont

Few words are as chilling to workers as “corporate merger.” Too often the aftermath is slashed jobs, cut wages and managers acting unreasonably.

Right-Wing Policy Shop: Busted Budgets, Giveaways to the Rich Coming to a State Near You

It’s one of the most powerful lobbying organizations in the United States today, exercising an outsized influence in the Republican Party and driving policy decisions in state houses and governors’ mansions across the country.  And chances are you’ve never heard of it.

Federal Budget Impasse Forces Immediate Navy Job Cuts

The Department of Defense is sending out dozens of contract cancelations and preparing to lay off ten, possibly hundreds of thousands of workers because they can no longer fund projects started after 2009, dues to the inability of Congress to pass a budget.

Facing Opposition, Ill. Sears Techs Ratify First Contract

Years of management favoritism, lack of respect on the job and the threat of declining wages had been wearing on hundreds of Sears service technicians in the upper Midwest for years.

Austin Local Says Workers Are Getting Cheated on City-Backed Project

Austin construction workers and workers’ rights activists are accusing hotel developer White Lodging Inc., of cheating employees out of tens of thousands of dollars in wages on one of Austin’s most high-profile construction projects.

National Right-to-Work Bill Offered in Congress

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has introduced a bill on Feb. 5 that would impose so called right-to-work laws nationally.

Activists Call on President Obama to Protect Workers

Union members and public safety officials are calling on President Obama to finalize an Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard that would reduce workers’ exposure to silica and save lives.

Labor-Management Partnership Nets Toronto Local Big Organizing Win

Dial One Wolfdale Electric Inc., was one of the Toronto area’s largest nonunion contractors, performing millions of dollars in commercial and industrial work each year.

Have a Union-Made Super Bowl Party!

The AFL-CIO Now blog is publicizing a list of union-made food and drinks for members to enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday. 

Texas Member Taken Hostage, Killed in Algeria

Victor Lovelady’s family members say he was a hero long before the project manager for a Houston-based energy firm was killed at an Algeria natural gas plant after being held hostage by Al Qaeda terrorists.

Pa. Workers Mobilize Against Right-to-Work

While gridlock reigns in the legislative halls of Washington, D.C., states are churning with anti-union bills, including Pennsylvania, where activists are fighting back.

Kansas Workers Fight to Preserve First Amendment Rights

Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation that would drastically curtail the rights of teachers, firefighters and other public workers to participate in the political process.

New Safety Accord Protects Railway Workers’ Whistleblower Rights

On Jan 15, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration and leading freight railroad BNSF Railway Co., marked a big step forward for on-the-job safety by signing an accord that protects from retaliation workers who report on-the-job injuries.

APPOINTMENT

Ross Galbraith

The International Executive Council has appointed Fredericton, New Brunswick, Local 37 Business Manager Ross Galbraith Eighth District IEC member.

Solis Resignation a Loss for Labor

Summarizing the Obama administration’s accomplishments in remarks to the IBEW Convention in Vancouver, now-retired General Counsel Larry Cohen said:

We again have a Department of Labor that is a department for labor. It is no longer an anti-labor labor department, which it was throughout the Bush administration.

Members Urged to Join the 'A' Team 

Henry Miller, the first President of the IBEW, died in 1896 without enough money for a decent burial... members of the IBEW established a fraternal death benefit association in 1922 whose essential purpose was to provide the named beneficiary of a deceased member a sum that might permit our member to be interred in a dignified manner.

Union Sportsman Alliance Celebrates Big 2012

2012 was a big year for union members with a passion for hunting and fishing. The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance – a national organization of union members committed to outdoor sports and conservation – surpassed 50,000 members, its highest number yet.

Award-winning Economists: Means Testing is a Dangerous Plan

Union folks shouldn’t be surprised when our adversaries play word games. Terms like “right-to-work” or “ownership society” sound, to many, as American as the Super Bowl until people find out that the first could cut their pay and benefits and the second would put benefits like Social Security and Medicare in the private hands of Wall Street.

Mich. Gov. Snyder’s Popularity Plummets on Right to Work

Anyone who believes in the power of intuition can draw inspiration from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. Last year, as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker launched his war on public worker collective bargaining, Snyder, newly-elected, said such an effort would be “too divisive” to duplicate in his state.

Energy Giant’s Financial Mismanagement Leaves N.Y. Workers, Community On the Hook 

Striking utility workers in New York State’s Hudson River Valley agreed to return to work Dec. 14, ending their five week walkout against Dynegy.

IBEW President Edwin D. Hill on Passage of Michigan Right-to-Work Bill

This week’s passage of right-to-work legislation marks a huge step back for Michigan working families.

