Click here to discover everything the March issue has to offer.

The post A New Issue of The Electrical Worker is LIVE appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

“What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn’t earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee?”

_{– Martin Luther King Jr., March 1968}

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., seen here at the Lincoln Memorial during his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963, made clear that labor rights were central to the Civil Rights Movement.

Charlie Horhn’s activism took root in a segregated factory in Jackson, Miss., where “Colored” signs hung over the cafeteria, water fountains and restrooms Black workers were allowed to use. Even work areas were separated. Away from the plant’s whites-only assembly line, Horhn and other Black men forged components of small kitchen appliances for meager wages and the occasional nickel-an-hour raise.

He’d arrived at Presto Manufacturing in 1955, the same year that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s roaring calls for civil rights were first recorded, sermons that became entwined with labor rights. Until the day he died in April 1968, assassinated after marching with striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., King preached that economic and workplace justice were essential to achieving true freedom and quality.

Horhn, now 91, embodied King’s message. He marched for civil rights and doggedly registered Black voters, sharpening the organizing skills that would help persuade a majority of his 700 co-workers, Black and white alike, to join the IBEW.

“The labor movement saw how it could grow through the Civil Rights Movement, and the Civil Rights Movement saw how it could grow through labor,” Horhn said.

He remembers well the hard-won campaign that created Jackson Local 2268: An election loss in 1966, a victory in 1967 and three years of company appeals all the way to the Supreme Court. Three tenuous years holding workers together under the IBEW banner until they finally sat down at the bargaining table in spring 1970.

“It was a new day,” Horhn said. Within two months, Presto workers had a first contract with a 30-cent hourly raise; additional vacation days; and provisions on seniority, grievances, absences and more.

For Horhn, there would be many more triumphs ahead. The man who grew up on a farm in the Jim Crow South, who paid a $2 poll tax to vote while white precinct workers mocked him, would rise to be a powerful agent of change on the battlefields of labor, civil rights and politics.

He started with Presto. Appointed chief organizer of the new union, he used his clout to advance a longtime goal: more and better opportunities for Black women, who were restricted to the plant’s kitchen and daycare. Meanwhile, white women had jobs on the factory floor, some even joining men on the assembly line. “The company claimed Black women couldn’t pass the aptitude test,” Horhn said with disgust.

The 1964 Civil Rights Act made workplace discrimination illegal, but little had changed at Presto. Enforcement was lax. “Colored” and “Whites Only” signs came down, but a culture of segregation remained. Black men finally got tired of waiting. “We’d decided we were going to start integrating the bathrooms, water fountains and cafeteria ourselves,” Horhn said. “One night on the midnight shift, a group of Black employees walked into a ‘white’ restroom. A group of white men chased them out with pipes.”

No one was hurt. But tensions rose the next day when white workers marched out of the plant en masse in support of the racist mob. Trying to cool hostilities, the company formed a biracial committee, appointing Horhn and a white man as co-chairs. At the same time, Horhn was quietly engaged in another attempt at unity, the nascent organizing drive.

Horhn was proud of his sterling record at Presto, popular among his co-workers and respected by managers. As fervently as he would fight for the union, fear of losing his job kept him in the shadows at first. He found his courage when an IBEW international organizer explained that he was better protected out in the open. Otherwise, the company could fire him on phony grounds and lie about knowing he was a union supporter.

“The man said: ‘Monday we’re going to handbill the plant. I want you out there on the front line,’” Horhn recounted. “So I stood out there and handed out literature. Some of my co-workers thought I was crazy. They didn’t want to come close.” Spotting him, the plant manager later dispatched an assistant, Elmer, to ask Horhn what he wanted. He didn’t mince words: “You tell him the greatest thing I want is a union.”

Horhn wasn’t finished. “I told Elmer that I’d continue to be a good employee,” he said. “That was my record and I planned to keep it, but he could tell Mr. Halle that on my break times I’ll be talking to employees about the union.”

After the first election failed by three votes in 1966, organizers doubled down on their resolve. A year later, they won by a sizable margin, due in no small part to the Black women who’d been hired as a result of Horhn’s efforts. For the next three years, union leaders hustled to keep the coalition united against company’s attacks as Presto’s fight to derail the victory played out in court. 

