The International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers is as old as the commercial use of electricity itself. It is the
oldest, as well as the largest, electrical union in the world.
Various histories of labor record no attempts to organize electrical workers
during the experimental days of electricity. In 1844 the first telegraph wires
were strung between Washington and Baltimore carrying that famous message of
Samuel Morse, ``What
hath God wrought?" This was the first electrical accomplishment of commercial
importance. It changed the whole aspect of electricity, which most people
believed to be an interesting but dangerous experiment. In 1848 the first
telegraph station was built in Chicago. By 1861 a web of telegraph lines
crisscrossed the United States, and in 1866 the transatlantic cable was laid.
Linemen to string the wires became a necessity, and young men flocked eagerly
to enter this new and exciting profession.
Opportunity Grows
With Edison's invention of the first successful incandescent lamp in 1879, the
general public became aware of the possibilities of electricity. The electric
power and light industry was established with the construction of the Pearl
Street Generating Station in New York in 1882. Where once only a few intrepid
linemen handled electricity for a thrill, many now appeared on the scene, and
wiremen, too, seeking a life's work. As public demand for electricity
increased, the number of electrical workers increased accordingly. The surge
toward unionism was born out of their desperate needs and deplorable safety
conditions.
Early Signs of Unity
Beginning in
1870 many small, weak unions organized, then disappeared. However, by 1880
enough telegraph linemen had organized to form their own local assembly and
affiliate with the Knights of Labor. A few more locals soon organized, and a
district council was formed. In 1883 this council called a general strike
against the telegraph companies. The strike failed and broke up the first known
attempt to organize electrical workers. The urge to unite was strong, however;
and another attempt was made in 1884 this time with a secret organization known
as the United Order of Linemen. Headquarters for this union was in Denver, and
the group attained considerable success in the western part of the United
States.
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The IBEW Sees Hard Times
The country was plunging into a severe economic depression at the time of
the Third Convention, held in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1893. Many older
members were forced to drop out of the organization. At that time wiremen and
linemen were organized into separate local unions in cities where the
membership was large enough. However, linemen and wiremen frequently argued
over which branch had the right to enroll members of other branches of the
trade not numerous enough to organize locals of their own. These disputes
surfaced forcefully at the Third Convention.
Making Ends Meet
In the early days constitutional amendments had to be submitted to every member
with a two-thirds affirmative vote required for adoption. Conventions could
only recommend, not adopt. The Third Convention voted to recommend an increase
in per capita tax to 15 cents, which the members subsequently approved. Members
also voted by referendum that year to hold conventions every two years. Queren
Jansen served as Grand President from 1893 to 1894, with Henry Miller serving
as Third Grand Vice President and Grand Organizer. In 1894 Secretary-Treasurer
Kelly reported a loss for the year of $468.50, which was covered by loans from
various members and locals. With many obligations to be met, Kelly wrote, ``It
was under such circumstances, when the very life of the organization depended
on it, that I mortgaged my household effects and building association stock to
meet the checks and get out the Journal with proceedings of the
Convention...."
Issues Evolve
Unsafe working
conditions and substandard wages prevailed. Local Union 1 reported as late as
1897 that the wage of an electrician in St. Louis was only $2.00 per day.
However, general conditions of work in the industry and the safety record for
electrical workers began to improve, due to the adoption of an apprenticeship
system. To effect better conditions in the industry and to rid the trade of its
large numbers of unskilled and incompetent mechanics, the first NBEW
Constitution established an apprenticeship system which required a minimum of
three years' training under the supervision of a journeyman before an applicant
could become eligible for membership. The system also limited the ratio of the
number of apprentices to the number of journeymen an employer might employ.
Later the term of apprenticeship was extended and an apprentice was required to
pass an examination before being admitted to membership in a local union. In
addition to the severe depression ravaging the country in 1894 and 1895,
hostile employers and anti-labor prejudice were almost insurmountable. Those
were the days of beatings and blacklistings. Members concealed their
``tickets" (union cards) in their shoes as they traveled from place to
place seeking employment. One early account tells of the experience of a member
traveling by boxcar to Cripple Creek, Colorado, to find work. He was dragged
from the car and searched. When an IBEW card was found in his pocket, he was
chained to a tree, whipped and shipped out of town on the next freight.
Strength Amid Struggle
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James T. Kelly |
Conditions took
their toll. When the Fourth Convention opened in Washington, D.C., in 1895,
only 12 delegates answered the roll call; the treasury showed a deficit of
$1,016. Our Brotherhood was certainly at a low ebb. It is amazing that the
union did not fall apart completely. It probably would have, had it not been
for that stalwart of our Brotherhood, Grand Secretary J. T. Kelly. He kept the
foundering union afloat with the strength and encouragement of a few more
members who refused to abandon their dream of a strong national union and a
better life for all. The delegates to the Washington Convention corrected some
past mistakes and established a sounder financial policy for the Brotherhood.
The funeral benefit covering a member's spouse, which proved too heavy a burden
for the treasury, was abolished. The minimum initiation fee was increased to
$5.00, and the per capita was raised to 25 cents a month. In addition, the
office of Grand Secretary-Treasurer was separated into two offices. Harry W.
Sherman served as Grand President from 1894 to 1897, when he succeeded the
veteran J. T. Kelly as Grand Secretary. Meanwhile, the man who did so much to
breathe life into this organization, Henry Miller, died from an industrial
accident while working for the Potomac Electric Power Company. On July 10,
1896, while working as head lineman of a crew repairing storm damage, Brother
Miller suffered an electrical shock and fell from a power pole, striking his
head. Newspaper accounts stated he remained conscious, was carried to his
rooming house, treated by a doctor and died about eight hours after the
accident. At the age of 43, he had no money and was buried at the power
company's expense. The undertaker's record shows expenses of $63.50, including
$1.50 for a shirt, collar and tie. The man who gave so much of himself for
others was destitute and without a decent outfit to his name. According to the
many friends he made while organizing and working as a lineman, Brother Miller
often went without food and deprived himself of needed clothing so his earnings
could benefit his dream the NBEW. His final resting place is in Glenwood
Cemetery in Washington, D.C., Section F, Range B, Site 179. His dream lives on.
