A new training partnership in North Carolina aims to help the IBEW recruit more men and women into lineworker apprenticeships and lucrative union careers.

In August, the Southeastern Line Constructors Apprenticeship and Training program added Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington to its stable of schools.

"A lot of line work is still nonunion," said Wilmington Local 495 Business Manager Van Mumford. "We want to make it easier to get people into the IBEW. This is a great program for that."

SELCAT is accredited by the Electrical Training Alliance and backed by the IBEW and the union's partners in the National Electrical Contractors Association. Its affiliation with CFCC, as with nine other educational institutions, is set up to help move lineworker program graduates into high-quality IBEW apprenticeships more quickly.

Alvin Warwick, business manager of Winston-Salem, N.C., Local 342, helped facilitate the affiliation, thanks to his 20-year work relationship with John Downing, CFCC's vice president of economic and workforce development. Downing, a former longtime apprenticeship consultant with the state's Department of Labor, later helped craft classes for Local 342's inside construction apprentices at Winston-Salem's Forsyth Technical Community College before doing something similar at CFCC for Local 495.

"John understands the importance of the IBEW," Warwick said. "He told me, 'We've also got a pretty good line school here at the college, and that nonunion companies were often hiring [CFCC] students right out of class."

For now, the community college is the only one in North Carolina that's partnering with SELCAT. Its 10-week program, which has room for 60 students at a time, covers the basics of line work, such as federal safety training, setting and climbing poles, and electrical theory.

By graduation, CFCC alumni earn 1,000 apprenticeship credit hours, and their training allows them to skip SELCAT's climbing school requirement.

The IBEW values educational partnerships like this, said SELCAT Director Danny Haddad..

"These college graduates spend money to become lineworkers," he said. "We can't lose those folks. Let's bring them in and find a home for them."

About a half-hour's drive southwest of Atlanta, the state-of-the-art SELCAT boasts a 32,000-square-foot training facility with smart classrooms, labs and dorms, and features indoor and outdoor pole-climbing labs, as well as substation and underground training.

Thanks to outreach to high schools, line colleges and utilities, Haddad said, "we have an abundance of applicants" to SELCAT. When it recently solicited public applications, for example, more than 800 men and women submitted forms online.

The applicant pool is increasingly diverse, Haddad noted. "We're getting a lot more women applicants."

Also, a "lineworker for a day" event last fall gave about 50 high school students a chance to climb into a bucket truck, operate excavators and backhoes, experience SELCAT's simulators and sample the basics of pole climbing.

"This is the kind of stuff that we do to ensure that SELCAT is very well attended and our job calls are being filled," Haddad said, noting that applicants have a leg up when they receive line work training like the kind offered by CFCC.

Along with North Carolina, SELCAT's certified teachers use standardized, up-to-date program materials to train lineworkers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee, helping to keep the outside electrical industry in the Southeast supplied with highly skilled and qualified workers.

"SELCAT plays a big part in helping to keep up the reliability and strength of the IBEW's outside construction branch," said Tenth District International Vice President Brent Hall, whose jurisdiction includes North Carolina. "It's good to see a school like Cape Fear Community College step in like this to help keep the folks moving into the IBEW's lineworker pipeline."

British Columbia construction sites just got an upgrade. Thanks to lobbying by the IBEW and other members of the B.C. Building Trades, jobsites with 25 or more workers now must provide flush toilets, a long-awaited improvement to hygiene conditions.

"As a construction worker for just about 40 years, I say this has been a long time coming," Kamloops Local 993 Business Manager Jim Bicknell said. "We will now be able to attract and keep workers in the industry, especially women who previously left because of deplorable conditions that many companies had, simply because it cut into their profits to provide something better."

The regulation, which went into effect Oct. 1, calls for contractors to provide toilets that can be connected to a sewer system or holding tank. They are required to use a flow of clean water or a mixture of clean water and chemicals to flush the bowl. The facilities must also have hand-washing facilities and ensure that the washrooms are well-maintained, clean, ventilated and private.

"I love my job, but one of the worst parts of going to work is facing the nasty conditions inside of construction site porta-potties," said Tiffany Madden, a member of Vancouver Local 213 and board member of Build TogetHER BC, which advocates for women in the trades. "This is a game-changer for the construction industry and could even attract more women."

