This month, thousands of IBEW delegates and guests will converge on San Diego for the 41st International Convention of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

When we left our last convention four years ago, we did so with a clear agenda: to double down on organizing so we can continue to fulfill our union’s founding objective.

Since Chicago, we’ve made that agenda core to everything we do. And because of that, we are even closer to the goal of 1 million members before the decade is out.

In 2022, the IBEW had about 775,000 members. Today our membership stands at 908,000 — and it’s growing faster than we’ve seen in generations.

This year alone, we’ve grown by more than 34,000 members, a milestone we hadn’t hit in more than half a century.

Because of the dedication and sacrifice of every IBEW brother and sister, today we’re bigger, stronger and better positioned than ever to seize all the opportunities in front of us.

Every single new member, signatory and contract signed means more power for the IBEW to fight for better wages and benefits and to secure our work across North America.

Because of the bargaining power that comes with a growing membership, we didn’t just secure the first NEBF increase in decades. We also set up the first new pension plan since 1949: the National Electrical Individual Benefit.

And increased strength in numbers means more power to build partnerships that protect and expand work opportunities for IBEW members. That strength allowed us to secure agreements with the Laborers’ Union and the International Union of Operating Engineers that make it clear that solar, underground and transmission work belongs to the IBEW.

Every new program we’ve adopted since 2022 — four-year apprenticeships, the 12,000-hour rule, district-wide organizing plans — have all been about building membership and IBEW power across North America.

We’ve come so far since our last convention and made incredible progress. But the real challenge still lies ahead.

The hunger for energy is growing. New manufacturing facilities, transmission and infrastructure investment, and data center construction are driving the biggest demand for electrical workers in a century.

Economists predict that the United States and Canada will need nearly 100,000 electrical workers each year over the next decade. Employment is expected to grow at a rate far outpacing each nation’s average.

The real question facing the IBEW isn’t whether we’re growing but whether we’re growing fast enough.

Because the organization that meets today’s workforce demands will lead the electrical industry for decades to come. And we’re determined that that organization will be the IBEW.

We’re not just seeing growth opportunities in inside and outside construction. We’re organizing in every branch of the IBEW, allowing us to rebuild our power across sectors.

This year’s convention will be historic. The decisions we make in San Diego will shape the IBEW’s agenda for the next five years, preparing us to meet the challenges and grab the opportunities ahead.

Even if you can’t be with us in person, this convention belongs to every IBEW member. We encourage you to read more about it in this issue and follow the proceedings on IBEW.org and social media channels.

The theme of this year’s convention is “Powering a Brighter Future” because that’s exactly what this gathering is about — charting a course that strengthens our union and secures a brighter future for today’s members and for generations of electrical workers still to come.

If we seize this moment to strengthen our leadership, there is no limit to what the IBEW can achieve.

But that depends on every member answering the call and carrying forward Henry Miller’s vision of organizing every worker in the electrical industry.

Every worker, in every branch of our Brotherhood, needs to know there is a place for them in the IBEW. They need to understand the opportunities that union membership creates; the security that comes with a strong contract; and the dignity, respect and voice that collective bargaining provides.

And the best messenger is you. The IBEW has changed your life for the better, and no one can tell that story better than you. Share your experience with the people you meet every day. Often, all it takes is a single conversation to inspire someone to join our Brotherhood — or at the very least, plant the seed that one day they will.

I don’t think anyone at our last convention could have predicted just how far we’d come in four short years. I know the decisions we make in San Diego will take us even further if we continue to remain true to the principles that have guided the IBEW for more than a century.

See you in San Diego.