The IBEW provides for perpetual care of his gravesite.
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Victory, Growth & Progress
The Fifth Convention, held in Detroit in 1897, proved that the courage of
people who persevere despite great odds had not been in vain. Work became
more plentiful, membership increased and the Brotherhood treasury showed a
surplus. Encouraged, the officers sent an organizer to Canada; and a
successful campaign began there. J. H. Maloney served as Grand President from
1897 to 1899.
The Constitution adopted in 1891 vested considerable executive power in the
officers, but such power was exercised rarely in the early years of the Brotherhood.
The officers were not paid regular salaries and earned their living working
at their trade. Traveling organizers received expense money if the union
could afford it. Despite the remarkable devotion of these men and the
personal sacrifices they made to perform the work of the Brotherhood, they
were unable to devote sufficient time to union business to ensure that locals
complied with the provisions of the Constitution. Headquarters, as well as
the international officers, changed frequently. Effective Leadership
In 1901 when the Seventh Convention met in St. Louis, the Grand Secretary
reported that unconstitutional strikes were so numerous that year as many as
40 at one time that he was unable to keep an accurate record. The
International was reluctant to suspend a local union for disregarding its
obligations when the dues and support of each local were so critically
needed. But the lack of discipline discredited the organization in the eyes
of employers. W. A. Jackson, elected President at the Seventh Convention,
tried to cope with the situation; but such oversight required the services of
a full-time, salaried officer.
Accordingly, at the Eighth Convention, held in 1903 at Salt Lake City, Utah,
the members elected F. J. McNulty as Grand President and voted him a
full-time salary so he might dedicate his time solely to the interests of the
union. A strong, magnetic leader, Frank McNulty served in this office until
1919.
The change was an important event in the history of the Brotherhood. It transformed
the international body from a weak association into a coordinated and
effective organization. President McNulty was determined that the provisions
of the Constitution should be enforced, particularly those dealing with
relations between the union and employers. All infractions were promptly
punished. In a short time, the organization regained its prestige as
employers were assured that any contracts they might make with local unions
would be respected and enforced.
Enforcement of the Constitution also favorably affected the Brotherhood's
growth. Illegal and unsuccessful strikes had discouraged many members and had
forced them to seek employment wherever they could find it. After an
unsuccessful strike many locals found themselves almost entirely disorganized
and had to drop out of the Brotherhood. Under President McNulty's
constructive policy, many difficulties which formerly would have resulted in
strikes were peacefully settled; and turnover in membership greatly
decreased. Dissenting Forces
Annual records show that the membership in good standing prior to 1903 was
composed almost entirely of the new members initiated each year. In some
cases there were fewer members in good standing at a year's end than had
joined during the year. In December 1903, for example, the total membership
in good standing was 9,922; however, 18,341 new members had been initiated
during the preceding 12 months.
In 1905, just two years after the President became full-time, the total
dues-paying membership had increased to 24,000, while 12,247 new members had
been initiated during the preceding two years. The Brotherhood was not only
recruiting members, it was retaining them.
In 1908 when the IBEW was in pretty fair condition with paid officers, a
treasury balance and a strong organization a bitter internal struggle
erupted. This costly experience, which resulted in the secession of a large
percentage of the Brotherhood, was known as the Reid-Murphy split, named
after the two officers elected by the seceding faction. Frank J. McNulty and
Peter W. Collins remained the true officers of our Brotherhood.
A number of problems caused the split; such as the long-brewing dissension
between wiremen and linemen, stimulated by disappointed office seekers and by
a former Grand Treasurer removed from office in 1907 because of
irregularities. In addition, employer forces appeared to want the
fast-growing union to be destroyed. So they fostered the struggle which
divided our Brotherhood for six long years.
A large number of local union representatives attended a special convention
called by the dissenting forces in 1908. They refused to recognize President
McNulty and Secretary Collins. Instead, they elected J. J. Reid as President
and J. W. Murphy as Secretary. The Reid faction secured an injunction to
prevent disbursement of union funds. The McNulty group secured another to
forestall seizure of the International Office and operated on loans from
local unions and individuals. AFL President Samuel Gompers unsuccessfully
attempted to reconcile the groups, then subsequently recognized the
McNulty-Collins faction as the ``legitimate" Brotherhood. A Turning Point
Two conventions were held in 1911. Photos in the IBEW Archives show that the
Reid-Murphy Convention was much larger than the McNulty-Collins Convention.
While no reliable figures on the membership of the Reid-Murphy faction can be
obtained, it has been conceded that the Reid faction at one time controlled
three-fourths of the organized electrical workers in the United States and
Canada.
Finally, a court decision in February 1912 declared the 1908 convention
illegal and its actions void; union funds were restored to the AFL-recognized
group. That 1912 court decision marked the turning point of the rebellion. Union Spirit Survives The 12th
Convention of our Brotherhood, held in Boston in 1913, included nearly all of
the local unions which had seceded. In his report to the Convention, Frank J.
McNulty, now a 10-year veteran as Grand President, tried to bind the wounds
of secession and inspire the members to carry on in a true spirit of
unionism. Speaking of his years in office, he said: ``I have seen our Brotherhood in
victory, as well as in seeming defeat t; I cannot say in defeat, because I do
not concede to anyone that our Broth Brotherhood has met defeat....No labor
organization, in our opinion, is ever defeated. When it suffers a setback, it
incites the members to greater effort in organization and makes better pilots
out of the leaders who profit by their past experiences and guide their
organizations over the dangerous shoals upon which they had grounded in the
past.... ``We have fought a clean fight, and we
have won, simply because we were right.... ``We have not centralized our efforts
to bring about temporary advantages for our Brotherhood; we rather have
endeavored to fortify the trenches of our Brotherhood, so as to make them
impregnable against the forces of its enemies in the future...." President McNulty then
directed a poignant statement to those of us reading our Brotherhood's
history many years later: ``When the history of our Brotherhood
is read by the Electrical Workers of the future and we have all transferred
our cards to our local union in Heaven, they will appreciate our efforts.