It comes when construction is booming in the province and there's high demand for workers. Providing cleaner and more dignified restrooms is a simple way to attract more people to the industry and keep them, said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the B.C. Building Trades.

The technology already exists. Not only do managers on jobsites often have access to flush toilets, but Quebec passed a similar provincial law in 2015. More hygienic facilities also exist in other countries, as well as industries like film and entertainment.

"I am originally from Australia, where unions have successfully campaigned and won the right to flush toilets on construction sites. So, when I moved to Canada, it was quite the shock to have to use porta-potties," said Matt Baron, a Local 213 shop steward.

"These changes will help attract new workers to the industry that may not have wanted to work here before. It's also one less thing for our sisters to worry about when they're at work," Baron added.

The push to get flush toilets on construction sites dates to the 1970s, Bourke said. A new effort took shape amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when British Columbia was one of the only provinces that didn't halt construction projects.

"Workers carried the economy on their backs during the pandemic," she said. "We learned a lot during that time, and this is one way to make things safer."

In the wake of the pandemic, the B.C. Building Trades issued two reports on the issue and launched its "Get Flushed" campaign, which included a petition and testimonials from its members, including the IBEW.

"IBEW members have been fabulous in helping with the campaign," Bourke said. "They've been great ambassadors on jobsites, as well as lobbying and providing testimony."

Among the testimonials were those from Local 993 members Katrina Harris and Alison Klie, who described highly unsanitary conditions, which are exacerbated for anyone who must sit down or deal with a menstrual cycle — not to mention having to do all that while wearing coveralls. There's also the issue of privacy and having a safe place to use a restroom facility.

"There were many times during my time working on a mine site when I needed a moment to collect myself away from men. The women's wash trailer was a sanctuary of sorts," Klie said. "It was clean and warm and private. It was a safe space for me and for many other women I know, some of whom I met in those very trailers. It's not just about a clean place to go pee."

The response from members to the new regulation has been overwhelmingly positive, said Bicknell and Local 213 Business Manager Jim Lofty.

"Our members are pleased with the changes but frustrated by how long it has taken for this to be dealt with, especially after the many horrific conditions we saw during the pandemic that clearly demonstrated that this was a health hazard," Lofty said.

Flush toilets can only help as the construction industry moves toward becoming more inclusive, Lofty added.

"We often hear of people who end up leaving construction for maintenance or other aspects of the electrical trade, or even leaving the trade altogether because of working conditions that force them to make changes," Lofty said. "Bullying, harassment and discrimination are all things that the industry needs to improve, so that not only young workers, female workers or underrepresented people can improve their workplaces, but all workers can enjoy a respectful place to work."

The province is in the process of bringing everyone into compliance, Bourke said, focusing on sites that have flush toilets for management.

"It's eminently possible to implement this," she said. "It's a minor expense that will bring a lot of dignity.

Providing reliable internet to Alaska's villages and its rural Indigenous population has long been a challenge, due to the remoteness and lack of infrastructure.

Now, Anchorage Local 1547 members are on the cutting edge of an effort that might finally fix the problem for good.

Members employed by several signatory contractors will begin work later this year on the Alaska Communications' FiberOptic project, which will provide reliable, high-speed internet to 21 communities along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers.

That includes installing cable underneath rapidly moving waters that put most of the mightiest rivers in the continental U.S. to shame. The Yukon River, which stretches across the state into Canada, has a drainage area 25% larger than Texas.

"During spring breakup, ice chunks the size of a school bus can just get rolled around in that area," said Naomi Hewitt, a Local 1547 business representative who has worked in the area. "There's a lot of water."

On the northwest edge of Alaska above the Arctic Circle, Local 1547 is partnering with NANA — a corporation owned by the native Inupiat people — to provide a regional broadband area.

Only about 7,000 people live in the 683-square-mile area, which is primarily within the Northwest Arctic Borough in the northwest part of the state. Getting any kind of internet there has been a challenge. The project got a boost with a $65 million grant from the Commerce Department's tribal broadband connectivity program.

Work is expected to begin later this year. As with any other project, major obstacles exist. This is the Last Frontier, after all.

Hewitt said that Snowcats — an enclosed-cab vehicle the size of a large pickup truck designed to travel on snow — can only be used during the winter. Otherwise, the tundra beneath is not strong enough to support them without causing ecological damage.

