Articles from IBEW News

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Pres Cooper: Honoring Our Veterans (EW)

IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper honors military veterans in union ranks by sending challenge coins to every IBEW veteran. Cooper highlights union's heavy investment in veteran outreach including hiring an international representative for veterans' affairs, expanding Veterans Electrical Entry Program, and supporting 70+ local Veterans Committees. He urges locals to recruit more servicemembers, noting veterans bring loyalty, pride and teamwork that enrich IBEW jobsites and strengthen organizing efforts.

https://ibew.org/electrical_worker/honoring-our-veterans/?ref=ew

Sec-Treas Noble: A Fairer Factory Floor (EW)

International Secretary-Treasurer Paul Noble argues that unions are what make manufacturing jobs good jobs, citing model partnership between Local 2173 and Delta Star. Noble warns that momentum from Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and CHIPS Act is threatened by current administration reversals. He urges locals to leverage Clean Technology Training Trust to organize manufacturing sector, noting union membership below 10% demands aggressive action to restore North American manufacturing as middle-class foundation.

https://ibew.org/electrical_worker/a-fairer-factory-floor/?ref=ew

Members' Skills Impress At State Fair's First Lineworker Rodeo (EW)

IBEW-led lineworker rodeo debuts at Iowa State Fair, attracting 4,000+ visitors including Gov. Kim Reynolds and federal legislators. Fifteen teams of union journeymen from Iowa locals competed in four timed events including cutout change-outs, power line flips, emergency rescues, and signature egg climb. Event showcases labor-utility cooperation through LAMPAC partnership, with plans to make rodeo annual tradition and key organizing tool for recruiting veterans and young workers into IBEW.

https://ibew.org/electrical_worker/iowa-lineworker-rodeo/?ref=ew

House Bill Aims to Speed Up Negotiations for First Contracts (EW)

Rep. Donald Norcross (Local 351), only IBEW electrician in Congress, introduces bipartisan Faster Labor Contracts Act to combat union-busting delay tactics. Bill establishes 120-day timeline for first-contract negotiations, moving from talks (Day 10) to federal mediation (Day 90) to binding arbitration (Day 120+). Addresses problem where newly organized workers wait average 458 days for first contract. House companion to bipartisan Senate measure by Sens. Hawley and Booker aims to level playing field for workers who courageously organize.

https://ibew.org/electrical_worker/house-bill-aims-to-speed-up-negotiations-for-…

What's at Stake As Brazil Welcomes Summit

COP30 in Belem, Brazil marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement with critical discussions on climate finance, deforestation, and closing the gap between countries' pledges and the 1.5C warming target. Key issues include scaling climate financing from $300 billion to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, protecting tropical forests through Brazil's proposed $125 billion fund, and addressing the urgent need for ambitious national climate plans. Source: france24.com

https://www.france24.com/en/environment/20251026-whats-at-stake-brazil-belem-cop…

Hard Questions Loom

As COP30 approaches, challenging questions loom about climate finance delivery, adaptation funding, and whether countries can bridge the widening gap between current emissions trajectories and climate targets. Experts warn that without decisive action on financing mechanisms and accountability frameworks, vulnerable nations will continue bearing disproportionate climate impacts while lacking resources for resilience. Source: ft.com

https://www.ft.com/content/5e84ac7f-31f2-4e1a-ae1a-6b94f2a50850

Electricians Expand Into New Headquarters

IBEW Local 280 is opening a new 7,200-square-foot union hall and training center in Redmond, Oregon in January to accommodate growth driven by data center construction. The union has grown to 500 members, fueled by work on Facebook and Apple data center campuses in Prineville, with journeyman electricians earning $57.65 per hour. The electrician field in Central Oregon has grown 22.1% over the past decade. Source: redmondspokesman.com

https://redmondspokesman.com/2025/10/28/union-electricians-expand-into-new-redmo…

IBEW Takes Chicago By Storm in Show of Tradeswomen Solidarity

Nearly 6,000 tradeswomen gathered in Chicago for the 15th Annual Tradeswomen Build Nations conference, with IBEW representing over 800 members including 26 from Local 11. The event featured workshops on empowerment and leadership, highlighting growing programs like EMPOWER and the first-ever All-Women's Veteran Electrical Entry Program Pre-Apprenticeship class. Source: ibew11.org

https://ibew11.org/2025/10/ibew-takes-chicago-by-storm-in-show-of-tradeswomen-so…

Administration Axed NOAA's Climate Disaster Data. This Group Brought It Back

After the administration discontinued NOAA's billion-dollar disaster database in May 2025, Climate Central revived it under the leadership of former NOAA scientist Adam Smith. The database has tracked 417 weather and climate disasters totaling over $3 trillion since 1980, with 14 billion-dollar disasters occurring in the first six months of 2025 alone. Source: time.com

https://time.com/7327517/saving-noaa-billion-dollar-climate-disaster-data/

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