Welcome to IBEW 177

The Biden Administration and Congress have won a historic achievement for IBEW members and their families with the Inflation Reduction Act. The enormous energy and tax package will put IBEW members to work in family-sustaining jobs for the secure, self-reliant grid of the future. President Biden signed the bill into law on Aug. 16. President Biden, who spoke at the International Convention in May, is now following through on his promises to support organized labor and strengthen working families with this legislation. “This historic legislation delivers funding to support lower carbon... Read More
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Administration Tackles Supply Chain Disruptions, Computer Chip Shortages with Made-in-the-USA Policy

Beefing up domestic supply chains while strengthening security and competitiveness is behind the new law incentivizing the production of critical computer chips here in the United States. President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act in July, representing another effort by the president to re-shore the manufacturing of crucial goods produced overseas to the country’s economic and security detriment. Today, the United States only produces 12 percent of the world’s microchips, which are fundamental components in many modern technology products affected by pandemic-era supply chain... Read More
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A new U.S. Department of Labor initiative is widely promoting the use of registered apprenticeship programs like Portland, Ore. Local 48's.

St. Louis Local 1 Electrical Connection and Chicago Local 134’s Powering Chicago have been chosen as U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship ambassadors. Labor-management partnerships between local unions and their respective National Electrical Contractors Association chapters are among 200 entities chosen to share their experiences and collaborate with the DOL to champion apprenticeship opportunities. “Not enough people understand apprenticeships or what unions are all about,” said Powering Chicago’s executive director Elbert Walters III. “We need to share the story so... Read More
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IBEW members strongly support high quality registered apprenticeship programs, the gold standard in the electrical construction industry.

The Department of Labor put the final nail in the coffin of the Trump administration’s attempt to allow industries to water down training standards by cheapening the value of the gold-plated labor-management apprenticeship model that has served the IBEW for generations. Following President Biden’s move to rescind the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program in the first days of his administration, the DOL has issued its final rule. Effective on Nov. 25, it cemented Biden’s initial executive order to rescind IRAPs when he took office early in 2021. The IRAP program would have conferred... Read More
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Celeste Drake has been appointed President Biden’s top labor advisor. She served as the first-ever made-in-America director at the White House Office of Management and Budget since 2021, where she helped develop and implement domestic policy. Drake was formerly a trade and globalization policy specialist for the AFL-CIO, playing an instrumental role in shaping U.S. trade policy to promote inclusive growth for working American families and the manufacturing sector.
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After more than 1.3 million jobs in the manufacturing sector were lost to the depths of the pandemic in 2020, recent data shows manufacturers have added back 1.4 million factory jobs, adding 668,000 additional manufacturing jobs since the Biden administration began. Biden administration policies intended to promote the growth of domestic manufacturing – like expanding made-in-the-U.S. rules for federal procurement and tax credits for American semiconductors and other factories – are expected to continue the expansion. “One of the most striking things that we are seeing now,” Brian... Read More
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