Snowcats transport not just supplies but also modular facilities that serve as temporary homes for workers on a jobsite. "They're not going to be able to helicopter them home every night," Hewitt said. "They have to drag a facility for them to shower in. They're going to be driving down the tundra and saying: 'All right, we're parking here. Shut her down."

And workers must find a way to bore down into the Yukon River to run the fiber beneath it.

"It's been done in other places, but nothing like Alaska," said J.C. Casquejo, another business representative in telecommunications. "We have different geographical challenges. We have to worry about the ice and when it thaws out. We have to make sure the fiber is still intact when the ice breaks up."

Still, these are good-paying jobs for a well-trained workforce that can handle the sometimes brutal weather conditions. There's also a sense of pride among Local 1547 members. They are performing high-tech work that will aid much of the massive state, particularly the long underserved Native Alaska population.

Business Manager Doug Tansy said Local 1547's relationship with Alaska Communications has been strong since the company was sold to ATN International in 2021.

"We've gone from adversaries to walking side-by-side throughout our industry together," he said. "It's a wonderful gift."

The local has worked hard in recent years to improve relations with the Native Alaska population in all sectors, which likely helped it form a partnership for the NANA work, he said.

"It's exciting to be on the cutting edge of telecommunications here in Alaska," said Tansy, a member of the native population who grew up in interior Alaska. "These are very much underserved communities, and they're geographically very difficult to get to, as well as being extremely expensive on a per capita basis."

These communities have some of the lowest levels of access to medical care in the United States. Most villages do not have a full-time doctor. Getting to one by land is nearly impossible most of the year.

But with state-of-the-art internet access, residents will be able to better access telehealth appointments, which should improve health throughout the communities. The drain of young people looking for more opportunity in other parts of the state or even the continental U.S. might be slowed, helping to preserve the native Alaskan culture.

Tansy noted that Local 1547 already has trained six residents of these communities as drone operators and added them as members. That work will play a role not just in the broadband projects, but all electrical projects in the remote areas.

Local 1547 covers the entire state. It has a proud history in Alaska's construction industry and has large units in telecommunications, utility, manufacturing and tree trimming.

Staffers like Hewitt and Casquejo work closely with telecommunications partners to ensure that work is done safely. That's a central tenet of IBEW membership but understandably takes on an even higher level of concern for workers in remote locations facing weather challenges most other workers only dream about.

"What our telecommunications members are doing will bring change to our state's landscape," Tansy said. "I really think it's going to change the ambition of those communities when they have a chance to get an education and grow their knowledge."

In a unanimous vote, the City Council in Richmond, Va., passed an ordinance establishing a prevailing wage for publicly funded construction projects, giving a boost to workers and a win for the IBEW and other building trades.

"This law will help stop the race to the bottom for construction wages and benefits for city work," said Charles Skelly, business manager of Richmond Local 666 and president of the Richmond Building and Construction Trades Council. "Virginia has been plagued by misclassification and wage theft in construction. This law will help combat the issue and ensure construction workers are paid a fair wage for their work."

The ordinance, which passed in October, came about in part because of a state law that requires a prevailing wage on state-funded construction projects. That law was amended in 2020 to allow cities to opt in to the requirement that contractors pay a wage that at minimum aligns with the area's pay scale.

Under the new law, which goes into effect July 1, contractors or subcontractors that pay workers below the prevailing wage will be held liable for the payment of wages plus interest. They will also be disqualified from bidding on contracts until full restitution is made and could even be charged with a Class I misdemeanor. The ordinance will apply to city-funded projects valued at more than $250,000.

By eliminating incentives for unscrupulous contractors to lowball construction costs, a prevailing wage establishes a level playing field that allows legitimate contractors like IBEW signatories to be competitive and win more work.

"The contractors I work with have all said that this is great for them because everyone has to pay a fair wage rate," said Local 666 journeyman wireman Griffin Green, who spoke in favor of the ordinance at council meetings.

Creating more opportunities for local contractors to get more work also means more money stays in the community, along with more high-paying jobs for workers who live in the area.

"Since we're close to Washington, D.C., which has a higher wage scale, you can drive like one hour and get paid more," Green said. "Prevailing wage incentivizes workers to stay in town by encouraging contractors to pay enough to keep them here."

A state study in 2012 found that misclassifying workers cuts 30% off the labor rate by illegally eliminating required payments for workers' compensation and other costs like unemployment insurance, Skelly said.