They will realize and know that we fought the battle successfully that
assured its future prosperity." At the 1913 Convention
President McNulty presided with a new partner. Brother P. W. Collins, who
stood with Brother McNulty during the days of secession, resigned on July 15,
1912. Charles P. Ford was appointed Secretary in his place. Winning Back
Membership The 12th Convention, with
delegates representing 18,500 members, lasted 14 days. The Convention again
attempted to put the IBEW on a firmer financial basis by voting to recommend
to the membership an increase in per capita from 30 to 40 cents. That action,
as well as all convention actions except the election of officers, had to be
submitted to the membership for approval. While the per capita increase and
other constitutional amendments passed, the requirement of membership
approval continued to handicap the organization. Once more in possession of
its funds and with AFL backing, the McNulty administration gradually won back
its membership. By 1914 the locals which constituted the Reid faction were
readmitted. Those who left the Brotherhood with Reid and Murphy received
credit for whatever standing they would have enjoyed had they never seceded.
They also received 12 months' credit in the payment of death benefits. Those
who joined the secessionists but were never in the IBEW received the same
consideration. Rapid Growth From 1913 to 1919, while
our Brotherhood was feeling its way and setting the stage for progressive
action, membership exploded: from 23,500 in 1913 to 148,072 in 1919. Many
factors contributed to this growth; but the most significant by far was World
War I and the consequent great demand for electricity, with its power and
versatility. Our union had mechanics trained to handle electricity, and the
IBEW could quickly train more. Our ranks swelled as the call went out for
IBEW members to perform the vitally important role of building our first
``Arsenal of Democracy." The IBEW's 13th Convention
was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1915 and the 14th in Atlantic City in
1917, with the same principal officers at the helm. The history of our
organization was not affected significantly by the actions of these
Conventions, chiefly because the decisions of the delegates were defeated
when submitted to a referendum vote, as our Constitution required. The only laws adopted
during those years were amendments submitted separately to the membership.
One of the amendments passed in 1918 established a separate Telephone
Operators Department. Operators had full rights and full vote at conventions.
Because of efforts to encourage organization among them, however, they paid
about half the per capita paid by other members. Policy for Progress A constitutional amendment
adopted in 1918 declared all Convention actions final, except when the
Convention itself votes to refer a matter to the membership for
consideration. This single change is credited with allowing a more effective
and efficient operation of our Brotherhood, curtailing contentious political
maneuvers and fractious circular letters. Thus, the amendment enabled the
officers to focus their attention on the jobs they were elected to perform.
If not for our predecessors' foresight in adopting this policy, much of our
union's progress might never have been accomplished. At the very least, our
progress would have been seriously delayed. |
Open Shop Legislation
Shortly after the armistice of November 11, 1918, the open-shop movement in
the United States, the infamous, misnamed American Plan was adopted; and
every piece of antiunion propaganda and trick in the book were pulled against
us and our fellow union members in the AFL.
Anti-union employers attempted to destroy the labor movement through legal and
not-so-legal means. Employers in Canada and the United States campaigned
nationwide against unions. Restrictive laws were passed. Court injunctions,
strikebreakers and spy agencies were used. Frequent bombings and beatings
terrorized members and potential members. The tactics of the robber barons of
the day and the government they ``owned" were very effective at
intimidating organized labor. Aided by the scourge of unemployment, by 1925 our
membership had dropped to 56,349 a loss of 91,723 members in six years.
In 1919 the presidency of the Brotherhood changed. Brother McNulty, who guided
our union through the dark days of secession, resigned; James P. Noonan
replaced him.
The 15th Convention was held in New Orleans in 1919. One of the most important
actions of that Convention established an International Strike Fund. The fund
went into effect on January 1, 1920, and was financed by collecting 14 cents
per month from each member and by appropriating half of all initiation fees.
The 1919 Convention is remembered in IBEW history as the body which took a
historic step forward in labor-management relations. That Convention approved a
plan which other management and labor groups try to emulate to this day. This
wild-eyed idea of the Roaring Twenties is known as the CIR Council on Industrial
Relations. This body is credited with providing stability in the construction
branch of our Brotherhood.
The Conference Club
The idea for the CIR was conceived in the era after World War I, when labor
strife was rampant. As early as 1916, a small group of electrical contractors
met regularly to discuss matters pertaining to the electrical contracting
industry. The group called itself the Conference Club. Some of the issues it
raised involved difficulties in labor-management relations. L. K. Comstock, a
contractor, proposed that members of the club meet with a committee from the
IBEW to draft a ``national labor agreement" designed to benefit both
groups mutually. A joint committee from the IBEW and the Conference Club met in
March 1919 to consider this proposal.
Charles Ford, IBEW International Secretary, was chiefly responsible for the
IBEW's participation in devising the plan for what eventually became the CIR.
The joint committee decided a labor agreement between them was not essential. They
needed an environment in which to conduct open and frank discussions to resolve
their differences. The Conference Club persuaded the National Association of
Electrical Contractors and Dealers (later renamed National Electrical
Contractors Association [NECA]) to become the signatory employer organization,
an action affirmed by NAECD's July 1919 convention. Our New Orleans Convention
of 1919 likewise approved the Declaration of Principles creating the CIR.
The council was organized in 1920 with the same requirements as today: equal
representation by employer and union, disputes submitted voluntarily, and all
decisions unanimous. The council was a milestone in our Brotherhood's history.
