Mackinac Island sits at the meeting point of two Great Lakes and the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. It’s also where the three locals that cover northern Michigan intersect.

When the opportunity arose to organize the island, there could have been jurisdictional disputes. Instead, IBEW collaboration won the day — and almost all the market share.

“It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t all three locals working together,” Traverse City Local 498 Business Manager Dave Fashbaugh said. “At the end of the day, it didn’t matter to me which local got the work, as long as it was IBEW.”

The chance to organize on the island, a popular tourist destination that swells in population each summer, started roughly 10 years ago because of a long-standing relationship between Sixth District organizer Paul Kanary and Northern Power contractor Marc Archambault.

Archambault wasn’t a signatory contractor when he was working on Mackinac and needed additional workers at the last minute. Finding himself in a bind, he reached out to Kanary.

At the time, Kanary was an organizer with the Michigan Initiative, a statewide organizing push that all locals paid into. With the whole state to draw from, Kanary was able to reach out to Bay City Local 692, which covers the northeast portion of the lower peninsula, for the necessary journeymen. The wages were based on Local 498’s since they were the most competitive and that’s where Northern Electric was based. Local 498 covers northwest Michigan.

“It wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t all three locals working together.”

_{– Traverse City Local 498 Business Manager Dave Fashbaugh}

“They did a bang-up job,” Kanary said of the Local 692 members who went to Mackinac. “Marc was very, very impressed.”

The job opportunity came up quickly, Kanary and Archambault said, so there wasn’t time to sign the usual agreements. The deal was based on trust and cooperation as much as anything else.

“Anytime you’re organizing, that relationship is critical for them to trust you,” said Local 692 Business Manager Ryan Charney, who also serves as president of the Michigan State Conference.

The handshake deal paid off. Archambault got the manpower he needed to finish the job on time, and he saw firsthand the difference an IBEW journeyman makes.

“We brought the skill and got the job back on schedule,” said Local 692 member Ron Ruppert, one of the men who went to Mackinac. “We showed him how easy it was to get the best-qualified help.”

Ruppert and the others worked at Mission Point, a historic high-end resort, remodeling bathrooms, workout rooms and even a theater. The work itself wasn’t that challenging, but getting to and from the resort — or anywhere on the island — was.

Mackinac Island is known for its stunning natural beauty and historic charm, which is taken very seriously. There are no motorized vehicles, save for the necessary snowmobiles in winter. Visitors and residents alike travel by ferry or plane to get on and off, and getting stuck on the island is a legitimate occupational concern.

“It’s a challenge from the word ‘go,’” Archambault said.

With no cars or trucks allowed, service calls are done on bikes and materials are transported with horses and wagons. It’s often a two-day process to get equipment from the mainland.

“It’s an adventurer’s job,” Fashbaugh said. “It’s like nothing you’d see on the mainland anywhere.”

Archambault was so impressed with the work that Local 692 members did that he reached out again about a year later for more workers. This time, he signed on as a signatory.

“It’s better for the workers,” he said. “I pay more, but it’s going to a great cause.”

Upper Peninsula Local 906 Business Manager Kurtis Monroe said Archambault has been very accommodating when something in the collective bargaining agreement hits up against the island’s unique logistics.

“Northern Power has been a pleasure to work with,” he said. “They’ve gone above and beyond in several instances.”

Archambault even had weatherproof boxes made for his workers to carry their tools and other items around. In winter, when most of the work is done, the boxes are secured onto skis and pulled by snowmobile.

“Working on the island is quite the experience,” Ruppert said. “It’s also absolutely beautiful. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in my career.”

With the help of the IBEW’s hiring halls, Archambault has been able to grow his business. The majority of the work on the island is done between November and April, when the island is closed to tourists and it’s just the 500 or so people who live there year-round. During that period, he can have about 40 people working. And since there’s no on-island repair person, Northern Power will do just about anything electrical that needs fixing. Archambault estimates that he has about 85% market share.

Charney and Kanary credit the Michigan Initiative with giving everyone the ability to look past jurisdictional boundaries and get on the same page.

“When you work together with other locals, you can get really big wins,” Charney said, noting that any of the three locals can be called on if workers are needed, even though Mackinac is technically in Local 906’s jurisdiction.

Kanary noted the importance of having room to think outside the box.

“You can’t be pigeonholed by agreements,” he said. “You have to be willing to try anything and not get too rigid with the rules and tactics.”

While the uniqueness of Mackinac Island brought some singular challenges, what sealed the deal in the end is universal to the IBEW: the knowledge and professionalism of the members.

“Paul sold Marc on the IBEW, and we stood behind what he sold him,” Fashbaugh said.