Apprentices from Wilmington, Del., Local 2270 were honored in September as the first graduating class of IBEW-educated railroad mechanical journeymen electricians in three decades, thanks to a recently negotiated IBEW-Amtrak training program.
“There hasn’t been an IBEW apprenticeship like this at Amtrak for over 30 years,” said Local 2270 President Frank Gentry.
The new program “is a great opportunity to get entry-level candidates in the door and working on these good union jobs,” Gentry said. “We will continue to fill jobs with qualified journeyman wiremen, but with this apprenticeship we also have the opportunity to extend offers to more men and women to join our ranks and learn the craft from seasoned IBEW instructors.”
Contract negotiations and other discussions between the IBEW and Amtrak in recent years helped persuade the railroad not only to consider fixing that pay disparity but also to look at hiring apprentice-level electricians and training them in house.
The new program “is a way to get them in the door,” Gentry said.
The new apprenticeship, tailored for IBEW-represented electrical workers at Amtrak, was the culmination of several years of negotiations led by Railroad System Council 7, whose jurisdiction includes Amtrak along with several other commuter and short-line freight railroads.
– Wilmington, Del., Local 2270 President Frank Gentry
“With this apprenticeship, we … have the opportunity to extend offers to more men and women to join our ranks.”
“Electricians are essential workers in the railroad transportation sector,” said SC7 General Chairman Arthur Davidson. “This is a historic agreement for the IBEW and Amtrak.”
The three-year Delaware apprenticeship, which started as a pilot program at Amtrak’s maintenance facilities in Wilmington and Bear, includes classroom-based learning plus on-the-job training, all designed to fully prepare graduates to perform electrical work on all levels of Amtrak equipment. That work can range from daily maintenance and repairs to inspecting electrical systems in locomotives, cab cars, passenger coaches and more.
“Our apprentices receive electrical trade instruction and experience related to the development of practical, versatile craftsmen versed in railroad equipment theory and practice,” Davidson said.
The IBEW’s support for this new apprenticeship program helped Amtrak, a for-profit corporation owned by the U.S. government, obtain federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure Safety Improvements grants to help cover its costs.
“All railroad electrical workers in the U.S. are required to follow strict regulations administered by the Federal Railroad Administration,” noted SC7 Secretary-Treasurer Steve Corrado.
Apprentices in the IBEW-Amtrak training program attend lectures and participate in labs, with a focus on railroad-specific electrical systems, such as diesel- and electricity-powered locomotives, inspections, cab signal testing, positive train control and more.
Safety training covers subjects such as arc-flash awareness and lock-out/tag-out procedures, along with best practices for safe movement around — and operation of — railroad equipment.
In addition to Delaware, the IBEW-Amtrak training program has been made available to apprentices at the railroad’s training facilities in California, Illinois, Indiana, New York and the District of Columbia. Successful graduates will join hundreds of highly skilled IBEW electrical workers who maintain Amtrak’s fleet nationwide.
“Their electrical skills will be crucial to the safe movement of equipment and provide reliable passenger service, all while aligning with the IBEW’s Code of Excellence,” Davidson said.
Negotiations toward the apprentice training agreement further helped the IBEW achieve other beneficial provisions, such as a requirement to have a local union representative at each location serve as a training committee member who reviews work schedules and proposed program revisions.
Under its agreement with the IBEW, Amtrak pays for apprentices’ tuition, textbooks and other related fees, as well as lodging, meal reimbursements and transportation as necessary. Qualified journeymen will be eligible for additional compensation for mentoring apprentices, and there is also agreement language calling for training curricula to be submitted annually for the general chairman’s review as railroad and train technologies evolve.
“The dedication of our IBEW apprentices in becoming qualified electrical journeymen for the railroad will prove to have a positive impact in allowing the daily operations of Amtrak to thrive,” Davidson and Corrado said in a statement. “We strongly believe this to be a great accomplishment and recognize the benefits of the training program to both parties.
“We are proud of our members’ success and congratulate each and every one of them on their achievements,” they said. “We would also like to thank Brother Gentry, who serves on the apprenticeship committee and upholds our objective of ensuring apprentices satisfactorily complete the program.”
Joining Davidson, Corrado and Gentry at the inaugural graduation ceremony in September were representatives from Amtrak’s management team, along with staffers from the offices of Delaware’s delegation in Congress: Rep. Sarah McBride and Sens. Lisa Blunt and Chris Coons.
“It’s a good new group of electricians,” Gentry said.
