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IBEW Built That: RNC (and DNC) Brought to You by Union Labor

September 5, 2012

The Republican Party, which is held its national convention in Tampa, Fla., last week, may not have many good things to say about unions, but when it came to making sure the party’s convention went off without a hitch, convention planners ditched the politics and went IBEW.

Millions of viewers tuned into the convention’s proceedings, with the event broadcasted on more than 100 networks around the world.  And it was IBEW electricians, working around the clock to install 40 miles of cable that allows live video coverage to reach the world, who made it all possible.

Says Tampa Local 915 Business Manager William Dever:

It’s a no-brainer to me. The Republicans couldn’t afford to waste time or money, and if you want the job done on time and under budget, IBEW electricians are the way to go.

Transforming the Tampa Bay Times Forum, normally home to the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, into the host of a major political convention was a tough job, but IBEW electricians got the job done right and in time for the opening gavel.   

And their job wasn’t over after the event began. Local 915 members were back in full force after the convention closed last Friday to break everything down in time for the Lightning’s first pre-season game on Sept. 26.

Not only did IBEW Local 915 members get the arena ready for the RNC, they helped build it. The $160 million complex was completed in 1996 with an IBEW work force. And last year, the IBEW worked on a $40 million renovation project, installing two giant Tesla coils that zap 25-foot lightning bolts high above the ice.

For presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, the RNC isn’t the first time the former Massachusetts governor has relied on skilled IBEW labor to get the big jobs done.

As president of the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Romney employed members of Locals 57 and 354 to wire the 500-foot-mega-wattage Olympic Rings that overlooked the city.

He even thanked the IBEW for all their hard work:

More than 50 Charlotte, N.C., Local 379 members are also working to power up the Democratic National Convention taking place in North Carolina this week.

Says International President Edwin D. Hill:

One of the themes of the Republican convention is ‘We Built it.” Well I take pride in knowing that as Americans watch the proceedings of both major political conventions; this union can say ‘We Built That.’

Photo used under a Creative Commons License from Flickr user Photomatt28.