ABOUT US

HISTORY OF OUR LOCAL

IBEW Local Union 56 is an electrical organization founded in 1897 and located in Erie, Pennsylvania in Erie County. We are the largest construction local union in Erie with over 280 members that serve over 35 contractors in Erie, Warren and Forest counties. We supply skilled electricians to signatory contractors within our jurisdiction. They are highly skilled, professionally trained men and women who are certified electricians capable of performing all aspects of the electrical field. Along with all of the building trades, IBEW Local 56 offer apprenticeships, which is a five-year program. It includes on-the-job training, as well as 800 hours of classroom/lab instruction (at a minimum) in the electrical trade. Our apprentices learn all aspects of the Residential, Commercial and Industrial industry. Upgraded courses in new codes and technologies are constantly being incorporated into the classrooms. Our members become well trained in every part of the electrical construction industry, which make them desirable employees. They learn AC-Theory, blueprints, OSHA and safety work practices, photovoltaics, fiber optics, fire alarm, security, and so much more.

The labor movement brought the business world many things over the years: weekend and overtime pay, holiday pay or time off and better work conditions. Some building trades offer wages competitive with first time job after college, but without the student loan debt. We are proud of our Local, and ask that interested applicants contact us directly. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have about our Apprenticeship program.

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER

If you are an experienced electrician and would like to know more about career development and other benefits of union membership, you are invited to contact our Organizer. If you are new to the electrical industry and are interested in working in the electrical industry and you are a high school graduate (or have a GED) then we invite you to contact us to find out how you can receive the classroom and job training you need to become an IBEW certified electrician.

We appreciate your interest.

WHO IS THE IBEW

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is an organization made up of nearly one million men and women just like you -- engaged in every type of employment. Their needs and goals are the same as yours; however, they have personal strength and human dignity that come from belonging to a world-respected labor organization which helps its members to better their lives.

IBEW members stand united in local unions in all 50 of the Unites States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Republic of Panama, Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Islands. Our members make up the following career fields:

    -Utility systems

    -Communication systems

    -Inside and outside Construction and Maintenance

    -Financial Industries

    -Manufacturing industries

    -Railroad

    -& Government

The growth of our great modern industrial economy is directly related to the growth of electronics and to the use of electrical energy. Thus, IBEW members are an essential part of this progress: "Electricity and the IBEW equals Progress and Prosperity."

The IBEW provides imaginative, responsible leadership and has an outstanding reputation for being a progressive union. It is an important member of the AFL-CIO family of unions. IBEW has constantly and consistently worked through the years to better the wages and working conditions of its members and to create a society in which social justice and human dignity are a reality to all citizens. IBEW protects members by insisting upon realistic safety standards, and opportunities for training and skills improvement which results in increased job security and higher wages. In addition, the IBEW maintains an interest in its members beyond their active working years. It offers special assistance in negotiating local pension plans.

There are many other reasons why the IBEW is one of the AFL-CIO's largest and fastest growing unions. These include an organization and an experienced staff for negotiating the best possible collective bargaining agreements, numerous labor education programs specially suited to members' needs, and the IBEW Founders' Scholarship program for providing qualified members with the opportunity for a college education.

The IBEW is people: young and old, of every race, nationality and creed, bonded together in the common conviction that collective actions succeeds in attaining mutually agreed upon goals - whereas individuals are at the mercy of forces beyond their control.