Calif. Gov. attends training center opening

Rockwell Collins workers ratify five-year contract

Minority caucus, young workers build up,
give back

IBEW WWII hero honored on Memorial Day

Members reach out to FairPoint execs

Comcast workers win voice with IBEW

North of 49°
Outside Line Workers Win with Team Bargaining

Au nord du 49° parallèle
Les travailleurs de lignes sortent gagnants d'une négociation en équipe

'The Perfect Storm?'
Skilled Worker Shortage Looms for Construction Branch

National Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee Director Michael Callanan has news that many IBEW members might find hard to believe.

"Six or seven years ago, I was warning that because of the graying of the baby boom generation and not enough recruits to the apprenticeship program, construction was facing a perfect storm," Callanan said. "The recession may have delayed it, but the problem is still out there."

With construction unemployment still running upward of 14 percent, the idea that there will be a shortage of skilled labor seems almost implausible. But many industry analysts and IBEW leaders say that is exactly what we are facing unless major changes are made.

In fact, says Callanan, the Great Recession, which forced tens of thousands of experienced workers out of the industry while dropping new apprenticeship recruitment to record-low levels, has intensified the coming labor crunch.

It's a problem that threatens not only the nascent economic recovery but the future of the IBEW, said International President Edwin D. Hill.

"If we can't provide contractors with a steady stream of skilled labor, we won't get the jobs and our market share plummets," he said. "Unless we replenish our ranks with the next generation of workers, our future is limited."

Energy, Data Driving Boom

Eleventh District International Representative John Bourne, who's charged with helping supply contractors with IBEW workers for upcoming projects, said he sees billions of dollars in new work coming down the pike.

"In Iowa we've got three multi-million dollar fertilizer plants coming, and on the Gulf Coast, we're looking at some huge projects," he says.

Government data bears him out. The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of electrician jobs will grow by 23 percent between now and 2020; McGraw-Hill Construction found that nearly half of all general contractors say they are worried about recruiting enough skilled tradesmen to meet the coming demand.

Hill: Defending Public
Workers
Chilia: Man-Made Disaster
in Philly

Phillip Flemming; William F. Daniels; Amanda Pacheco

IBEW Comic Book
Recounts Labor's Story to New Members;
IBEW/Utility Training Program Recognized

Union = Opportunity for All;
The Underground Economy;
Means of Production

May 2013

Connecticut Organizer Goes 'Above and Beyond'