Alan Jones, Business Manager
alan_jones@ibew177.org
Around the Local
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aflcio.org
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nytimes.com
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wired.com1
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youtube.com
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midhudsonnews.com
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New research shows climate change has already reduced US incomes by 12% since 2000, far higher than previous estimates, as persistent temperature shifts affect supply chains and regional economies nationwide.
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Analysis of America's electricity crisis as costs have jumped 32% in five years, driven by soaring demand from data centers colliding with an overstretched grid, with regulatory policies exacerbating affordability concerns.
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IBEW leaders and members attending the Government Affairs Conference conducted 176 meetings with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, advocating for the PRO Act, apprenticeship standards, and revival of canceled infrastructure projects.
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New Orleans Local 130 establishes the Sparky Sisters Women's Committee to support current women members, recruit the next generation, and address workplace culture issues in the trades through mentorship and leadership opportunities.
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Trump administration policies have led to cancellation of at least 300 energy and transportation construction projects worth $236 billion, representing 255,000 lost construction jobs as tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act are gutted.
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Weekly roundup of labor news covering union organizing victories, contract negotiations, workplace safety issues, and political advocacy efforts across various industries and sectors nationwide.
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IBEW President Kenneth Cooper and IST Paul Noble address workplace safety and violence prevention following the tragic murder of welder Amber Czech. The article emphasizes creating harassment-free workplaces, confronting mental health challenges in construction, and building a culture of safety and respect that welcomes all workers.
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IBEW members achieved significant electoral victories in November 2025, winning positions from town councils to state assemblies. Features profiles of three member-winners: Stephen Nowicki (Cheektowaga, NY town council), Naomi Hewitt (Fairbanks school board), and Ritch Kurtenbach (Black Hawk County, Iowa supervisor), demonstrating how union members bring worker perspectives directly into government.
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International Executive Council Chairman Chris Erikson retires after a 50-year IBEW career, including nearly 20 years leading New York Local 3's 30,000+ members. Grandson of legendary Local 3 Business Manager Harry Van Arsdale Jr., Erikson championed diversity, mentored young leaders nationwide, and helped maintain union wages at $141/hour while serving as IEC chairman for a decade.
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IBEW members conducted intensive get-out-the-vote efforts in New Jersey and Virginia's November 2025 elections, helping elect pro-worker governors and substantial majorities in state legislatures. The campaigns emphasized how union rights, collective bargaining, PLAs, and worker wages were directly at stake in these crucial odd-year elections.
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Boston Local 103 JATC instructor Thomas Spellman shares his 35-year journey in the IBEW, from childhood dreams inspired by union electrician uncles, through a workplace injury at a non-union shop, telecommunications apprenticeship, work on Boston's Big Dig and at Logan Airport on 9/11, to becoming a full-time instructor training the next generation of electrical workers.
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Baltimore IBEW Local 24 fights to save offshore wind projects after Trump administration cuts $700 million in funding and issues stop-work orders. The article examines how these policies threaten thousands of union jobs at Maryland's Sparrows Point Steel offshore wind hub, eliminate clean energy supply that would power hundreds of thousands of homes, and contribute to rising electricity costs nationwide.
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Electrical contractors and local union members donated $15,000 to support a community food bank, demonstrating the industry's commitment to community service and helping families in need during the holiday season.
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IBEW Local 98 members provided Thanksgiving meals to hundreds of Philadelphia families, participated in Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, and honored fallen veterans through Wreaths Across America.
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Santa brings holiday cheer to IBEW Local 309 members and families.
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IBEW Local 1245 retirees demonstrate the spirit of giving during the holiday season.
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IBEW Local 103 held its annual holiday toy drive, distributing 20,000 donated toys and warm winter clothes to Greater Boston families in need through partnership with Mayor Michelle Wu's office.
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International President Kenneth W. Cooper emphasizes that RENEW and NextGen members are leading the IBEW now, not just preparing for future leadership, as the union added 24,000 members in the past year and needs young workers to help meet growing demand for skilled electricians across all sectors.
