Remember the Great Recession?
Reckless bill removes protections imposed on banks after 2009 collapse

Granite State Resolve
Citizen legislators say “No” to corporate, GOP effort to attack workers

Standing Against Hatred
Philly workers repair damage from vandals

Grid 2.0
Stephenson urges electrical infrastructure investments

North of 49°
IBEW Members Chosen for Leadership Conference

Au nord du 49° parallèle
Les membres de la FIOE ont été choisis pour la conférence sur le
leadership

IEC Minutes
December 2016

NEBF Annual Notice

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Construction Roars Back
Post Recession

Construction is on an upswing in Evansville, Ind., a city of about 120,000 people nestled on a bend in the Ohio River.

Evansville Local 16 members worked on a downtown hotel that was recently finished. They're now working on a new casino, new elementary school and a new Indiana University Medical School research center. Two local hospitals are involved in large-scale projects.

It's all led to near full employment for its 970 members, Business Manager Paul Green said.

"There's been some pretty positive trends here," he said.

The situation in Evansville isn't unique. Construction is booming across the country, leading to more work for IBEW members. But this new growth brings with it challenges the IBEW must meet if it wants to continue growing and seize the opportunity to build market share.

The hot construction market has revealed a growing skilled worker shortage, which is being felt across the industry. For the IBEW, that makes organizing the top priority.

"It's hugely important," Construction and Maintenance Director Jim Ross said. "If we can't supply the workers, our signatory contractors won't bid on projects."

Nationally, Dodge Data and Analytics estimated new construction starts to increase 5 percent nationally this year over 2016. Job growth showed no sign of slowing down nationally as 2017 dawned. An estimated 36,000 construction jobs were added in January.

For members enjoying steady work, that's great news.

But the IBEW's Membership Development Department reports that 42 locals across the country were experiencing open calls and 15 are expected to have a worker shortage of 100 or more during the next six months.

That may just be scratching the surface. Phoenix Local 640 expects to be between 400 and 800 workers short later this year as construction rebounds in the Valley of the Sun.

Stephenson:
Filling the Gap
Chilia: Fix Health Care, Don't Destroy It

Lawrence C. Farnan;
Austin Keyser;
Michael Grunwald

Record Snow Turns Out Calif. Lights; IBEW Turns Them Back On;
Looking to the Past for the Future of Organizing;
RENEW Gets Political in Iowa

How 'Clean' is Nuclear?;
What's Wrong with
Right-to-Work
Heroes in the Snow;
Healthy Members, Healthy Unions

April 2016
January 2017
February 2017

In Albuquerque, IBEW is a Family Affair