In 1932, at the height of the Great Depression, IBEW International President Howard Broach voiced the frustration of the nation: "We see no constructive effort to create jobs, no lessening of anti-union activities. Perhaps government and big business do not want a constructive labor movement, perhaps they want curtailed production and class warfare."

His message was clear: It was time for business and government to defend, not attack, labor's contribution to industrial progress. But for such a seismic cultural shift to succeed it would require a leader up to the challenge. With the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt that fall, the IBEW and the nation got exactly what they needed.

Having an ally of labor in the White House opened doors never thought possible. The first victory for the trades was the passage of the National Industrial Recovery Act, signed by FDR in May 1933. This groundbreaking legislation established labor-code language for maximum work hours, minimum wage and the right to collective bargaining. The National Labor Board was established to ensure employers' compliance with the act, and advisory committees were used to coordinate efforts between the board and the Labor Department.

Broach served on several of these committees, as did his successor, Daniel Tracy, who was appointed international president in July 1933. The expertise of IBEW's leadership would be an essential tool for the government's effort to combat economic stagnation. It was also a critical moment for the IBEW, with membership dwindling to 50,000.

Tracy hit the ground running and oversaw successful organizing drives at several NIRA projects, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. These efforts laid the groundwork for the Rural Electrification Act, a project tailor-made for the IBEW.

As a construction and manufacturing boom was taking shape across the country thanks to FDR's New Deal policies, Tracy's leadership won recognition from the highest level of government. In 1935, he was appointed by FDR as the first American delegate to the International Labor Conference in Geneva. In 1938, he was appointed labor adviser to the secretary of state at the Pan American Conference in Peru.

By 1940, the results of having an ally in the White House and a dedication to big organizing drives were clear: IBEW membership had risen to 200,000.

As the U.S. emerged from the Great Depression, a new storm was on the horizon. War had broken out in Europe, and the U.S. needed to mobilize its industrial strength. Again, FDR turned to the IBEW for its expertise and offered Tracy the role of assistant secretary of labor, a position that would oversee all military and war-related construction projects.

Tracy accepted the position in July 1940, stating, "I believe the interests of the IBEW and organized labor as a whole could best be served by having persons cognizant of the aims and interests of labor in key government positions." He served in this role until the end of the war.

Tracy was not the only IBEW leader whose expertise was called on to strengthen our country's industrial might. Joseph Keenan, a journeyman from Chicago Local 134, became secretary of the Chicago Federation of Labor in 1937. In 1940, he was transferred to Washington, D.C., to represent the American Federation of Labor on the National Defense Advisory Commission and the Office of Production Management, where he worked to mobilize the national defense.

In recognition of his leadership abilities, FDR appointed Keenan vice chairman for labor on the War Production Board in 1943. Assisting him was yet another IBEW leader, Edward Brown, who had been appointed international president in 1940 after Tracy stepped down. Brown sat on the National Defense Mediation Board alongside Keenan, where they helped settle disputes between labor and management.

It was primarily through the efforts of these three men that the IBEW membership secured 95% of all defense-related electrical contract work during the war.

After the war, Keenan was sent to Germany to advise Gen. Lucius D. Clay and serve as President Harry Truman's special coordinator between labor and industry for reorganizing trade unions. For his efforts in rebuilding war-torn Europe, he received the Presidential Medal of Merit, which is on display at the IBEW Museum in Washington, D.C.

In 1954, Keenan was elected international secretary, a position he held until his retirement in 1976. He served as labor liaison for John F. Kennedy's and Lyndon B. Johnson's election campaigns.

As for Tracy, he was reelected international president in 1946 and served as Truman's labor delegate at the founding convention of the United Nations in 1947. He continued to strengthen the union's apprenticeship programs and established its first pension fund. At his retirement in 1954, IBEW membership was 650,000, making it the largest of all the AFL affiliates.

The level of success achieved by the IBEW, set during one of the darkest periods in recent history, is a testament to the skills of the membership. The election of a fierce labor ally in the White House gave the IBEW a seat at the table, and the union's leaders seized that opportunity to put members to work.