Like a ``supreme court" of the electrical construction industry, the CIR
has settled thousands of disputes without strike, earning for us the title
``strikeless industry."
While many in our ranks have questioned the value of the CIR, it is
unquestionably superior to other alternatives. Were dispute resolution left to arbitration,
the cost would be astronomical. Were resolution of differences available only
through strikes, the result most likely would be self-destruction.
The Great Depression
In January 1929 the International Office moved into the IBEW's own building at
1200 - 15th Street, N.W. That year the 20th Convention, held in Miami, Florida,
adopted a retirement plan for Brotherhood officers and representatives.
Unbeknown to the delegates in 1929, this would be the last Convention held for
12 years. The Great Depression created serious financial difficulties for the
International, and the Conventions scheduled between 1929 and 1941 were
postponed by referendum vote.
President Noonan died in December 1929; the International Executive Council
(IEC) appointed Vice President H. H. Broach to fill the office.
President Broach presided over our Brotherhood during the Great Depression,
which devastated our countries and our union. His tenure was marked chiefly by
a series of changes designed to enable our union to meet the challenges of the
times. Many felt our Constitution and the local union bylaws needed to be
rewritten completely to clarify certain sections and strengthen others by
providing proper discipline and orderly conduct of business, and to ensure
respect for authority.
At its March 1930 meeting, the IEC approved submitting a proposed amendment to
the membership for a referendum vote. The amendment empowered the International
President to appoint a special Constitution Committee of 11 members (no two
from the same local union) to meet with him and the International Secretary in
the International Office ``for the purpose of altering, amending or revising
the Constitution and the rules therein as may be necessary to conform with the
needs of this organization."
This referendum was adopted by a vote of 39,581 to 5,405. As part of this
referendum, the membership authorized implementing the Constitution Committee's
recommendations immediately upon notification by the International Secretary.
Immediately after the referendum vote, the committee was appointed and began
deliberations which resulted in an abbreviated and more precise Constitution.
Our current Constitution is much the same as it was following the action taken
in 1930.
Meanwhile, the United States and Canada suffered through a period of
unprecedented economic stress. Wage cuts pyramided upon each other; banks
failed; businesses collapsed; unemployment soared. Men and women roamed the
streets begging for jobs and, later, for just enough food to stay alive. More
than 50 percent of our membership was idle throughout the United States and
Canada.
We in the IBEW today are surprised how well our organization survived those
dark days. Membership only dropped from 64,000 to 50,000 while other unions
were decimated. The International was forced to take stern economic measures:
officers' and representatives' salaries were cut 50 percent; some officials
were furloughed, with no salary or expenses; some staff members were laid off.
Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933
and immediately proposed New Deal legislation to launch the United States on
the road to recovery. First came the National Recovery Act, later declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court after bitter opposition from big
business. Later came the Walsh-Healey Act, then the Wage-Hour Law.
President Broach's health failed, and he was forced to resign as International
President in July 1933. The IEC appointed Vice President D. W. Tracy to take
his place.
Positive Legislation
The National Labor Relations Act of 1935, also known as the Wagner Act after
its author and friend of labor, Senator Robert Wagner, ensured government
protection to union organizers and to organized workers and led to a rapid
increase in union membership. The Wagner Act enabled the IBEW to organize
utility companies and manufacturing plants in a way never before possible.
Before 1935 there was only one type of IBEW membership, later known as
``A" membership. In 1935 a ``B"-type membership was created by
referendum vote. ``B" membership allowed the unorganized in utilities and
manufacturing plants to join at a lower admission fee ($1.50) and pay a lower
per capita (50 cents). ``B" members did not participate in death and pension
benefits, since they did not pay for them. Neither were ``B" members
allowed equal voting rights with the other members at Conventions and on
referendums.
Other legislation beneficial to U.S. workers was passed in the late 1920s and
throughout the 1930s, including the Railway Labor Act, Social Security Act,
United States Housing Act and Norris-LaGuardia Act. Our Brotherhood played a
prominent role in these legislative triumphs. President Tracy, in his report to
the 1941 Convention, stated:
``The International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers
overlooked no opportunity to present its case to the various boards
established by the government for the purpose of formulating regulations and
schedules under this program of new legislation, and our Brotherhood enjoys the
distinction of having made available to these government boards more accurate,
more detailed and more helpful data than any other labor organization."
In 1939 the IBEW became
bargaining agent for technical employees of the Columbia Broadcasting System
(CBS).
In July 1940 Brother Tracy
resigned as President to accept an appointment as an assistant secretary of
labor. The IEC appointed Ed J. Brown, a member of the IEC, to fill the post.
Entering the Modern Era
In 1941, the
golden jubilee year of the founding of our Brotherhood, we returned to the city
of our birth, St. Louis, for the 21st Convention. Fifty years from our
founding after, as International Secretary G. M. Bugniazet stated in his
Convention report, ``having gone through a turbulent and hectic period, one of
the longest and most severe depressions of our time, accompanied by rapid
change" our 21st Convention represented 869 local unions in good standing
and a membership nearly 200,000 strong. Reports to the 1941 Convention pointed
out the dramatic progress achieved in the 12 years since the Miami Convention.
In 1929 the average wage for inside electrical workers in the United States was
$1.15 per hour. In 1941 the average was $1.38, and a new high of $2.20 had been
reached in some areas. In 1929 less than one-quarter of our members worked the
five-day week. In 1941 almost the entire membership of 200,000 enjoyed the
reduced workweek.
A new type of industrial relations was achieved with the signing of a
collective bargaining agreement (including some of the best provisions in the
country) with the government's huge power development, the Tennessee Valley
Authority.
In September 1941 an important event took place: The National Apprenticeship
Standards for the Electrical Construction Industry were established. These
standards resulted from a cooperative effort of the IBEW, NECA and the Federal
Committee on Apprenticeship.
