IBEW Local 488

the Right Choice

Western Connecticut’s Most Experienced Electricians.

ABOUT IBEW Local 488

IBEW Local 488, Bridgeport, received its charter on April 1, 1913, with nineteen original members. With Sikorsky Aircraft, Remington Arms and Avco Lycoming in our jurisdiction, we quickly grew to meet our nation’s defense needs.

In 1969 we merged with Danbury Local 525, in 1981 with Waterbury Local 660 and again in 2009 with Norwalk Local 208 to increase our jurisdictional area to include most of northwestern and southwestern Connecticut.

As technologies expand and industries transform, Local 488 is driven to continue providing a proven and skilled workforce in Western Connecticut. Local 488 also continues to work with state and local officials to meet the needs of our communities with new schools and public service facilities equipped for the 21st Century.

In 2012 Local 488 opened its new headquarters and training facility in Monroe, Connecticut. Through our apprenticeships and continuing education programs, we will be ready to meet new technology needs and challenges that lie ahead with the best-skilled craftsmen for the electrical industry.

Authorization Card?

What are they? An authorization card is a card signed by an employee signifying his or her desire to form a union.

35 Things Employers Can’t Do

35 things your company cannot do when you trying to organize a union or during the election campaign.

Unions and You

Unions protect the rights and dignity of the individual through the collective efforts of all. Unions make life better on the job.

Frequently
Asked
Questions

As a starting point, here are some basic questions and answers about IBEW 488 and your membership with us.

Still Have Questions?

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is committed to improving the lives of North America’s electrical workers and their families. With more than 725,000 members, the IBEW is among the world’s strongest labor organizations, representing workers in a range of skilled occupations in a wide variety of fields, including utility, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, government, and railroad. Formed in 1891, we have earned our reputation as the oldest, largest, and most professional electrical union in the world.”

To organize all workers in the United States and Canada, including all those in public utilities and electrical manufacturing, into local unions
To promote reasonable methods of work
To cultivate feelings of friendship among those in our industry
To settle all disputes between employers and employees by arbitration (if possible)
To assist each other in sickness or distress
To secure employment
To reduce the hours of daily labor
To secure adequate pay for our work
To seek a higher standard of living
To seek security for the individual
In the interest of a higher standard of citizenship and by legal and proper means, the IBEW will seek to elevate the moral, intellectual, and social conditions of our members, their families and dependents

Unions are about a simple proposition: By joining together, working women and men gain strength in numbers so they can have a voice at work about what they care about. They negotiate a contract with their employer for things like a fair and safe workplace, better wages, a secure retirement and family-friendly policies such as paid sick leave and scheduling hours. They have a voice in how their jobs get done, creating a more stable, productive workforce that provides better services and products. Always adapting to the challenges of our nation’s evolving workforce, unions are meeting the needs of workers in today’s flexible and nontraditional work environments. Because no matter what type of job workers are in, by building power in unions, they can speak out for fairness for all working people in their communities and create better standards and a strong middle class across the country

Signing a union card is just the first step of a thorough process in determining whether a company wants to obtain a union contract. In order to obtain this contract, a majority of employees must sign union cards, authorizing them in collective bargaining with their employer. A petition can then be filed with the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board), requesting that a secret ballot election be held to confirm that a majority of employees want the union. If that majority votes in favor of the union, the NLRB will certify the union as the official bargaining representative.

The union acts as the voice of individual employees. Unions challenge unfair or arbitrary decisions made by an employer or company. A union ensures that the individual employee takes part in decisions regarding issues such as hours of work, level of wages and salaries, job assignments, and safety. Companies sometimes forget that the success or future of the company is a direct result of the employees. Therefore, employees must have a say in the future of the company. A union only maintains a sense of democracy within a company and should be considered a constructive influence.

Union Money
Earnings by Occupation, 2012 Full-Time Wage and Salary Workers’ Median Weekly Earnings:

In nearly every occupational category, workers who are not members of unions have smaller paychecks than union members. By comparing the wages of workers within occupational groups, the cost of not being able to bargain collectively is clear.

Good workplace relations can also be a major positive: the important work of Freeman and Medoff (1984) emphasizes the importance to the management of a collective union voice which facilitates joint labor/management discussion of workplace problems. This openness is enormously important: productivity is always a social process and not just a technical one. If individual workers are treated with dignity and respect; if workplace rules are perceived as fair; if workers can raise concerns and have them equitably resolved; if workers know that they will share the benefits of workplace change; and if workers have a say in working conditions, training, and health and safety issues, then workers are likely to work cooperatively with management.

IBEW Local 488

For over 100 years, Local 488 has grown to provide the cities and towns of northwestern and southwestern Connecticut with a highly trained workforce. With a mission to create and ensure a workplace that provides safety, fairness and dignity for all our members, we stand for the ideals that have made America the great nation that it is today: democracy, equal opportunities and a chance to live the American dream.