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No job in the construction industry is more challenging than signing a contractor and bringing his or her work force into the IBEW's ranks.

Don't look for blueprints, say those who succeed.   Do a lot of listening. Learn the specific needs and culture of both the employer and the workers. Make a rough plan. Dig in. Develop the tactics and tools to fit your situation.

While every campaign seems to have its own distinct features, locals have much to learn from each other's experience.

This IBEW Web site series, "Breaking New Ground," is designed to spread our experiences so that locals may learn from each other to win new campaigns, building the union's power for the next generation of IBEW electricians.

"Breaking" Stories

PART 3: IBEW Staff Energizes SF Airport "People Mover"
In 2003, it was the workers who operate and maintain the AirTrain people mover system at San Francisco International Airport who were, themselves, moved to join San Mateo, California IBEW Local 617.

PART 2: Denver Local 68 Focuses on Residential Gains
With new home construction busting loose in counties surrounding Denver, Colorado, leaders of IBEW Local 68 knew that they needed to get into the game.

PART 1: New York Organizing Strengthens Union, Contractors
When five IBEW locals in New York came together in 1995 to establish a coordinated organizing campaign targeting LaCorte EC&M, an Albany-based electrical contractor, no one imagined it would take seven years to achieve success.