We have mentioned the strides made in organizing utilities and manufacturing
plants. Considerable progress was also attained in railroad organizing, as well
as in the electric sign and radio broadcasting industries.
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Anti-Labor Legislation
Between our 1946 and 1948 Conventions, the Taft-Hartley Act was passed,
creating vexing problems for the labor movement and severely hampering our
efforts to organize new members.
In 1947 the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee was
established. Arrangements were made to expand our apprenticeship program to
increase the number of trained electrical workers supplied to the construction industry.
In September 1948 our 23rd Convention was held in Atlantic City. Considerable
attention at this Convention was focused on the Taft-Hartley Act and anti-labor
legislation being promulgated in several states.
Our 24th Convention took place in Miami, Florida, in 1950. Again, anti-labor
legislation and its effects dominated the Officers' Reports and floor
discussions.
International President Tracy and the IEC unequivocally stated in May 1950 that
the IBEW preferred private ownership of utilities to public ownership because
of the more favorable climate for collective bargaining with privately owned
companies.
Following the 1950 Convention, which was an expensive one for our union, a
referendum vote of our membership established conventions every four years
instead of every two, as our Constitution previously directed.
In October 1952 the IBEW and NECA appointed a full-time director of
apprenticeship and training.
``B" membership was eliminated on January 1, 1953, as a result of a
referendum vote; and all members were required to transfer to either ``A"
or ``BA" membership.
On April 15, 1954, President Tracy resigned; and Secretary Milne was appointed
by the IEC to take his place. Brother Tracy became President Emeritus. President
Milne appointed a longtime member of the Brotherhood, Joseph D. Keenan, to
serve as International Secretary. These two officers were at the helm when our
Chicago Convention met in 1954.
A Time of Innovation
It was the largest Convention of our Brotherhood and, as a matter of fact, the
largest labor union convention ever held in the world up to that time. Three
thousand one hundred thirty delegates attended, representing a membership of
625,000.
A referendum vote reduced the number of delegates to all subsequent
Conventions. Otherwise, the steady increase in the number of our members soon
would have made it impossible to locate cities with adequate accommodations to
handle our future Conventions.
Reports of the officers to the 1954 Convention still emphasized the sinister
effects of the Taft-Hartley Act and the ``right-to-work" laws it had
spawned in 16 states. On the other hand, the reports and Convention discussions
also profiled the progress achieved in membership growth and improved collective
bargaining agreements despite these damaging laws.
Less than a year later, on July 20, 1955, International President Milne died.
Five days later our IEC appointed Vice President Gordon M. Freeman of the
Fourth District to the post of President.
A number of innovations were initiated in the International Office by
Presidents Milne and Freeman. These included training classes for
representatives and establishing individual departments of manufacturing,
utility and telephone operations to assist local unions and our representatives
in the field.
The years 1955 and 1956 brought considerable gains in the telephone field, with
sizable groups of independent telephone unions electing to join the IBEW. This
was an era of gains for railroad workers, culminating with the declaration by
the U.S. Supreme Court on May 21, 1956, that the union-shop amendment to the
Railway Labor Act was constitutional. Following the Supreme Court decision,
union-shop agreements were negotiated with all but three major carriers in the
United States.
There were innovations in our apprenticeship program. A full apprenticeship
training program for outside electrical apprentices became available in January
1957. Because the number of apprentices in the construction field had increased
by 46 percent since 1952, when the first director was appointed, an assistant
director of apprenticeship and training was appointed in 1957.
A full-time International Representative was appointed to handle matters in the
atomic-energy field because of the IBEW's increased participation in this
area.
Pension Funds
Major changes were made in pension rights. In 1957 the National Labor Relations
Board ruled that limiting NEBF pension benefits to IBEW members only was
illegal. Until then, nonmembers working for contributing contractors were not
eligible for NEBF pension benefits and received no coverage.
To correct this situation, the provisions of the NEBF plan were revised to
permit all employees working for participating employers to be covered by the
NEBF. The NEBF provides eligible employees with a monthly pension based on a
specific amount per month for each completed year of credited service. The
accompanying table depicts the basis for monthly pension benefits earned by
participants retiring under the plan. A participant retiring on or after the
dates shown will receive a benefit based on the amount to the immediate right
of that date.
``A" members of the IBEW also participate in the Pension Benefit Fund
(PBF). Through December 1991 the PBF provided benefits computed on the basis of
$2.00 per month for each year of continuous good standing as an ``A"
member. Effective January 1, 1992, the computation of this benefit increased to
$3.50 per month for each year of continuous good standing earned as an
``A" member after December 31, 1991. The fund also pays a death benefit of
$5,000 upon death by natural causes or $10,000 upon accidental death to
beneficiaries of active ``A" members. The NEBF and PBF, as supplements to
Social Security or Railroad Retirement benefits, provide retired members who
participate in these plans with the means to live in moderate comfort after
their years of labor.
The four years following our 1958 Convention in Cleveland were not easy ones
for any segment of the labor movement. We experienced the most virulent wave of
antiunionism since the open-shop movement after World War I.
Already beset by the effects of the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 and
``right-to-work" laws in 18 states in the United States, with laws equally
damaging to labor in effect in Canada, our efforts in organizing and collective
bargaining were more difficult, to say the least.
Then, in September 1959 the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
(LMRDA), also known as Landrum-Griffin, took effect. The International and our
local unions have faced considerable difficulty and expense living with the
LMRDA and its regulations.
The Constitution
Since it was first drafted more than 100 years ago, our Constitution has
provided organizational stability while ensuring the democratic principles for
which it stands.
As a result of the LMRDA, the IBEW has been forced to spend considerable
membership funds to defend our Constitution against actions, many of them
frivolous and without merit, which aim to destroy or impair our organization.
