IBEW News

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.

Fourth District International Vice President Austin Keyser joins President Cooper and Secretary-Treasurer Noble to discuss IBEW's record-breaking membership growth in 2024-25. Keyser explains how his district led the way with innovative organizing strategies and intensive efforts that drove unprecedented expansion across the union.

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.

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.

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.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica causing catastrophic floods and landslides across the Caribbean, killing seven people and underscoring the urgency of the upcoming COP30 climate summit in Brazil. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Cabinet colleagues the hurricane highlighted the importance of the summit for those unable to "pick up their island and move it out of the way of the approaching storm." Source: theecologist.org

Bill Gates calls for a strategic pivot in climate action ahead of COP30, arguing the world should focus on preventing human suffering rather than solely on emissions targets. In his memo "Three Tough Truths About Climate," Gates contends that climate change is serious but won't end civilization, and that health and prosperity are the best defense against climate impacts, sparking debate among climate scientists and activists. Source: gatesnotes.com

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

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

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

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

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

US offshore wind faces a 56% decrease in development by 2035 with $114 billion in investments canceled or delayed due to administration policies including a temporary leasing moratorium, 50% tariffs on turbine parts, and early termination of tax credits. Only seven wind farms remain operational or under construction on the East Coast, far short of the Biden administration's original goals. Source: e360.yale.edu

BP and JERA's joint venture JERA Nex BP is withdrawing from the US offshore wind market and halting investment in the Beacon Wind project off Massachusetts, citing unfavorable market conditions. All US-based team members will be laid off in coming months, though the company will maintain the Beacon lease for potential future development. Source: offshorewind.biz

New England states have invested over $390 million in offshore wind infrastructure since 2011, with Massachusetts alone spending on specialized ports and job training programs. The region's first two utility-scale offshore wind projects, Vineyard Wind and Revolution Wind, are under construction and expected to be fully online by early next year, though the industry faces significant uncertainty. Source: wbur.org

Eleven governors from PJM Interconnection member states are demanding greater control over grid operations as data center expansion drives capacity auction costs from $2.2 billion to $16.1 billion in two years. The surge in electricity demand from AI and data centers has caused ratepayer bills to increase substantially, with some threatening to withdraw from the 13-state grid altogether. Source: grist.org

Source:wsj.com

Source:cnn.com

Source:theregister.com

Source:mininggazette.com