top of page
OBJECTIVES OF THE IBEW

  • To organize all workers in the entire electrical industry in the United States and Canada, including all those in public utilities and electrical manufacturing, into local unions;

 

  • To promote reasonable methods of work;

 

  • To cultivate feelings of friendship among those in our industry;

 

  • To settle all disputes between employers and employees by arbitration (if possible);

 

  • To assist each other in sickness or distress;

 

  • To secure employment;

 

  • To reduce the hours of daily labor;

 

  • To seek higher and higher standard of living;

 

  • To seek security for the individual;

 

  • And, by legal and proper means, to elevate the moral, intellectual, and social conditions of our members, their families, and dependants, in the interest of a higher standard of citizenship.

Union Work Sites are Often Safer

Worker safety is a critical issue for unions such as the IBEW. Local Unions take an active part in investigating on-the-job injuries, promoting safety meetings and investigating members' complaints of safety violations. According to the IBEW, 76 percent of union job sites require safety training, versus 33 percent of regular job sites, and safety performance was 56 percent on union sites versus 41 percent on nonunion sites.

Union Electricians Have Greater Job Security

Employment in most states is "at-will," meaning that an employee can be terminated at any time for any reason unless a valid contract is in place. Union contracts specify the conditions under which an employee can be fired, suspended or laid off. If an employer violates those conditions, union electricians can file grievances and the union will negotiate a resolution with the employer.

Benefits 

Benefits are another important issue that unions include in contracts when negotiating with employers. According to the IBEW, union electricians are far more likely to have defined benefit pension plans than nonunion electricians. They are also more likely to be covered under a health insurance, disability and retirement plan.

Union Electricians Tend to Earn More

Unions use their collective bargaining power to negotiate contracts for jobs or with specific employers. Pay rates are an integral part of the contract. Overall, according to the IBEW, union jobs pay approximately 27 percent more a week than nonunion jobs for the same work. For electricians working in the construction industry, the difference can be even more significant, as the IBEW reports 50 percent higher wages in construction.

THE RIGHT PEOPLE FOR THE RIGHT JOB

 

BECOME A MEMBER

If you are an experienced electrician and would like to know more about career development and other benefits of union membership, you are invited to contact us by mail, phone, fax, email or fill out the form below. 

 

If you are new to the electrical industry and are interested in working in the electrical industry and you are a high school graduate (or have a GED) then we invite you to contact us to find out how you can receive the classroom and job training you need to become an IBEW certified electrician. Go to www.seiajatc.org/ to learn how to apply to our program. 

​

If your already an electrician become a member:

bottom of page