With the union certified and contract achieved, Horhn’s influence in the labor movement grew steadily. Between 1972 and 1974, he established Mississippi’s first chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute advancing Black trade unionism and activism, became a founding member of the IBEW’s Electrical Worker Minority Caucus, and began 20 years of service as Local 2268’s president and business manager.

Understanding how politics and politicians could harm or help his members, and all workers and minorities, Horhn threw himself into campaigns for Black and pro-union candidates. His many successes include his eldest child, John Horhn, who served 32 years in the Mississippi Senate before being elected mayor of Jackson in 2025.

Politics became Horhn’s full-time career in 1993 after he ran the campaign that sent Bennie Thompson to Congress and was appointed as his district director. Now in his 17th term, Thompson was only the second Black lawmaker elected to represent Mississippi since Reconstruction.

For 20 years, Horhn oversaw constituent services and other district business in 23 counties, retiring in 2014 at age 80. The outpouring of gratitude and affection included a joint resolution in the Mississippi Legislature that saluted his “20 years of achievement and enormous civic energy,” and noted that the U.S. House “recognized Charlie as one of America’s most dedicated public servants.”

A widower, Horhn still lives in Jackson, with family there and across the South. “Five children, seven grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and two great-greats,” he said.

Speaking with The Electrical Worker, Horhn brought his story full circle, remembering the choice he made as he and other early supporters contemplated an organizing drive at Presto.

“I’d been contacted by IUE (furniture workers) and the IBEW,” he said. “When I weighed the strength of the two unions, I found the IBEW was the strongest one for our workers and the products we made.”

He’s proud of his lifetime of service but stressed more than once that he doesn’t like “to toot my own horn,” giving credit instead to the forces that shaped him, including the IBEW.

“I was a boy from a country farm,” Horhn said. “The union, they got me to be the man that I am. The union and the Civil Rights Movement.” 

The post Stronger Together: An IBEW and Civil Rights Veteran’s Lessons on Progress appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Ninth District International Vice President Dave Reaves joined Executive Director Kimberly Moore for the inaugural episode of the Clean Technology Training Trust’s “Apprenticeships WORK!” podcast.

Offering a tool from educators, policymakers and nonunion contractors understand the IBEW apprenticeship, Reaves used his own story as a launch pad to explain how joint apprenticeships advance and align the interests of workers, employers and communities. 

Reaves also talks about the history and function of the Clean Technology Training Trust which began in the Ninth District and now operates nationwide. 

Listen to the episode here or search for “Apprenticeships WORK!” on your favorite podcast platform.

The post Clean Technology Training Trust Launches Podcast: ‘Apprenticeships WORK!’ appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

In response to the Moss Landing fire, the state has strengthened battery safety regulations. IBEW and the industry are supportive of SB 283 and these enhanced standards, which aim to reassure the public about safety. 

Additionally, as a condition for utilizing the streamlined approval process under AB 205, developers are required to employ a skilled and trained workforce—creating more job opportunities for IBEW members!

Read More Here: https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/batteries/california-law-moss-landing-fire-safety

The post IBEW Leads the Charge: New California Law Enhances Battery Safety Standards! appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

A new IBEW-backed bill would bring the “no tax on overtime” legislation enacted earlier this year to more workers, including railroaders, union building trades workers and firefighters.

“This bill honors the sacrifices of those who keep our neighborhoods safe and our economy strong, while ensuring hardworking Americans can keep more of what they earn,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, who introduced the bill. “By lightening the tax burden on overtime pay, we’re rewarding the extra hours and hard work that so many families depend on.”

The legislation, which has bipartisan support, would amend a portion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July, to include more workers who are eligible for a tax deduction on overtime. As currently written, the law allows certain workers the ability to deduct up to $25,000 in overtime earnings from taxable income.

The new bill, dubbed the No Tax on Overtime for All Workers Act, would expand the tax deduction to include workers covered by the Railway Labor Act and workers whose overtime is defined by a collective bargaining agreement. This includes railroaders, first responders, transport workers, municipal workers and union building trades workers.

The IBEW joins 20 other unions and affiliates, representing more than 3 million workers, in supporting the legislation, cosponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers: Reps. Emilia Sykes of Ohio, Nick LaLota of New York, Steven Horsford of Nevada, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Tom Suozzi of New York.