While we have been successful in upholding our Constitution in the majority of
cases, our victories have not come without damage to our structure. However,
those who believed such laws would destroy the labor movement cannot be
considered ``visionaries"; organized labor has learned to adapt in the
face of challenges to its existence.
|
NEBF Monthly Pension Benefit Bases Through
the Years |
|
May 5,
1947
$50.00 per month pension |
|
January 1, 1966 $2.00
per month for each year of employment since 1942 |
|
January 1, 1968 $3.00
per month for each service credit |
|
July 1,
1977
$6.00 per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1981 $8.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1983 $10.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1985 $11.00
per month for each service credit |
|
March 1,
1986 $13.00 per
month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1987 $14.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1989 $15.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1990 $16.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1991 $18.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1992 $19.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1993 $20.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1994 $21.00
per month for each service credit |
|
December 1, 1995 $23.00 per month for each
service credit |
|
January 1, 1997 $24.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1998 $26.00
per month for each service credit |
|
January 1, 1999 $28.00
per month for each service credit |
New Horizons for the IBEW
In 1959 a
full-time director of skill improvement training was added to our I.O. staff. A complete
industrial electronics course was developed; and by 1970 more than 100,000
journeymen were taking or had taken skill improvement courses.
In June 1959 a Safety Department with a full-time director was established at
the International Office.
In autumn 1961 our Brotherhood developed a course called Industrial Atomic
Energy Uses, Hazards and Controls; and institutes were conducted to train
instructors in this field so important to the welfare of our members and the
public.
Delegates to our 27th Convention in Montreal, Quebec, in 1962 voted to raise
our per capita tax from 90 cents to $1.50.
Our Diamond Jubilee Convention was held in September 1966 in St. Louis, where
the Brotherhood was born 75 years earlier. Delegates voted to create a Strike
Assistance Fund, in addition to the Legal Defense Fund. "A"-member
delegates voted to strengthen the IBEW pension program by increasing payments
to the PBF and improving benefits. In its diamond jubilee year, the IBEW also
began its Founders’ Scholarship Program by awarding eight scholarships in
electrical engineering to IBEW journeyman electricians.
President Freeman told the 75th Anniversary Convention,
"Our union stands tall
today. ... The dream our founders had of bringing dignity and security to
Electrical Workers is a staunch reality. ... We can take pride in how far we
have come, but there is no time to rest on our laurels."
Two years later President
Freeman retired from office, after 13 years of dedicated service in that position.
President Freeman was determined that the IBEW remain strong and continue to
grow after he handed over the reins of leadership. So, he retired as President
while still an active and effective leader to assure an orderly transfer of
administration. He served as President Emeritus until his death on May 13,
1983.
Changes Instituted
Charles H. Pillard, an IEC
member, was appointed by the IEC to succeed Brother Freeman on October 1, 1968.
Early on, President Pillard realized the growing importance of residential
construction. Among his many accomplishments from the ’60s through the ’80s are
the promotion of the Coordinated Residential Organizing Program (CROP), the
organization of the construction industry and the development of imaginative
programs which provided better service to our members. His agreement with NECA
to increase the employer contribution to the NEBF from 1 percent of payroll to
3 percent provided a sound basis for improvements in pension benefits.
At the 29th Convention of our
Brotherhood in Seattle in 1970, President Pillard was unanimously elected
International President. The 29th Convention's theme, "Exploring New
Horizons in Electricity," reflected the strides the IBEW had made. Since
the Convention of 1966, 101 new locals had been chartered; more than 45,000
members were receiving pensions; and wages were increasing steadily.
IBEW membership reached one
million in October 1972. Another milestone occurred on December 1, 1973, when
the new headquarters building of the IBEW in Washington, D.C., was dedicated.
The 30th Convention in Kansas City, Missouri, in September 1974, was the first
Convention at which the delegates (2,970) represented more than one million
members.
I. O.
Modernization Begins
After 22 years of dedicated service
to the Brotherhood as International Secretary, Joseph D. Keenan retired in
1976. This great humanitarian faithfully served not only the IBEW, but the
entire trade union movement at home and abroad. Early in his career Brother
Keenan realized organized labor needed to become active in the education and
registration of voters. These people could then vote for public officials who
understand and support social and economic issues vital to workingpeople. He
served with distinction as director of Labor's League for Political Education,
which evolved into the Committee on Political Education (COPE). Secretary
Emeritus Keenan died on July 22, 1984.
Ralph A. Leigon was appointed
to replace Brother Keenan as International Secretary in 1976 and was elected to
that position in 1978. Brother Leigon initiated the reorganization of the
office of the International Secretary, introduced the latest in modern office
techniques and software design, and initiated the conversion to computers in
all departments of the International Office. After serving with distinction,
Brother Leigon retired, effective October 1, 1985, and was named International
Secretary Emeritus. Jack F. Moore, International Vice President of the 11th
District, was appointed to complete the unexpired term of International
Secretary.
Delegates to the 31st
Convention held in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1978 approved monthly per
capita increases from $2.00 to $3.00 effective January 1, 1979; to $3.50
effective January 1, 1980; and to $4.00 effective January 1, 1981.
The per capita payment was
increased to $5.00 per month effective January 1, 1983, by action of the
delegates to the 32nd Convention held in Los Angeles, California, in 1982.
International President
Pillard retired in August 1986 and was named International President Emeritus.
J.J. Barry, International Vice President of the Third District, was appointed
to succeed him on August 25, 1986.
Delegates to the 33rd
Convention in Toronto, Ontario, in 1986 elected J.J. Barry as International
President and Jack F. Moore as International Secretary by acclamation. The
delegates to the 33rd Convention also voted to raise the per capita tax to
$6.00 effective January 1, 1987.
