International Executive Council Chairman Chris Erikson, a leader in the Brotherhood and all of American labor in his nearly 20-year tenure as New York Local 3’s business manager, retired effective Jan. 1.
Erikson’s retirement caps a 50-year IBEW career, but he had a front row seat to the Brotherhood long before that. He’s the grandson of legendary Local 3 Business Manager Harry Van Arsdale Jr. and nephew of Thomas Van Arsdale, Erikson’s predecessor. Local 3 has had just three business managers in the last 92 years.
“Harry and Tom Van Arsdale instilled in me, and I have instilled in my sons, that the only purpose of the union is to serve the membership,” said Erikson, who was reelected six times since his appointment in October 2005. “I believe I have done that with distinction, and so it is time to pass the baton.”
Erikson’s retirement comes 10 years to the day after he succeeded Chicago Local 9 Business Manager Bob Pierson as IEC chairman.
“Despite all the upheaval in our jurisdiction, we’re at a point where we’re at almost full employment, with 99.2% of our members working,” Erikson said. “Things are in order. Our membership has made great progress. It’s time for a younger business manager to step forward.”
The upheaval Erikson referred to wasn’t just the financial crisis in 2008 or the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020. There also was the continual threat of what are commonly called “horseshoe unions,” which are open shops that undercut wages and are not part of the Building Trades.
Erikson was pleased to report to his members that the average hourly total wage and benefit for Local 3 construction members was $141 an hour in April 2025, an increase of 45% over his tenure.
International President Kenneth W. Cooper called Erikson “a giant in the IBEW’s history and someone who would always offer me frank advice, even when it wasn’t the easy thing to do.”
“As my predecessor [Lonnie R. Stephenson] said when appointing Brother Erikson to serve as IEC chairman, his commitment to our ideals is unwavering,” Cooper added. “Like many from his beloved New York City, Chris Erikson won’t sugarcoat things. He’ll tell you what is on his mind. I congratulate him on a tremendous career and know he will be available for counsel even in retirement.”
– International President Kenneth W. Cooper
“Like many from his beloved New York City, Chris Erikson won’t sugarcoat things. He’ll tell you what is on his mind.”
The New York Local 3 business manager has a high profile, no matter who holds the title. The local has more than 30,000 members and has played a massive role in building the finance and cultural capital of the world and carrying out its day-to-day services.
It also played a huge part in New York City’s rich labor history, a legacy of Harry Van Arsdale, who served as business manager from 1933 to 1968 and was the longtime head of the New York Central Labor Council. He became a legend not just for his service to Local 3 members, but for expanding the entire labor movement to include often-overlooked groups in society.
Like his grandfather, Erikson’s impact on the IBEW went far beyond his hometown. He mentored young leaders from around the country. He was a leader in making it look more like the communities it served.
He inspired members with passionate speeches and calls to action at conferences and conventions, especially after taking on the IEC position. He gave out more than 5,000 stickers with the term “WTFU” — roughly translated as “wake up” — advising IBEW brothers and sisters across North America to vote to protect the economic security of themselves and their families.
“Across the IBEW, I’ve had so many great relationships with so many great people,” he said. “I’m pretty proud to be part of an organization that does so much good for its members.”
Plus, he was an effective steward on the IEC, a nine-member council that serves as the judicial body for the IBEW, including hearing appeals of decisions made by the international president. It enforces the IBEW Constitution and can recommend amendments.
In that role, Erikson said he’s most proud that he put the members’ interests at the forefront, just as he did as business manager.
“We fulfilled our responsibilities under the IBEW Constitution and did what we are charged to do,” he said.
Seventh District International Representative John Easton, who served for three years on the council with Erikson when Easton was the Houston Local 716 business manager, called him “the perfect chairman for the IEC.”
“He questioned things. He just didn’t accept them and let them pass through,” he said. “It wasn’t a rubber-stamp board. He brought a lot of integrity to the IEC.
“That’s the kind of guy he was, and he did it in a very respectful manner,” Easton added. “That’s why I think people respected him. He wasn’t there for anyone but the membership.”
Erikson was reelected to the position at the 2016 and 2021 International Conventions. In 2016, he asked Easton to formally nominate him.