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IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection contractor Guarantee Electrical won three AGC Keystone Awards including Specialty Contractor of the Year for excellence on projects including the USDA Food Safety Lab and Siteman Cancer Center, while PayneCrest Electric earned honors for transforming office space into Clayco's St. Louis headquarters at the November construction awards gala.
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Tacoma Local 76's Sisters of 76 Women's Committee, launched by journeyman Lisa Forsberg, strengthens organizing and member support through conduit workshops, clothing banks, try-a-trade events for high school students, and Habitat for Humanity projects, demonstrating how affinity groups help diversify union membership and improve outreach to underserved communities.
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IBEW locals across North America demonstrate union values through holiday charity work, including Ann Arbor Local 252's 25-year toy drive for children's hospital patients, food drives at Asbury Park Local 400 and Cheyenne Local 415, and Savannah Local 508's annual gift-wrapping party that provides presents and grocery cards to families in need.
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International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble celebrates IBEW members' holiday generosity through food drives, toy collections, and community service, noting that charitable giving is especially critical this year as economic challenges including job cuts, government shutdown effects, and rising costs impact more American families.
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Feature story from the RENEW/NextGen conference in Portland highlights how these programs for members 35 and under are crucial for union growth, with 215 committees now active across North America focusing on organizing, leadership development, and building stronger local unions through community engagement and political activism.
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Over 200 workers at nuclear manufacturer Framatome voted 118-64 to join Seattle Local 77 after fast-paced organizing campaign focused on better benefits, wages, and working conditions.
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Lansing Local 665 helped pass ordinance amendment using weighted scoring system for public construction projects, prioritizing quality training, safety programs, and worker benefits over simply lowest cost.
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Fourth District International Vice President Austin Keyser joins President Cooper and Secretary-Treasurer Noble to discuss IBEW's record-breaking membership growth in 2024-25. Keyser explains how his district led the way with innovative organizing strategies and intensive efforts that drove unprecedented expansion across the union.
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International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble argues that unions are what make manufacturing jobs good jobs, citing model partnership between Local 2173 and Delta Star. Noble warns that momentum from Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and CHIPS Act is threatened by current administration reversals. He urges locals to leverage Clean Technology Training Trust to organize manufacturing sector, noting union membership below 10% demands aggressive action to restore North American manufacturing as middle-class foundation.
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IBEW-led lineworker rodeo debuts at Iowa State Fair, attracting 4,000+ visitors including Gov. Kim Reynolds and federal legislators. Fifteen teams of union journeymen from Iowa locals competed in four timed events including cutout change-outs, power line flips, emergency rescues, and signature egg climb. Event showcases labor-utility cooperation through LAMPAC partnership, with plans to make rodeo annual tradition and key organizing tool for recruiting veterans and young workers into IBEW.
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Rep. Donald Norcross (Local 351), only IBEW electrician in Congress, introduces bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act to combat union-busting delay tactics. Bill establishes 120-day timeline for first-contract negotiations, moving from talks (Day 10) to federal mediation (Day 90) to binding arbitration (Day 120+). Addresses problem where newly organized workers wait average 458 days for first contract. House companion to bipartisan Senate measure by Sens. Hawley and Booker aims to level playing field for workers who courageously organize.
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IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper honors military veterans in union ranks by sending challenge coins to every IBEW veteran. Cooper highlights union's heavy investment in veteran outreach including hiring an international representative for veterans' affairs, expanding Veterans Electrical Entry Program, and supporting 70+ local Veterans Committees. He urges locals to recruit more servicemembers, noting veterans bring loyalty, pride and teamwork that enrich IBEW jobsites and strengthen organizing efforts.
