The IBEW Local 11 Explained
Established in 1891, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) represents electrical workers throughout the United States and Canada, with the mission of advancing the skills and training of electrical workers while also reinforcing good labor management relations. The purpose of the organization is to protect and promote the rights of electrical workers, making the IBEW the most prominent electrical trade union in the world, with 751,000 members.
As one of the largest chapters of IBEW, the IBEW Local 11 represents electrical workers in the much of the Los Angeles area, including Los Angeles County, Ventura County, Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County. The local union has 32 chapters and has nearly 11 , 000 member. It covers a number of electrical occupations, including: Inside Wireman, Low Voltage Signal Technicians, Residential Wiremen, Residential Wiremen, Residential Wiremen, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Technicians, and Supervisory/Engineering.
Like other local chapters of the IBEW, the Los Angeles branch is committed to and focused on ensuring that electrical workers are sufficiently trained and certified to perform the tasks and job requirements associated with their trade. Local 11 also offers and provides its members with education opportunities through IBEW courses in a variety of related fields, including: automotive; HVAC; photovoltaics; and fiber optics.
What is the IBEW Local 11 Agreement?
The IBEW Local 11 Agreement is a collective bargaining agreement that governs the employment relationship between the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers (IBEW) Local 11 and its signatory employers in the construction industry. This agreement outlines the terms and conditions of employment, including wages, hours of work, job classifications, and health and welfare benefits.
IBEW Local 11 Agreement is significant because it provides a framework for fair labor practices that benefit both workers and employers. By establishing clear standards, the agreement promotes a stable work environment and helps to prevent disputes. It also ensures that workers have access to standards that protect their safety and welfare on the job.
The IBEW Local 11 Agreement is designed to be flexible and allows for negotiation and modification by the parties as circumstances change and evolve over time. This can include new technology, changes in work practices, and changing economic conditions. Ultimately, the goal of the agreement is to create a partnership between labor and management that fosters both employee satisfaction and business success.
Key Features of the Agreement
The IBEW Local 11 Agreement covers a range of provisions, including wage scales, working hours, benefits, and training programs for members. The agreement is designed to provide a comprehensive framework for construction work in the electrical and communications industries.
One of the primary components of the IBEW Local 11 Agreement is its wage scales. These wage scales are designed to provide fair compensation for all union members, while also ensuring that employers remain competitive in their bids. The agreement establishes a set of predetermined wage rates that increase over time, based on seniority and the completion of training programs.
Working hours are another important component of the IBEW Local 11 Agreement. The agreement sets forth a standard for working hours, with negotiations between unions and contractors ensuring that employees are fairly compensated for overtime. This helps maintain a healthy work-life balance for union members, while also ensuring that employers have the workforce they need.
Benefits are also a key aspect of the IBEW Local 11 Agreement. The agreement includes provisions for health care, retirement, and other benefits that help ensure that union members are taken care of. This also helps maintain a level playing field among competing contractors, who must also provide similar benefits to remain competitive.
Finally, the IBEW Local 11 Agreement includes a range of training programs for union members. These programs ensure that all members have access to the skills and knowledge they need to excel in the electrical and communications industries. This not only benefits individual members, but also ensures that the union has a highly-trained workforce that is prepared to take on any challenge.
How the Agreement Benefits Workers
Take, for example, forensic controls. Under the IBEW Local 11 Agreement, a worker cannot be forced to work at heights unless fall protection is properly in place. No one wants to be suspended over a thousand feet of air by a single safety wire, and thanks to the various obligations imposed by the IBEW Local 11 Agreement, no worker will ever have to be suspended over unsupported air more than he or she can bear. Safety nets, guard rails, toe boards, and harnesses are just a few of the mandatory safeguards that must be put in place before work can begin on any LAX construction site or project. Should any contractor – member or otherwise – fail to follow these simple but necessary precautions, their workers need only file a simple grievance, and their matter will be heard and resolved at the appropriate labor management committee level. Should a dispute remain, its resolution is assured. After all, the IBEW Local 11 Agreement is about protecting the interests of IBEW Local 11 members and ensuring that there is enforcement action taken against those who would seek to endanger the lives of IBEW Local 11 members and their families.
And the protections afforded by the IBEW Local 11 Agreement go far beyond merely protecting the safety of its members. The IBEW Local 11 Agreement includes a thickly worded grievance provision that guarantees all members a fair opportunity to have any or all disputes resolved by agreeing upon an impartial arbitrator. If a grievance cannot be reached through cooperative communication and compromise, then at least the parties can choose to have it resolved by an even number of neutral arbitrators chosen from an official roster rather than by a single arbitrator chosen unilaterally by one party or unilaterally appointed by a labor relations organization. Should a dispute remain unresolved following arbitration, a written decision must be issued within 30 days, and that decision is "final and binding upon the parties". There are only six narrow exceptions to that binding nature, and although they afford each party limited opportunities for re-examination by the courts, the party aggrieved is fine as long as that party can show "good cause" for the order. That’s something no member of IBEW Local 11 should ever need to worry about. After all, shouldn’t they have the same rights at work that anyone else has? An objective panel has already determined that they do, so they can relax and focus.
How the Agreement Affects Employers
When a signatory contractor hires an IBEW Local 11 union member, if the employment of the member represents a significant portion of the contractor’s workforce, the agreement requires that the member be sent to the signatory employer "for dispatch" instead. If an IBEW Local 11 member is dispatched to a signatory employer under the terms of the agreement, that employer must employ the member "until he/she designated as a member of the dispatch list by the Local". The contractor must also employ the dispatched member at "full wages and fringe benefits" in compliance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement (i.e., at the IBEW Local 11 Agreement’s rates). The dispatched member shall continue to be considered a "new employee" subject to any "run-off" provisions under the collective bargaining agreement, but the dispatched member shall be "transported to his/her home local for personal interviews, registration and disposition of dues and fees, as full pay by the signatory contractor". The dispatched member is "not charged" to perform work under the agreement’s utilization of IBEW Local 11 members provision until the member is dispatched upon request of the contractor and that member refuses or declines work by signing a "new hire list" for purposes of collecting unemployment compensation.