100 Years of Service
Celebrated
Delegates to the 34th and Centennial
Convention in St. Louis in October 1991 increased the per capita to $7.00
effective January 1, 1992, and to $8.00 effective January 1, 1994. The
delegates also amended the Constitution to provide for a Convention every five
years. This change should reduce the overall costs of conducting the Convention
and enable more local unions to send delegates to the Convention.
Before the opening of the
34th Convention, a Centennial Exposition, open to the general public as well as
delegates, their families and I.O. staff, commemorated our first 100 years,
celebrated our union’s progress and envisioned our next 100 years of service.
The IBEW Archives was re-created at the entrance to the Exposition, the first
time these artifacts have been displayed outside the International Office. An
estimated 10,000 people visited more than 100 booths and exhibits provided by
IBEW employers and union service providers. In addition to educating visitors
about the IBEW, the electrical industry and the trade union movement, the
Exposition revealed the numerous ways in which our union touches the lives of
hundreds of millions of people across the United States and Canada.
At the 35th Convention in
Philadelphia, in September 1996, the International President and International
Secretary were elected by electronic voting. Electronic voting was employed
also to determine the vote on some of the proposed amendments to the IBEW
Constitution. A $1.00 increase in the per capita tax to be effective no later
than January 1, 2001, won the approval of the delegates. This increase may be
implemented by the IEC prior to 2001 if budget projections indicate a deficit.
Delegate action also directed the International President to appoint a
committee to study the IBEW’s structure and Constitution and recommend changes
to ensure the Brotherhood’s vitality in the 21st century. Any constitutional
changes the committee recommends were to be voted on by referendum.
Effective April 1, 1997,
International Secretary Moore retired and was named International Secretary
Emeritus. President Barry appointed, and the IEC confirmed, Third District
International Vice President Edwin D. Hill to complete the unexpired term of
International Secretary.
Membership
Declines
Not long after reaching the
pinnacle of one million members, our membership began a steady decline. Our
Brotherhood's organizing efforts, although significant, could not keep pace
with the erosion of jobs in almost all industries caused by anti-union
sentiments, foreign competition and technological change.
The 1980s brought a
conservative trend in the United States led by right-wing zealots whose primary
purpose was to increase the profits and wealth of the already-wealthy. To show
his strength of purpose in the early stages of his administration in
Washington, U.S. President Reagan fired every air traffic controller who
participated in a strike called by their union, the Professional Air Traffic
Controllers Organization. After executing the union, Reagan forbade hiring of
the strikers to any federal government job. This initial incident set the stage
for an anti-union philosophy that dominated labor-management relations until
1992.
Conservative thinkers also
gained power in Canada and achieved significant inroads in crippling the labor
movement. In both countries wages stagnated and membership declined. In the
United States the NLRB, through its supervision of certification elections, had
a ruinous effect on organizing. The Department of Labor became dedicated more
to protecting business interests than to ensuring the rights of workers and
their unions. Many of these businesses employed union-busting consultants to
defeat union organizers and to decertify bargaining units.
Corporate executives’
salaries soared to obscene heights while workers suffered continual rollbacks
in wages and even loss of their healthcare benefits. Unemployment grew as our
domestic industries seemed unable to compete with their foreign counterparts.
The manufacture of entire classes of electronic products moved offshore while
still bearing the well-recognized names of American corporations. This
de-industrialization, plus technological change, caused the loss of tens of
thousands of jobs for our manufacturing members. In 1982 the court-ordered
divestiture of AT&T led to a decline in our telephone-industry membership,
including devastating losses in manufacturing plants operated by that company.
During the ’80s nonunion
electrical contractors gained a stronger foothold, eroding membership in our
construction branch. While a proactive organizing campaign, instituted by
President Barry, began to turn these losses around, the economy in the United
States and Canada killed a promising building boom and inhibited membership
growth.
These factors caused our membership
to decline to fewer than 800,000 by the early 1990s. Trying to alter this
course, President Barry instituted a progressive organizing program in every
branch of our Brotherhood.
Pundits, politicians and the
general public have characterized the 1980s as the decade of greed. The
beneficiaries of the largess of Presidents Reagan and Bush can hardly disprove
this characterization, considering the workers who were left unemployed, many
reduced to poverty and homelessness, by their political experiment of
supply-side economics that made the wealthy even wealthier.
What of Our Future?
Today we remain strong with
approximately 750,000 members. The number of local unions within the
Brotherhood has been reduced because of the need to amalgamate smaller local
unions when it appears that better representation of the membership could be
achieved. Still, we are united through more than 1,100 local unions established
over the length and breadth of the United States and Canada. We are one of the
largest unions in the world, and our wages and working conditions are second to
none in any comparable field. IBEW members enjoy better health and welfare
coverage, improved pensions, longer vacations and more holidays, as well as a
shorter workweek.
We stand where we are today
because strong, intelligent and loyal men and women created, protected and
preserved our union. They cared about what happened to them and to their
children. They remained loyal to the organization that gave them protection and
strength.
Each era writes its own
history. Our union heritage, vibrant and strong, has been passed on to us.
Where we go from here depends upon our Brothers and Sisters today.
As International President
Barry said during the opening of the 35th International Convention,
"We in the IBEW want a
world where a man can go to a safe workplace, earn a fair wage and use his
skills to do a good day's work. We want a world where a woman can develop her
talents to the fullest and have a wealth of opportunity before her ... where
workers can retire with dignity, with the security of knowing their healthcare
is affordable and available ... where children are treated like the precious
treasure they are—nurtured, educated and loved so they can carry the torch into
the future, ... and where workers can organize and bargain collectively to
achieve all these things in fairness and in justice."
