From its earliest days, the IBEW has committed to organize every sector of the electrical industry. Not just those workers who wired up buildings or strung lines, but also those who made the machinery and connected our communities using new technology made possible by electrification.

From Bell phone operators to workers who produce the transformers, motors and generators that revolutionized North America’s economy, the IBEW has been proud to represent workers outside our construction and utility industries.

That’s why manufacturing, telecommunication, broadcast, government and railroad have been so crucial to the strength of our union.

At the IBEW’s membership peak in the 1970s, we had well over 1 million members, and that’s because we weren’t just strong in construction and utilities but in our other represented industries as well.

But we know what happened next.

Deregulation, offshoring and plain old union busting decimated middle-class jobs in these industries. Factories closed, railroads consolidated, and telecom companies shed their workforce. We lost members every year.

But for the first time in many years, we have had the chance to aggressively build back IBEW power in these industries.

Despite a recent slowdown in manufacturing due to aggressive tariffs imposed by the current administration, the future of North American factory work looks strong. This is spurred by the last administration’s investments in clean energy, semiconductors and battery technology, all while companies look to secure their supply lines by reshoring production.

In telecommunications, the buildout of 5G networks and the continued drive to connect every community to broadband means a strong jobs outlook there, as well.

Despite openly hostile employers and threats from new technology like AI, our government, railroad and broadcast branches also have opportunities to grow. But like any opportunity, it’s on us to seize it.

The challenges we face are stiff. Especially in the United States, it’s all too easy for corporations to stall any effort to organize, regardless of what the law says. It will take tenacity and patience. But that’s something the IBEW enjoys in spades.

Many of our professional and industrial locals lack the resources our construction locals have. But what they do have are boots on the ground, and that’s the most powerful organizing resource, because when workers stand together, they win.

Last year, we took on one of the most anti-union companies and successfully organized a shop of Xfinity maintenance technicians in Massachusetts. And IBEW members helped organize over 200 Siemens factory workers in right-to-work Texas. 

In broadcast, we’ve been successful organizing freelancers operating wireless transmission technology and working for the PGA Tour.

In other words, we can win if we’re willing to work for it.

That’s why the Membership Development Department is rolling out new initiatives to further boost professional and industrial organizing and ensure that every P&I local is getting the resources and support it needs to grow.

I’ve said many times that my goal as president is to reach 1 million members before the decade is out.

We won’t reach that target without rebuilding our strength in these critical industries.

These branches will be high on the agenda at our convention this September. I look forward to meeting with P&I leaders in person as we chart a path to powering a bright future for every IBEW worker.