“We commend Representatives Malliotakis, Sykes, Suozzi, LaLota, Fitzpatrick, and Horsford for their bipartisan leadership in introducing legislation to expand the No Tax on Overtime benefit,” International President Kenneth W. Cooper said. “This bill will ensure IBEW railroaders receive the same fair treatment as other eligible workers, recognizing the long hours they put in to keep our economy and communities moving,” 

The bill, introduced Sept. 18, was designed to be enacted in time for the upcoming tax season.

“Hard work should never be punished. The No Tax on Overtime for All Workers Act is a bipartisan, pro-worker reform that makes qualified overtime pay fully deductible — because when working Americans give more of their time, they deserve more in their paycheck,” Fitzpatrick said.

The post House Bill Would Expand Overtime Tax Cut to Rail Workers appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

A new bipartisan bill in the U.S. House would put first-contract negotiations on the fast track, aiming to take away union-busting delay tactics after employees organize.

“It takes an average of 458 days to get a first contract — and that’s if you get a first contract,” said Rep. Donald Norcross, a member of Folsom, N.J., Local 351 and the only IBEW-represented electrician in Congress, citing a Bloomberg Law report. “It’s not by accident that this happens.”

Norcross’ bill, the Faster Labor Contracts Act, calls for a set timeframe for first-contract negotiations, beginning with a deadline to start talks within 10 days of a bargaining unit’s election certification. If an agreement can’t be reached by Day 90, negotiations would move to federally supervised mediation.

If talks remain stalled by Day 120, the parties would then have 14 more days under the act either to agree on a three-person binding arbitration panel or to have the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service appoint a panel for them.

That panel’s decision would become the bargaining unit’s first two-year agreement.

“Companies of all sizes mistreat workers and disrespect organized labor with stalling tactics because they know they can,” Government Affairs Director Dean Warsh said at a Sept. 16 Capitol Hill event announcing the bill. “The Faster Labor Contracts Act is sensible legislation that will help working people, as well as the NLRB, by setting firm and enforceable contract negotiation timelines.”

Norcross is a journeyman inside wireman and former Local 351 business representative who has represented New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District since 2014. Joining him to announce the bill was the principal cosponsor, Minnesota Rep. Pete Stauber, whose labor bona fides include union membership as a minor league hockey player and, later, as an officer with the Duluth Police Department.

Ironworkers President Eric Dean and Teamsters President Sean O’Brien also were on hand to deliver remarks in favor of the FLCA, while nearly 50 members of several unions stood on risers behind the speakers and held up posters in support of the bill.

The Norcross bill is the House companion to a bipartisan Senate measure introduced in April by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.

International President Kenneth W. Cooper encourages IBEW members to tell their representatives in both chambers to support their respective versions of the Faster Labor Contracts Act: S. 844 in the Senate and H.R. 5408 in the House.

“Workers who courageously rally their brothers and sisters to organize and join a union deserve a chance to get a speedy first contract without a fight,” Cooper said. “These bills provide an opportunity to level the playing field for working people.”

To learn how to support the IBEW’s legislative priorities, visit ibewgov.org. You can call your senator or representative at (202) 224-3121.

The post House Bill Aims to Speed Up Negotiations for First Contracts appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Members of Houston Locals 66 and 716 attended the annual Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference in Chicago in September 2025.

Sponsored by North America’s Building Trades Unions, TWBN seeks to empower women in the trades through community, support and more.

This year’s conference celebrated sisterhood, solidarity, and opportunity in the unionized building trades, with the theme “She’s not waiting. She’s leading.”. It was a major event for the building trades, aimed at expanding opportunities and strengthening career pathways for women in construction.

The post 7th District Locals Attend 2025 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The 15th Annual North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference took place in Chicago, Illinois at the McCormick Place Convention Center from September 19-21, 2025.  Almost 6,000 tradeswomen, advocates, and industry leaders gathered in the largest assembly of craft workers in the world!  IBEW made an impressive showing of almost 800 members in attendance.  

This year’s theme: “She’s not waiting.  She’s leading.” set the tone of empowerment for enthusiastic participants.

A total of twenty-six IBEW 9th District members from IBEW Local 11 arrived on Thursday afternoon to assist IBEW Director of Civic & Community Engagement, Jennifer Gray, her staff, and other IWC members in preparing swag bags for IBEW members.  Items included the 2025 IBEW Policy Brief, t-shirt, coin, stickers, magnet, and thunder sticks.

