At the dawn of the electrical age, telegraph lines spread across North America at a rapid pace. The thirst for this new tool of communication knew no bounds or borders. Toward the end of the 19th century, as electrical workers in the United States fought to organize the burgeoning industry, so too did their counterparts in Canada.

This is the story of how our union stepped into the Great North and onto the international stage.

After the successful strike of the Toronto Printers Union in 1872, Canada passed the Trade Union Act, which legalized unions throughout the country. Over the next several years, unions combined their efforts by forming federations, first with the Toronto Trades and Labour Council in 1881, and then expanding with the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada in 1886.

The electrical industry took note, and in 1891, several contractors joined to form the Canadian Electrical Association, today known as Electricity Canada. With the formation of the National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in the U.S. that November, it wasn't long until electrical unions began taking shape in Canada.

The first call for organizing Canada's electrical workers came at the fourth IBEW (then NBEW) convention in 1895. A resolution submitted by Purcell Wissinger of Baltimore Local 27 sought to change the first word of the union's name from "National" to "International." The resolution failed to gain approval, but Wissinger was undeterred.

In 1897, an article in The Electrical Worker from Thomas Wheeler of Cleveland Local 38 called for our craft's "complete organization all over the United States and Canada." At the fifth NBEW convention that November, Wheeler served as a delegate and submitted a constitutional amendment to change the name. Although the amendment failed to pass, it was clear that pressure was building.

The dam finally broke in 1898 with the formation of the Ottawa Electrical Association. Announced in the April issue of the Ottawa Journal, the association aimed to provide "an opportunity for all divisions of electricians to consult standard works and leading papers, offer lectures given by prominent electricians, and promote feelings of fraternity and mutual helpfulness."

Encouraged by the news, James Burgess, president of Buffalo, N.Y., Local 41, crossed the border to Ontario that September for work. He soon found a contract job in St. Catharines and was honored to serve as the grand marshal's aide in Toronto's Labor Day Parade. It became clear that he had a knack for organizing when NBEW Grand Secretary Harry Sherman reported a breakthrough that November: Burgess had formed a local of electrical workers in Toronto through the TLC.

"Our brothers across the water are very desirous of having the Brotherhood made international," Sherman wrote. He advised each local: "Be broad in our ideas of unionism. Remember, the man in Canada has the same at stake that we have and should get the same protection."

In 1899, The Electrical Worker was flooded with articles voicing support for internationalism. Members traded ideas on what method would work best, such as referendums or constitutional amendments. Harvey Barnett of Kansas City, Mo., Local 18 wrote: "Our brothers over the line ought to be affiliated with us. Let us all try and get this question before the convention for favorable action. I shall do my part."

Dan Ellsworth of Detroit Local 17 chimed in: "The border cities suffer from unorganized men from Canada taking jobs that union men ought to have. We cannot really blame them but let us change this condition at our next convention."

An update on Burgess' efforts fueled momentum: "The local at Toronto is progressing nicely and has a membership of 140. It seems to me that our craftsmen across the water must be rather good material. Why can't we make this Brotherhood international?"

In October 1899, the sixth NBEW convention convened in Pittsburgh to finally decide the question. Leading the charge once again were Purcell Wissinger, having been elected grand treasurer in 1897, and Thomas Wheeler, delegate of Local 38. On the first day, five locals submitted resolutions to make the Brotherhood International, and all were found favorable by the committee.

Wheeler introduced two constitutional amendments, one to "substitute the word National for International" in Section 1, Article 1, and the other to "give Canada one vice-president." Both passed with an overwhelming majority. The NBEW had officially become the IBEW.

In his summary report, Sherman proclaimed that "we extend our hands across the water and say to our brothers, come with us, your fights shall now be our fights." On the final day of the convention, thanks in part to his amendment victory, Wheeler was elected grand president of the IBEW.

Organizers wasted no time getting to work. The first to receive an IBEW charter was Ottawa Local 93 after 40 members signed their names on Dec. 20, 1899. The local was organized by Wissinger himself. "The capital of the Canadian Dominion can now boast of possessing an electric local promising in its infancy to rival some of its American seniors," wrote C. Boudrault, press secretary of Local 93.

"Wissinger came along at the opportune time. He felt the pulses of his clients, pointed out the beneficial results that follow unionism, and gradually drew the confidence of the men by practical illustration of electrical objects," Boudrault continued. "The men opened their eyes, drank eagerly at the fountain of knowledge, and today are firmly rooted to the principles of trade unionism."

The next to be chartered in 1900 were Hamilton, Ontario, Local 105; Quebec City Local 71; Montreal Local 111; Toronto Local 114, organized by Wissinger; and London, Ontario, Local 120. Locals 105 and 120 are still active.

After years of struggle, two nations were united and the dream of an international union was realized. Today, the IBEW has 80 local unions in every province and territory, totaling about 60,000 Canadian members.