Has anyone went from Non union to Union?
I completed an apprenticeship program through ABC. Been non union for 8 years. I’m sick and tired of losing my health insurance , 401k, and finding work & all the bs that comes with it. So I thought I hit up an organizer through local 11 and will be filling out paperwork Monday and possibly be working soon after that from what I’ve been told. Has anyone went from non union to union to let me know what I’ll be expecting? I did PLA jobs before and always liked how the union guys carried themselves when it came to treating one another and even when it came to work. Non union you’re lowkey licking peoples boots if you wanna keep your job and I know even in union work slows down but non union seems more cutthroat lol.

Been seeing lots of stuff about all the work in Memphis TN. Incentives, perdiem, ect. Has anyone who has been there recently have any insight? Looking to possibly hit the road and check it out but I’m curious about conditions, pay, ect.

If interested, please contact the local 252 hiring hall.

Make hay while the sun shines brothers.

Just curious what are you guys seeing for incentives for some of these large jobs/ data centers. There’s a bunch starting around Illinois and trying to see if they are paying over or all OT is double.

After a few calls with the Hall and some old tramps who spent most of their years as a book 2 hand, I learned a few things I thought I'd share in case anyone else needs to know.

So through ERTS you can set up your H&W, plan A, and plan B to go to your local when you're on the road.

• H&W contribution: If the local you're working out of pays more than your local, you don't get the extra money and as I understand it, your home hall gets to keep it.
  
• Plan A and B contribution: You can choose to allocate where you want the extra money to go so you can earn more credits and such.
  

You can change any or all of those contributions to the local you're currently working out of by calling the hall and they will send you the documents you need to fill out.

To qualify for enrollment into the new health plan I need 230 working hours in my new local and the process takes up to 30 days.

Also I learned that you if you transfer your plan A+B then you can draw retirement from both locals once you retire.

I'm visiting family in El paso this weekend and was wondering if anyone wanted to trade 583 for local 60 stickers.

SOCIALIST! COMMUNISTS!

They scream from the White House.

McCarthyism 2.0 is running full tilt.

Let's talk about a time before the Red Scare when a man named Eugene Debs evolved from a moderate to a radical!

$23/5yrs, 1:1 JW:apprentice ratio, age protections reduced from 50 years-old to 40. Massive L.

Which local do y’all think is best to work at and best to be out of? On the pay and benefits side of things.

Union strong baby⚡️

20 Years is a mighty long time. 20 years makes you reflect. A lot has happened in my 26 years of service to local 26 as a JW. I received my 20 year service pin at last Friday's union meeting. I would like to share with you some words that I spoke under the good of the union.

So I just started my classes but am still on a wait list for actual work. I am in the market for a newer vehicle and wanted to know what I need to get by. Basically I want to know if I need a truck or suv as a first year or due to job sites. I know its not always the same but im just looking for some advice from guys who have been around

Hello all. I am a journalist with OpGov.News doing a story on the Local Union 1245 trying to get a better contract with PG&E. I wanted to hear from a anyone affected by this to gain an understanding of their experience in dealing with this situation. And with permission I'd like, to Include your statement in the article anonymously if you prefer. Thanks so much

Looking to move to the Nashville area and wondering what work flow and culture is like down there. Thanks

I like my job as a telecommunications apprentice but I constantly get shit on by the electricians and electricial apprentices. They call us the 'teletubbies' and say our job is worthless because we have shit pay. And like asking for respect from them is pointless because they're not even in this trade so respect from them means nothing to me.

But I want to know how other telecom people don't let their bullshit get to them. How do you guys brave the storm? I feel like it wears on my soul after a while.

Been looking into the history of the 40 hr work week and the labor unions' perspective of OT. Here's how I understand it:

Before the 40 hr work week, there was no standard of OT pay.

First of all, labor unions fought for less hrs in order to have more free time.

1817 was the first push for an 8 hour work day. 8 hours for work, 8 for rest, and 8 for what you will.

Laborers and Unions forced the hand of MANY companies to conform.

When Henry Ford adopted the 8 hr day 40 hr week, the whole country heard about it and practically standardized this through strikes and organizing.

During the depression the GOV got on board through legislation in order to increase employment.

The legislation used standardized OT pay to enforce the 40 hr week rather than encourage laborers to work longer weeks.

Standardized OT was designed to be too expensive for the contractors. These workers did not want overtime.

When Contractors agreed to the 40 hr week, wages increased (im not sure why that correlation exists)

Today, OT is used to exploit our union. Because of the cost of benefits involved with each employee, it is cheaper to work an individual on OT than it is to employ more people.

I understand why a lot of us want OT. I hold no judgment. I work it myself, and i would work it more if i didnt have responsibilities at home. Maybe this issue is selfish to my needs/wants. But it honestly seems like a fair point to me.

Thoughts? Id honestly want to hear why Im wrong so I can stop trying to justify finding a way to do away with it. Ill fight the fight if it worth the fight

I don't know wdf is going on, during the NYC mayor election Local 3 endorsed Andrew Cuomo(who against all wills and lost horribly) instead of Mamdani; then this election they have a full list of AIPAC agents for midtern election!

If Local3's election goal is to "...make a change, get our country back on track, and build momentum for the presidential election in two years, so we can begin repairing what has been terribly damaged" by israel agent trump, then why did they endosed a bunch of AIPAC agents again?