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New England states have invested over $390 million in offshore wind infrastructure since 2011, with Massachusetts alone spending on specialized ports and job training programs. The region's first two utility-scale offshore wind projects, Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind, are under construction and expected to be fully online by early next year, though the industry faces significant uncertainty. Source: wbur.org
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Nearly 6,000 tradeswomen gathered in Chicago for the 15th Annual Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, with IBEW representing over 800 members including 26 from Local 11. The event featured workshops on empowerment and leadership, highlighting growing programs like EMPOWER and the first-ever All-Women's Veteran Electrical Entry Program Pre-Apprenticeship class. Source: ibew11.org
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After the administration discontinued NOAA's billion-dollar disaster database in May 2025, Climate Central revived it under the leadership of former NOAA scientist Adam Smith. The database has tracked 417 weather and climate disasters totaling over $3 trillion since 1980, with 14 billion-dollar disasters occurring in the first six months of 2025 alone. Source: time.com
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US offshore wind faces a 56% decrease in development by 2035 with $114 billion in investments canceled or delayed due to administration policies including a temporary leasing moratorium, 50% tariffs on turbine parts, and early termination of tax credits. Only seven wind farms remain operational or under construction on the East Coast, far short of the Biden administration's original goals. Source: e360.yale.edu
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BP and JERA's joint venture JERA Nex BP is withdrawing from the US offshore wind market and halting investment in the Beacon Wind project off Massachusetts, citing unfavorable market conditions. All US-based team members will be laid off in coming months, though the company will maintain the Beacon lease for potential future development. Source: offshorewind.biz
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Eleven governors from PJM Interconnection member states are demanding greater control over grid operations as data center expansion drives capacity auction costs from $2.2 billion to $16.1 billion in two years. The surge in electricity demand from AI and data centers has caused ratepayer bills to increase substantially, with some threatening to withdraw from the 13-state grid altogether. Source: grist.org
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COP30 in Belem, Brazil marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement with critical discussions on climate finance, deforestation, and closing the gap between countries' pledges and the 1.5C warming target. Key issues include scaling climate financing from $300 billion to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, protecting tropical forests through Brazil's proposed $125 billion fund, and addressing the urgent need for ambitious national climate plans. Source: france24.com
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IBEW Local 280 is opening a new 7,200-square-foot union hall and training center in Redmond, Oregon in January to accommodate growth driven by data center construction. The union has grown to 500 members, fueled by work on Facebook and Apple data center campuses in Prineville, with journeyman electricians earning $57.65 per hour. The electrician field in Central Oregon has grown 22.1% over the past decade. Source: redmondspokesman.com
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As COP30 approaches, challenging questions loom about climate finance delivery, adaptation funding, and whether countries can bridge the widening gap between current emissions trajectories and climate targets. Experts warn that without decisive action on financing mechanisms and accountability frameworks, vulnerable nations will continue bearing disproportionate climate impacts while lacking resources for resilience. Source: ft.com
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Bill Gates calls for a strategic pivot in climate action ahead of COP30, arguing the world should focus on preventing human suffering rather than solely on emissions targets. In his memo "Three Tough Truths About Climate," Gates contends that climate change is serious but won't end civilization, and that health and prosperity are the best defense against climate impacts, sparking debate among climate scientists and activists. Source: gatesnotes.com
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Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica causing catastrophic floods and landslides across the Caribbean, killing seven people and underscoring the urgency of the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Cabinet colleagues the hurricane highlighted the importance of the summit for those unable to "pick up their island and move it out of the way of the approaching storm." Source: theecologist.org
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A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction blocking the Trump administration from proceeding with planned federal workforce layoffs, providing relief to government employees and unions amid ongoing government shutdown concerns.
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The AFL-CIO calls for an immediate end to the government shutdown in its Working People Weekly List, highlighting the impact on federal workers, union members, and essential services across the country.
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Labor unions in the Oak Ridge and Anderson County area are experiencing growing pressure from the ongoing government shutdown, as members face uncertainty about pay, benefits, and job security during the extended closure.
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Skilled trades workers who supported President Trump in the election are expressing feelings of betrayal as administration policies and the government shutdown directly impact their livelihoods, union protections, and job prospects.