On Friday, several delegates participated in a Tradeswomen’s Fishing Event sponsored by Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) available to the first 300 participants at William Powers State Recreation Area from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. TWBN registration opened at 8:00 a.m. accompanied with an adjacent Exhibit Hall including various union booths and vendors. IWC members staffed the IBEW registration and coordinated swag bag distribution.

IBEW 134 graciously welcomed all IBEW Delegates to Chicago by hosting a welcome reception at their Local Union Hall offering food and drinks from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.  Following the reception, delegates returned to the McCormick Place Convention Center to enjoy more food and drinks and live entertainment hosted by TWBN as part of their Opening Reception from 5:30pm – 7:00pm.

On Saturday, breakfast was available starting at 6:30am and up until the start of the plenary session at 8:00am.     As part of the program routine, IWC members assisted in Sergeant of Arms duties during the plenary and banner parade.  The conference Emcees opened with the traditional trade unions “shout out” as a way of acknowledging and recognizing those present in the room.  The Emcees introduced NABTU President, Sean McGarvey, along with other speakers being individually introduced by union women with inspiring stories, including IBEW member Sidney Jablonski, IBEW Local 99, who introduced AFL-CIO President Liz Schuler.

After the opening plenary, the traditional banner parade led tradeswomen outside of the Convention Center to march down the streets of Chicago from 10:15am – 12:00pm.  All IBEW members wore matching blue IBEW t-shirts while carrying thunder sticks displaying the IBEW logo for high visibility.  Members proudly marched, chanted, waved their thunder sticks, and distributed IBEW stickers and extra thunder sticks to neighborhood children eagerly watching the parade alongside their families.

Once the parade concluded, boxed lunches were made available to attendees as they proceeded to their workshop of choice.  Of the 17 workshop breakout sessions from 1:15pm – 2:45pm, three 9th District IBEW delegates led in conducting workshops.  Rachel Shoemake, Assistant Business Manager, IBEW Local 302 and I representing Local 11 participated as part of the panel “Building Strong Voices:  Communications & Leadership & Influence for Women in Construction.”  Lyseria Kursave IBEW 569, participated on the panel, “LGBTQIA In The Workplace.”  In addition, Sabrina Westfall IBEW 1, participated on “Beyond the Hardhat:  Expanding Career Pathways for Women in the Trades.”  

From 3:00pm – 4:30pm, IBEW members gathered in a space for the IBEW Caucus led by IBEW Director Jennifer Gray.  Speeches were delivered by Jammi Ouellette, Senior Assistant to the International President, Liz Schuler, AFL-CIO President and IBEW member, Robert Corona, IBEW Local 11 Business Manager, Concetta Defa, IBEW 354 and Julie Strzempka with Center for Energy Workforce Development, and a panel with IWC members Erin Sullivan, IBEW 3, Meagan Olmstead, IBEW 2228, Sarah Faber, IBEW 499, and me with IBEW Local 11.  At the conclusion of the caucus, a group photo was captured by IBEW Media.

On Sunday, breakfast was once again available from 7:30am – 8:30amwith the plenary session starting at 8:30am.  Guest speakers took the stage, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to deliver the closing speeches from 8:30am – 10:30am.  Following the speeches, the conference emcees announced the 2026 conference dates of October 9-11, 2026 in Houston, Texas.  Workshops convened from 10:45am-12:30pm including a repeat of 17 breakout sessions from the day prior.   

As I reflect on having attended my first Tradeswomen Build California in 2002, which grew into the Tradeswomen Build Nations as we know it today, it is exhilarating to witness and partake in the massive progress of tradeswomen empowerment that has developed over the years.  The conference continuously evolves into an inclusive environment welcoming women across all trades and the growing number of IBEW women participating serves as powerful evidence of the conference’s success.  

It is difficult to describe the energy of this conference, and as I often say, “You have to be there and experience it, to understand.”  Tradeswomen leave this conference invigorated, motivated, and energized to become more involved and committed and eager to learning more.  When I asked the women of the IBEW Caucus to raise their hands if they had a women’s committee, I was happily surprised to see the majority of the room raise their hands.  I would argue that IBEW women that attend TWBN are more likely to become activists in their Local Unions and actively participate in forming a women’s committees for ongoing support and growth.  

For these reasons, and in appreciation for the impact these conferences have had on me personally and professionally over the years, I would strongly recommend and highly encourage all IBEW Local Unions be in support of sending as many women delegates as possible.  It is a well worth investment that ultimately yields positive returns for the entire IBEW.