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First of all, most of our labor laws were made to appease tension between unions and companies.

Second of all, your favored candidate may be against unions.

Third, our two party system is designed to create friction, to keep people from organizing, to divide the vote of the union, to destroy our bargaining power.

I joined not just for the money, but to be a part of something that can make a difference.

Third term apprentice here in 353. I finished my first level of schooling about a week ago and decided to switch from resi to ICI (they’re separate agreements here) so I’m now on the list for the first time. I understand how it works and everything, I know every day that I don’t bid on jobs on the list I receive a pass and I’m at 2/5 right now.

Thing is, I have a buddy that can get me a job in the service department of a really good company, they were willing to hire me straight out of school but when I called dispatch about it, he said I needed to be on the list for 2 weeks to be eligible for name hire and I can’t wait that long because I only have 5 passes. I don’t really get how this works, how am I ever supposed to be eligible for a name hire if there’s only 5 passes per layoff? Am I supposed to just hope that nobody hired me for 2 weeks when I bid on jobs? What happens if I just wait 2 weeks and run out of passes? A little confused here, any help is appreciated.

Announcement: Brothers and Sisters of IBEW 26, it is important that you know a Roundtable Discussion between the local 26 officers and the local 26 members is scheduled for 10/27/26 @ 3:00 pm. The location of the Roundtable Discussion will be held at the IBEW Local 26 Lanham location at 4371 Parliament Pl. You will need a current dues receipt in order to get into the Roundtable Discussion.

Use your voice to let the officers know what the rank and file needs in the next contract negotiations slated to begin in January.

Today we discuss your rights as the membership of your IBEW local union. We will cover some of the basic principles of Robert's rules and why your involvement is so important to making decisions that can lead to impact impactful change for the membership! Let's talk about it!

I joined the local at 18yrs old fast forward 5 years I am in the final year of my apprenticeship and have successfully passed my state license exam. The IBEW has lifted my family and I from poverty and for that I am forever grateful. I am thankful for the brotherhood and the people who helped pave the way. I look forward to a long career and hope to help others along the way.

Someone here mentioned they worked out of Las Vegas doing hvac for IBEW. This is the only city I’ve heard of that has hvac under IBEW instead of UA. Are there any other locals that have hvac that anyone is aware of?
Thanks in advance

Brothers and Sisters of IBEW 26, if you weren't at last Friday's meeting you missed a doozy! The main take away is that there will be, for the first time ever, a pre-negotiations round table discussion in person between the rank and file members and the elected officers. This discussion will not be convenient for you to attend but you must attend regardless. The discussion will be held in the lanham location on Tuesday, October 27th, 2026 at 3:00 pm. You must have a current dues receipt in order to attend.

Take a half day if you have to. Take the day off if that is what it takes. Just make sure you are there. This discussion will shape negotiations, make sure your voice is heard.

Hey all,

Im a low voltage tech and am looking for work out of local 494 whats the best way to contact the contractors?

Through phone-call or should I fill out their online form with an updated resumé?

I have already called a few contractors, is it worth it for me to ALSO fill out their online application form?

Edit: I have already gone to the hall and signed the book

Hello everyone, I’m 24m, I’m not an electrician, I’ve applied for the IBEW and had my interview, just waiting to see how I rank or if I get rejected. I’m currently working as a flagger after losing my job at Lowes for life reasons that were outside of my control. But I’ve been having to get used to working 9-12 hour days on occasion. Mostly 7-8 hours though. But I struggle badly with those 10+ hour days, mostly 12 hours. commute is often 30-45 minutes to and from the job site. I wanted to become an electrician for a number of reasons, the pay, the benefits, learning a practical and valuable skill, retirement pensions, etc. but I’ve been struggling a lot with the idea of working several 10+ hour days even on weekends for weeks or months at a time. How do you guys manage to still have a life, to enjoy your free time while still taking care of outside responsibilities? Any tips or advice would be really appreciated, it’s made me appreciate you guys who are tackling that. I’m low-key having a lot of anxiety about this because I thought being an electrician was a really good and manageable path for me but I’m start to question myself. I expected potential 10-12 hour shifts but didn’t think it was an everyday thing. How does scheduling work in your local?

Local 20 interview complete

I just got home from my interview for local 20 and just wanted to share how it went for others to reference in the future.

I took the aptitude test 2 months ago and passed. This was the earliest that I could interview. I spent the last 2 months preparing. I did research and found the questions and the grading rubric, as well as talked to people I know who are members. Everybody says they have specific “tell me about a time” questions. This was not my experience at all.

When I got called back they just asked me to introduce myself and then they went around the table asking very basic questions: are you familiar with the work we do? Are you comfortable going to school and working? Are you able to make the drive everyday? Tell me a little about your current job( I’m a non union apprentice through the IEC).

It was all simple stuff like that. I asked if I would be allowed to come in as a second period apprentice because I have over 1000 hours, and I asked what the work outlook is like.

When I arrived the gave me a packet with some information about the dates things will happen “if I’m selected”

One thing that caught me off guard was that we have to pay tuition. $1300ish for the first semester, due before classes start. Is this normal? I thought part of being union was the free schooling?

Overall I’m not worried and feel like I did pretty well. Should get an email by the end of the month.