If an IBEW Local 11 member is "rejected" or "released" from the dispatched employer, the dispatched member "should be re-dispatched" immediately to another signatory employer until completion of the member’s "two (2) year dispatch period and becoming a member of the dispatch list of [Local 11]" . If the dispatched member "is not re-dispatched" or if the member "refuses work while at the local", the dispatched member loses their rights to re-dispatching and "disbecomes" a member of the Local 11 dispatch list. The dispatched member’s membership also terminates after the member fails, within 30 days after termination of employment, to have himself/herself "on the Dispatch List". A dispatched member also loses their rights to re-dispatching if the Local 11 member "accepts work from a non-signatory contractor after the expiration of the initial two (2) year dispatch period and has not been ‘refused’ by" two or more signatory contractors.
Because of the IBEW Local 11 Agreement’s terms, if an employer does not send a dispatched IBEW Local 11 member to the signatory employer for whom they are being dispatched and fails to employ that member under the collective bargaining agreement’s terms and conditions (assuming the work force that the member represents is "sufficiently large"), the employer may face liability under the agreement for $75 under the terms and conditions of the agreement. The larger concern is that an employer who is obligated to employ the dispatched member "until" the member is designated as part of the dispatch list should be mindful that going forward the "employed" member is likely eligible for unemployment compensation benefits with respect to their temporary assignment with the employer. Unemployment compensation industries are becoming increasingly aggressive in pursuing claims under similar circumstances.
Therefore, employers should consider including indemnification language within the terms and conditions of the employment contract in order to be protected and pursue the returned dispatched IBEW Local 11 member for any unemployment compensation benefits paid to the member.
Updates to the Agreement
Recently, there have been a few notable updates concerning the IBEW Local 11 agreement. These updates cover everything from new benefits for apprentices and workers to revisions and negotiations to existing benefits. The IBEW Local 11 agreement is the annual collective bargain agreement brokered between the International Brother of Electrical Workers ("IBEW") and the National Electrical Contractors Association ("NECA"). The 2018 IBEW Local 11 Collective Bargain Agreement was designed to update existing agreements, which were set to expire in 2019. This agreement was originally set for a three-year term beginning in 2018 and ending in 2021. However, in 2019 the IBEW and NECA announced that they would be extending the existing collective bargain agreement for another year. Now, in 2022, both sides have met and have come to an agreement to not only extend the collective bargain agreement for another year, but to also make some key changes and extensions regarding pension and training benefits for apprentices.
To understand the changes to the IBEW Local 11 collectively bargain agreement, you need to first be familiar with the agreement and how it impacts both employees and employers within the fields covered by the collective bargain agreement. As said in the introduction, the IBEW Neca Local 11 collective bargain agreement is brokered every three years to update the terms and conditions of benefits for both the electrical workers and the electrical contractor employers that are party to the collective bargain agreement. In 2018, the IBEW Neca Local 11 collective bargain agreement was updated to among other things add:
Extending the terms and conditions of these items for one more year will essentially allows the workers and employers to benefit from the terms contained in the collective bargain agreement without making any changes for another year. Although, no item has been added and extended this updates also means that the terms will not change in the next year, thereby granting workers and employers some peace of mind in terms of what benefits will be available for them. Significantly, this extension and decision to make no changes also means that workers will continue to have the same wages and benefits as their previous contracts, at least for another year.
Advantages of Union Membership under the Agreement
Benefits of Being a Member of IBEW Local 11 under the Agreement
Being a member of IBEW Local 11 provides numerous benefits that extend beyond what was negotiated in the IBEW Local 11 Agreement. As a union member, you are part of a collective bargaining agreement that ensures fair wages, job security, and opportunities for better working conditions.
The advantages of being a member of IBEW Local 11 can be substantial. For instance, you have access to a job referral system that can help you find work quickly, which is crucial in an industry where projects can start and stop with little notice. The benefits package, which includes health, retirement, and disability benefits, is negotiated by IBEW Local 11 to ensure that the needs of its members are met. This means that you don’t have to worry about negotiating individually with your employer for these essential needs.
Another significant benefit of joining IBEW Local 11 under the Agreement is the opportunity for career development and advancement. Through training programs and support, Local 11 helps its members acquire new skills that can lead to promotions and better job opportunities. This not only increases the earning potential of individual members but also strengthens the workforce as a whole by ensuring that all members are up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices.
The union also offers support in various forms such as legal representation, worker’s compensation assistance, and help with grievances against employers. Because the union is there to advocate for its members, you have greater job security and protection from unfair labor practices.
Being in a union enables collective bargaining which gives the power to negotiate the terms and conditions of your employment. IBEW Local 11 acts as your representative in discussions with employers to ensure your interests are adequately presented and addressed.
Ultimately, being a member of IBEW Local 11 under the Agreement means more than just job security or good benefits. It means being a part of a community of skilled workers, acting as an advocate for one another, and having the strength of the union behind you in your professional endeavors.
Accessing the IBEW Local 11 Agreement
To access the entire IBEW Local 11 Agreement you must be a Union Member. The agreement is a legal binding document between the line construction employers and line construction organized labor. If you have a login you can "click here" and login to the website. If you don’t then you’ll have to contact your business manager and request from them to be added to the "Members Section" of the website.