Presidents |
|
|
Henry Miller .. |
1891 to 1893 |
|
Queren Jansen .. |
1893 to 1894 |
|
H. W. Sherman .. |
1894 to 1897 |
|
J. H. Maloney .. |
1897 to 1899 |
|
Thomas Wheeler .. |
1899 to 1901 |
|
W. A. Jackson .. |
1901 to 1903 |
|
F. J. McNulty .. |
1903 to 1919 |
|
J. P. Noonan .. |
1919 to 1929 |
|
H. H. Broach .. |
1929 to 1933 |
|
D. W. Tracy .. |
1933 to 1940 |
|
Ed J. Brown .. |
1940 to 1947 |
|
D. W. Tracy .. |
1947 to 1954 |
|
J. Scott Milne .. |
1954 to 1955 |
|
Gordon M. Freeman .. |
1955 to 1968 |
|
Charles H. Pillard .. |
1968 to 1986 |
|
J. J. Barry .. |
1986 to 2001 |
|
Edwin D. Hill.. |
2001 |
Secretaries |
|
|
J. T. Kelly.. |
1891 to 1897 |
|
H. W. Sherman.. |
1897 to 1905 |
|
P. W. Collins.. |
1905 to 1912 |
|
Charles P. Ford.. |
1912 to 1925 |
|
G. M. Bugniazet.. |
1925 to 1947 |
|
J. Scott Milne.. |
1947 to 1954 |
|
Joseph D. Keenan.. |
1954 to 1976 |
|
Ralph A. Leigon.. |
1976 to 1985 |
|
Jack F. Moore.. |
1985 to 1997 |
|
Edwin D. Hill.. |
1997 to 2001 |
|
Jeremiah J. O'Conner.. |
2001 |
1891---National Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers founded (Nov. 28) and affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor (Dec. 7). Apprenticeship system established.
1892---First women members
admitted into NBEW.
1893---First Journal
published (Jan. 15), called The Electrical Worker; continuously
published under various titles. Cleveland Convention delegates voted to hold
conventions every two years.
1895---Telephone operators
joined NBEW.
1896---First woman organizer
appointed.
1897---First woman delegate
sent to the National Convention.
1899---NBEW becomes an
international union when jurisdiction is extended to include Canada; name
changed to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
1903---First full-time,
salaried Grand President.
1908---Reid-Murphy split;
IBEW affiliated with the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada.
1912---Court decision upheld
McNulty-Collins as officers of the legitimate IBEW.
1913---Delegates return to a
united Convention. Split in the IBEW ended and seceding faction (Reid-Murphy)
reabsorbed into the legitimate Brotherhood (McNulty-Collins) by agreement in
1914.
1918---Constitutional
amendment renders actions of conventions final.
1919---Telephone Operators
Department established.
1920---Council on Industrial
Relations founded. IBEW headquarters moved from Springfield, Illinois, to
Washington, D.C.
1922---Electrical Workers'
Benefit Association founded.
1924---Research Department
established.
1927---Pension Plan
established by Detroit Convention.
1929---IBEW moved into its
own building at 1200 - 15th Street, N.W.
1946---Number of vice
presidential districts increased from 10 to 12; National Employees' Benefit
Agreement signed by IBEW and NECA.
1947---Permanent National
Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the Electrical Industry formed.
Government Employees Department established. Progress meetings for vice
presidential districts instituted. National Electrical Benefit Fund went into
effect.
1950---Members voted to
submit to referendum vote the holding of the International Convention every
four years instead of every two. Affirmative decision reached in 1952.
1951---Broadcasting and
Recording Department established.
1954---Chicago IBEW
Convention was the largest labor union convention ever held in the world.
1955---Construction and Maintenance,
Manufacturing, Telephone, and Utility Departments established; previously
existed as divisions within the IBEW.
1959---Skill Improvement,
Safety Departments established.
1963---Supreme Court ruling
supported authority of IBEW Constitution.
1966---Founders' Scholarship
Program instituted to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the IBEW.
1971---IBEW moved to new,
permanent address at 1125 - 15th Street, N.W. Special Services, Organizing
Departments established.
1972---IBEW membership
reached one million in October; Telephone Department operations relocated to
International Office.
1977---IBEW and NECA agreed
to improve NEBF benefits and increase employer contribution from 1% to 3%.
1981---Electrical Industry
Health and Welfare Reciprocal Agreement established; achieved 100%
participation in 1985.
1982---IBEW affiliated with
the Canadian Federation of Labour.
1984---Electrical Industry
Pension Reciprocal Agreement established; achieved 100% participation in 1989.
1987---Pension Investment
and Employee Benefits Department established in response to 33rd Convention
resolution.
1988---Skill Improvement
Department renamed Technical Services Department; Safety Department renamed
Safety and Health Department; Telephone and Cable TV Departments combined into
the Telecommunications Department; Education Program established (became
Education Department in 1991).
1989---Research and
Education Department renamed Research and Economics Department; Organizing
Department renamed Special Projects Department. Canada IBEW-COPE established.
1990---IBEW Tenth District
(Railroads) welcomed into membership the members of the Canadian Signal and
Communications Union. The First District publishes the first issue of its
newsletter, Canadian Comment.
1991---Centennial Exposition
and the 34th and 100th Anniversary Convention held in St. Louis. Delegates vote
to hold Convention every five years. Special Services Department renamed Human
Services Department.
1992---Bylaw Approval
Department and the Appeals Department consolidated into Bylaws and Appeals
Department.
1994---New database
established for agreement approval/analysis. Research and Economics, Technical
Services Departments merged to become Research & Technical Services
Department. Public Relations Department established.
1995---Journal, Public
Relations Departments merged as the Journal and Media Relations Department.
First IBEW-wide opinion poll of rank-and-file members conducted.
1996---Electronic voting
used for first time at an IBEW Convention. Committee appointed to study IBEW's
structure and Constitution.
1997---IBEW reaffiliates
with the Canadian Labour Congress.
1998---Recommendations of
the Select Committee on the Future of the Brotherhood approved by referendum
vote of the local unions. Offices of the International Secretary and
International Treasurer combined. Railroad Department established, and
former Twelfth Vice Presidential District renumbered as Tenth Vice Presidential
District.