Great Heights and Grand Views: 15th IBEW Photo Contest Winners

Like something out of science fiction, Folsom, N.J., Local 351 member Bill DeClement’s stunning image of two IBEW members in a window lift above fog-drenched ocean entranced voters in this year’s photo contest.

S.C. Organizers Bring IBEW Message to College Football Fans

With nearly 30 years in the labor movement, Charlotte, N.C.,  Local 359 Organizer Nick Brown has soaked up enough history that he can vividly relay stories about anti-worker intimidation in his neck of the woods – from the bloody 1934 killings of mill workers in Honea Path, S.C., to the bruising days of the mass textile strikes that swept the region in the ’20s and ’30s.

IBEW Unity Fund to Help Sandy Victims

More than 70,000 IBEW members across the Northeast live in Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster zones. Many are facing tens of thousands of dollars in damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and the resulting flooding. Some are without a home all together.

Working Families: ‘Right-to-Work is Wrong for Michigan’

On Dec. 6, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder stunned working families by announcing his support for right-to-work legislation, pushing the lame-duck legislature to jam through a bill by the end of the year

IBEW Photo Contest: You Pick the Best!

Out of the hundreds of submissions for our 15th photo competition, we now present the cream of the crop – 15 finalists that truly capture the spirit of the IBEW.

Federal Workers Tell Congress: ‘We’ve Sacrificed Enough’

As Congress contemplates avoiding going over the “fiscal cliff” – the series of automatic tax hikes and budget cuts that will take effect next year – there is a lot of talk about shared sacrifice.

Donning Pink Hardhats in Support of Cancer Research

In the crisp autumn air blanketing mile-high Denver, leaves turned orange and red last month while many  construction sites exhibited a new hue of their own: pink.

Members Offer Thanksgiving Help to Hurricane Sandy Victims   

It’s going to be a tough Thanksgiving for the hundreds of thousands of New York and New Jersey residents affected by Hurricane Sandy. Many are entering their third week without power – some without a roof over their head.  

Tell Congress:

Don’t Push Jobless Americans off the Cliff

It’s doubtful that the policy expert who coined the phrase “fiscal cliff” to describe the crisis facing the nation’s economy as Democrats and Republicans debate taxes and deficits ever was unemployed for a long stretch of time.

Organizing Yields Wall-to-Wall Membership at Tenn. Research Facility

A recent campaign to organize technicians and electricians at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a preeminent science and technology research facility in eastern Tennessee, yielded a noteworthy win for employees who are now members of Knoxville Local 760.

Setting the Record Straight on Hurricane Sandy Response

IBEW members and hundreds of other workers, union and nonunion, are pulling together to help the Northeast recover from the devastating effects of Superstorm Sandy. The storm slammed coastal areas with strong winds and high seas, simultaneously flooding business and residential areas while knocking down trees and power lines – all in one of the most densely populated areas of the United States.

IBEW Members Tells Congress: Don’t Bargain Away Our Future

The election may be over, but for Cincinnati Local 212 Assistant Business Manager Charlie Kenser, the fight to protect middle class retirement security has just begun. On Nov. 8, Kenser joined concerned union members and retirees rallying outside Sen. Rob Portman’s office to ask the senator not to put Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid on the chopping block before the end of the year.

IBEW Members Make the Difference on Election Day

From Florida to North Dakota, IBEW members and their families helped make the difference on Election Day, from reelecting Barack Obama and Joe Biden to a second term to helping pro-worker candidates win seats in Congress. 

Right Wing Tries to Suppress Congressional Tax Report

What action do you take if you have constantly stated an opinion as fact and then suddenly find that solid research rejects your hypothesis?

IBEW Members Make Final Election Push

As election 2012 comes to a close, IBEW locals in crucial swing states are doing the hard, detailed work getting union voters to the polls.

With Medicare in Crosshairs, Wis. IBEW Activists Mobilize for Pro-Worker Candidates

Standing strong in the wake of recent anti-worker legislation that first took root in their home state, Wisconsin IBEW activists are mobilizing against the erosion of Medicare and workers’ rights that could come to pass if right-wing candidates are elected Nov. 6.

Press Release: IBEW PRESIDENT ED HILL ON HURRICANE SANDY CLEAN UP

IBEW Members Respond to Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc across the Eastern Seaboard, from North Carolina to New England, knocking down power lines, and flooding coastal communities. Hardest hit were New York and New Jersey, leaving more than a million residents without power and many without homes.

A WAR ON COAL?

Mitt Romney, who opposed coal power as Governor of Massachusetts, is accusing President Obama of waging a “war on coal.” But the facts tell a different story.

Big Win at NLRB for American Water Co. Workers

An administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board has upheld a charge by a coalition of 19 unions, including the IBEW, accusing American Water Co. of violating the National Labor Relations Act.

Panorama Photo Now Available

President Hill's "State Of Our Union" Address...2005