The post IBEW at 2025 Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Earlier this month, IBEW California local unions and our California State Association of Electrical Workers stood united in Sacramento, advocating for our vital legislative priorities that will secure more IBEW jobs, shape the future of our electrical workforce, and protect our communities.

Here’s what we fought for:

RENEWABLE ENERGY JOBS: We pushed for solar, wind, and battery storage projects to benefit from streamlined processes – WITH workforce standards that prioritize our skilled workers.

ELECTRICITY AFFORDABILITY: Our call for fair utility practices includes protecting wages and limiting utility borrowing, so families aren’t left to shoulder the burden of rising costs.

WILDFIRE FUND REPLENISHMENT: With the wildfire fund nearly depleted, we urged for renewed commitments to safeguard Californians in future crises.

CAP-AND-INVEST EXTENSION: Supporting the continuation of this program means more jobs and funding for critical infrastructure projects, benefiting our entire state.

And we’re not stopping there! We’re advocating for SB 597 for contractor accountability, ensuring our rights and safety remain a priority.

Proud moments included meeting with Assemblymembers and Senators who share our vision for a stronger California.

Thank you to all IBEW members for your dedication! Let’s keep pushing for progress! #IBEW#LobbyDay2025#UnionStrong#AdvocacyInAction

Check out our photo highlights from the day on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCs3RY.

The post 2025 IBEW California Lobby Day Recap! appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

I grew up in Southern California during the smog-filled 1980s. Some days, you couldn’t even see the mountains. After a lap around the track at school, your chest would burn. Since then, the progress has been real, but the work of protecting our air and our health is far from finished.

As the world has watched the recent conflict in the Middle East, Americans have once again seen gas price instability rise with the tension. This happens every time instability flares up in oil-producing regions. The problem isn’t new—and neither is the solution.

We don’t have to keep tying our economy and our national security to imported oil. We can power our transportation system with American electricity instead. Electric vehicles are a key part of that solution. While they’re often discussed in terms of climate and health benefits, EVs also deliver something every American should care about: energy security.

Unlike gas-powered vehicles, EVs run on electricity generated here at home. You can charge them at home or at one of the tens of thousands of public stations now available nationwide. And you’re not fueling up with oil from overseas—you’re drawing power from the U.S. electric grid, increasingly supplied by a diversified mix of cleaner American energy sources.

This shift makes us stronger. It gives families more stability and more control. The average EV driver saves hundreds of dollars a year on fuel and maintenance. That adds up quickly, especially for commuters and working families. And the more we electrify transportation, the less we are at the mercy of foreign governments and global oil markets.

Of course, there’s a reason some special interests are trying to stop this progress.

Fossil fuel companies poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the last election to support candidates and policies that protect their profits and keep America dependent on oil. That’s also why we’ve seen a coordinated effort to spread false information about EVs—attacking their reliability and ignoring the cost savings.

Here are the facts. EV technology has improved dramatically. Range is up, costs are down, and public charging infrastructure is expanding fast. The grid is getting stronger every year, and I’ve been proud to be one of the leaders in Congress working to modernize it. And battery production in the U.S. has grown substantially, helping us reduce reliance on overseas supply chains. But if we retreat now, that progress could stall.

Meanwhile, we are losing the global EV race to China. Chinese automakers already dominate global EV markets and are flooding other countries with low-cost electric cars. If we fail to invest in American manufacturing, American workers, and American innovation, we risk falling permanently behind.

That’s why we must stay the course: maintaining strong incentives for EVs, building out a national charging network, and making smart investments in our power grid and domestic supply chains.

It also means defending the clean air standards that got us here in the first place. For decades, California has led the nation with stronger pollution rules, using a waiver granted under President Nixon. Those rules haven’t just accelerated EV adoption—they’ve helped reduce asthma, improve air quality, and drive innovation across the auto industry. And they’ve been supported by both Republican and Democratic governors alike.

But now, some in Congress want to strip California and other states of that authority. They talk about states’ rights until a state tries to protect its citizens’ health. That’s not leadership. That’s surrendering to the same polluters who are trying to block our future.

Clean air and energy security aren’t partisan. They’re American. And if we want to protect both, we have to keep moving forward—not back to the smog, not back to the price spikes, and not back to a time when foreign oil dictated our future.

The road to real energy independence is electric. Let’s stay on it.

The post The Road to Real Energy Independence Is Electric appeared first on International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.