"No legitimate contractor can compete," he said. "It takes protections away from the workers and undercuts contractors who play by the rules and want to pay a fair wage."

Thanks to the state law, there are several ongoing state-funded projects with prevailing wage attached, Skelly said, so it stands to reason that IBEW signatories will win more Richmond projects after the ordinance takes effect.

"We are getting more of those state projects than we did historically," Skelly said. "This means more opportunities for all of our members."

Prevailing wage requirements not only raise wages but increase opportunities for apprentices. A study of prevailing wage at the state level found that construction apprenticeship enrollments are up to 8% higher and apprentices complete their on-the-job and classroom training faster in states that have such laws.

The study, conducted by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the Project for Middle Class Renewal at the University of Illinois, further found that jobsites in states with prevailing wages are safer. According to the findings, on-the-job fatality rates were 14% higher in states that had repealed their laws.

The ordinance passed unanimously thanks in part to lobbying by the IBEW and other building trades and campaigning for worker-friendly politicians. Skelly said the building trades started making a concerted effort to endorse candidates and help get them into local offices around 2019. It's paid off.

"It's been an incredible change to have the council seeking out union opinions and looking to labor for how to build the city," said Local 666 apprentice Chris Anders, who also spoke in support of the ordinance. "If you want Richmond to grow, this is how you do it."

Hollywood, Calif., Local 40 has a lot to celebrate. The union representing members who work at the major motion picture studios secured historic wins in its recent contract negotiations, all while turning 101 years old.

"These new contracts are the strongest agreements we have negotiated in four decades," Business Manager Stephan Davis said. "These achievements are the result of our united resolve as members alongside our brothers and sisters in other Hollywood unions and guilds."

Negotiated in coalition with other unions in the Hollywood Basic Crafts, Local 40 worked out an agreement covering roughly 700 members who work for studios including Paramount, Walt Disney, Netflix, Fox, Apple, CBS, Warner Brothers and Universal. A similar agreement was also negotiated with Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park, covering about 150 members.

Among the wins were 7% wage increases in the first year of both agreements — the largest increase since 1984. To put this in perspective, over one-third of the membership wasn't even born the last time the local saw such a significant raise, Davis said.

Members covered under the studio agreement also won June 19, or Juneteenth, as a holiday; a new 401(k); bereavement leave; two additional sick days; triple time after 15 hours worked; and maintenance of health and retirement benefits with no added cost to members.

Theme park members now have improved vacation accrual and subcontracting language. They also maintained their health benefits with no additional costs.

"It's nice seeing all the hard work pay off," said Peter Diamond, a member of Local 40 for over 20 years who participated in negotiations. "It's always great when you keep what you have, and it's even greater when you gain more for your members."

The agreements cover multiple classifications, including wiremen, HVAC technicians and sound workers on the studio lot campuses, as well as all of the portable air-conditioning and generator operators on a production when they shoot on location.

The new contracts, ratified by an overwhelming majority of members in August, came on the heels of negotiations between the studios and other crafts like IATSE, as well as the strikes by SAG-AFTRA and Writer's Guild of America members, which put pressure on the industry to do better for its less famous workers.

"These historic agreements could not have been reached without the sacrifices of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA members during their strikes," Davis said. "What they achieved set the tone for our local and the other unions we bargain with."

The actors' and writers' strikes also played a role in Local 40's centennial anniversary. The union was formed in 1923 — during the early days of film and before television — but as a show of solidarity with their brothers and sisters on the picket line, Local 40 members delayed the celebration until last summer.

Local 40 celebrated on the backlot of Warner Bros. Studios with a live band, dancing, and Hollywood memorabilia including the Batmobile from the 1997 film "Batman & Robin" and the couch from "Friends." The party was attended by International President Kenneth W. Cooper, International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble and Ninth District International Vice President Dave Reaves.

"On behalf of all the officers, staff and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, I want to give you my heartfelt congratulations," Cooper said. "What you've done for the last century here in Hollywood is truly amazing."

Ninth District International Representative Tim Dixon, a former Local 40 business manager, was also on hand and reflected on the union's history, which started with 12 members agreeing to work for no less than $7.50 for a 10-hour day.

"While it's almost impossible for us to comprehend what those founding 12 members went through to form this union, I don't think there's any way that they could imagine that Local 40 would survive 100 years, let alone what we've achieved in that time," Dixon said.