Even though the two are from far different parts of the country, they have a deep friendship. Easton had served as business manager since 2001, when Erikson was a Local 3 business representative, and the two served on the EM-5 General Electric Manufacturing System Council.
Being a native Texan, Easton heard plenty about the New Yorker. He was a little nervous about meeting Erikson at first.
He learned quickly that he had nothing to be worried about.
“You meet this guy, and you find that he’s a very open and personable brother,” Easton said. “From the first time I met him, you could tell he could speak to anybody.
“Meeting him was very refreshing,” Easton added. “It created a bond I had with him through our system council. Then we were part of the EWMC together. It’s been a lifelong friendship.”
The EWMC is the Electrical Workers Minority Caucus, an IBEW committee that Local 3 has been heavily involved in since its founding more than 50 years ago. Erikson received its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
He said bringing in more people of color and from historically underrepresented groups is a necessity for the IBEW to continue to thrive.
“There is no place like New York,” he said. “Like my grandfather said, if you want to see what America is going to look like in five years, ride the subway.”
It’s imperative for members of underserved communities to have opportunities to become foremen and take on other leadership roles on a jobsite, Erikson said. “I hope that my commitment to diversity and inclusion has been an important part of my legacy.”
Erikson was initiated into Local 3 in 1975 and joined the office staff as a business representative in 1989. He was appointed assistant business manager in 2000 in charge of Local 3’s maintenance department and negotiated more than 150 collective bargaining agreements.
He has received numerous honors both inside and outside the labor movement, including the Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award, which is awarded to American citizens who work selflessly to create a better society and has been awarded to eight U.S. presidents.
Local 3 has a large annual presence at the famous New York City Labor Day Parade, for which Erikson served as grand marshal in 2014. He remembers attending as a child with his grandfather and uncle and now regularly walks with his grandchildren at the event,
“You have never let me down, especially while thousands of us marched proudly year after year in the Labor Day Parade,” he told Local 3 members when announcing his retirement.
He and his wife, Denise, have been married for 42 years. They have four sons, two of whom are members and all have a connection to Local 3.
Chris Erikson Jr. is a Local 3 senior assistant business manager, and Robert is a Local 3 business representative. Thomas is an attorney who represents Local 3. Nicholas is employed by the Joint Industry Board in New York, an initiative started in 1943 between Local 3 and NECA to prioritize a good working relationship between the two.
Erikson said he plans to spend more time traveling and riding his motorcycle in retirement but isn’t stepping back from the labor movement.
He plans to continue serving numerous organizations and as president of Electrical Workers Without Borders North America, which is working to bring electrical power to homes in the 27,000-square mile Navajo Nation in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. He also will continue as the director of the Harry Van Arsdale Jr. Memorial Association, which promotes social and educational projects that reflect Harry’s legacy.
He said he is proud of the work done at Local 3 during the last 20 years, especially the construction of a modern training center on Long Island, the institution of a mentoring committee and the IBEW’s Code of Excellence program and ensuring that Local 3 members are employed in the transition to clean energy.
Yet he’s concerned about the union movement overall, especially during the anti-union Trump administration. He said a renewed commitment to organizing and electing candidates who reflect labor’s values is paramount.
He thanked Local 3 members in a farewell speech but challenged them to continue doing the work that keeps the IBEW strong. Brothers and sisters across the United States and Canada must do the same thing to ensure that the Brotherhood builds on the many wins during its 134-year history.
“I’ve had a wonderful career,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much I love the members and the business. I loved negotiating contracts with employers, even in difficult times.”
“We’re blessed as an organization, and it all goes back to Harry Van Arsdale,” he added. “He created this whole thing, and I’ve done everything I can to maintain Harry and Tom’s legacy. That’s what drove me every day.”
As he departs, he’s giving out a new sticker. It reads: “Keep the Union Strong.”
“It’s pretty simple but also profound,” Erikson said. “Everything we have is because of our membership in the IBEW. Our good wages, health benefits, pension, safe worksites, everything is at risk if we don’t keep the union strong.
“Don’t think about it, do it every day for yourselves and future generations of IBEW members,” he added.
The officers and staff thank Brother Erikson for his many years of service and wish him a long, happy retirement.
