Near the end of 19th century a group of skilled electricians chartered the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 26 in Washington, D.C. Since 1892, thousands of journeyman electricians have been trained by the union and have worked on countless projects around our region—from remodeling the White House in 1902 to rebuilding the Pentagon after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
On Saturday, August 19th approximately twenty volunteers–members of Electricians’ Local 26, who are also members of the Local 26 Minority Coalition and employees of the District of Columbia Housing Authority—gathered in the Lincoln Heights Housing Development, for the seventh joint community services project between Local Union 26 IBEW (LU26IBEW) and the District of Columbia Housing Authority (DCHA).
On Saturday, June 17th, 21 members of IBEW Local Union 26 participated in the 7th Community Service Project at the Stoddert Terrace Housing Complex located at 155 Ridge Road, S.E., Washington, D.C. What started out years ago as a way to give back to the community has grown into a solid partnership with the District of Columbia Housing Department (DCHD). This partnership, spear-headed by the Local 26 Minority Coalition (LU26MC) leadership has yielded over 668 pro bono hours for DCHD. Overall it is a great humanitarian effort that benefits all parties – DC gets donated labor, the residents get updated lighting, light switches and receptacles and Local 26 gives back, improving the community where its members live and work.
By Mike Miller, JATC Assistant Director
This year, 27 participants competed in the SkillsUSA residential wiring competition in our area. Fifteen competed in Virginia at the Blue Ridge Technical Center and 12 participants competed at Southern Maryland’s North Point High School. Several JATC instructors acted as judges for the competition.
You might already know that members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers/Electrical Workers Minority Caucus (IBEW/EWMC) Local Union 26 are highly skilled at wiring large commercial projects. But did you know that many believe so strongly in the value of their work that they use their skills for good, strapping on their tool belts to help community members in need?
When Arlington County, Virginia, decided to open its first year-round homeless shelter, it bought an office building in the heart of its rapidly growing urban core. Part of an effort to end chronic homelessness, the shelter was intended to provide job training, health, and mental health services as well as a place to live, off the streets, in the warmer months. Yet the building needed repair.
Today, the electrical construction industry faces two significant challenges, addressing shortages of skilled crafts labor and assuring that today’s electricians have the in-depth training required to install and maintain increasingly complex electrical systems.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 26 (IBEW) and the Washington, DC Chapter of National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) working cooperatively through the Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee (JATC), invest over $8 million every year in the Washington, D.C. area preparing the next generation of skilled electricians, and providing experienced electricians with on-going training in the latest construction techniques and technologies.
This holiday season the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26 worked with Mona Electric to donate to Loretta and Mary’s Pantry as it held its annual food drive at Giant in La Plata, MD.
IBEW Local 26 worked throughout the year to get donations from its members for the food drive. By the end of the year it had collected approximately 10,000 pounds of nonperishable items to donate to the pantry.
Mona Electric worked with IBEW Local 26 to deliver all the donations of food to Loretta and Mary’s Pantry during the week of Christmas.
A partnership between the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26 and the Edison Academy Electrical Construction and Engineering (ECE) program was signed recently in an effort to help provide students with resources and career experiences.
The program hopes to prepare students for successful and rewarding careers in the electrical field. IBEW Local 26 donated $10,000 in materials and resources for the electrical classroom at Edison Academy allowing students to practice and perfect their skills.
Ramiro “Butch” Ramos, president of Local 26, visited the Academy on October 6, 2014 along with Michael Mock, Electrical Alliance vice president for industry development and Kevin Burton, assistant director for the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) to discuss the agreement.
On February 28th, the JATC hosted several members of the Washington, DC commercial construction industry for a tour of the JATC that included its latest energy efficient upgrades. JATC Assistant Director Ralph Neidert conducted the tour. Neidert, a master electrician in Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, was also the first to become certified and conduct training for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment in the DC area.
