IBEW Leading Us Into the Future
I’ve often said that the electrical industry is the future. More than any other craft in the building trades, we will lead our members into the coming Electrical Revolution. At the Ninth District Progress Meeting in Alaska last week more than 100 IBEW leadership and staff from across the western United States gathered to address common issues confronting our members in our rapidly evolving industry.
The meeting gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas with other IBEW locals experiencing many of the same issues. We engaged in presentations on topics such as how to capture more work, exciting new technologies and renewable energy, battery storage, and for those of us in Los Angeles, the 2028 Olympics. We also heard from experts on politics and pro-labor legislation, member well-being, and how to support our IBEW veterans through programs like VEEP – all with the shared goal to become better stewards for every member.
I know the work picture is top of mind for many of you. As someone who has been in the industry for 35 years, I’ve seen my share of ups and downs – and the need for belt tightening for me and my family.
It’s tough. I know.
Ours can be a feast or famine industry. When times are good, they’re really good. And when things are leaner, like they are now for some of our members, it can be very stressful. Especially for those who have been in the business for the past 10-15 years. You’ve been lucky. Work had been plentiful, with cranes dotting the Southern California landscape.
But as a wise journeyman told me when I was a young pup starting out in the industry, “Save your money, put some aside, so when things get slow, you have something to fall back on.” That was good advice. I encourage all of you to follow it.
Good News on the Horizon
Now for some good news. I’m excited to share some upcoming projects that will soon improve the work picture.
• Residential sector
We just settled our residential negotiations last week. Congratulations to everyone involved. Residential is a growing sector for our membership. (See our Page 1 story). Both of the recently passed housing bills – ULA and HHH – will now be covered by these negotiations. Since I’ve become business manager, we’ve doubled the size of our residential crew from 20 to 45, and it will keep expanding. We also just started a new apprenticeship class focused on this growing area.
• 2028 Olympics
This is also a very promising area for near-term work. Our own Tommy Faavae in business development is on the LA28 Sustainability Committee, so he has a front-row seat to all the venues coming online or being renovated.
• LAX
LAX is starting to ramp up work again. Contractors are telling us that Q3 will be the beginning of more work in preparation for the Olympics.
• Convention Center renovation
Discussions about renovating our aging Convention Center have been going back and forth at City Council for years. But the Olympics is forcing the question, since the Center is scheduled to host several athletic events. We’re optimistic the Council will finally vote to allocate the funds, since it will bring additional money to the city.
• Battery storage
While the Trump administration is clamping down on any funding for renewable energy, including battery storage, we already have projects in place. We are concentrating on the private sector to fund these projects including battery storage and offshore wind.
• New contractors
Our business development and contractor development divisions have been busy finding new areas of work for our members. (See Ben Frank’s piece in this issue about signing several new contractors who are starting to hire our members). Next month we’ll talk to Tommy Faavae about what the Olympics will mean for our future.
In solidarity,
Robert Corona
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
