It may be February, but 2024 is also a big election year – and that means the IBEW Government Affairs staff is gearing up for its most comprehensive grassroots campaign yet.
While IBEW’s grassroots coordinator John Zapfel travels the country and distributes tools to help inform and engage members, the most important component of any grassroots plan is the grassroots: rank-and-file IBEW members in the 700+ local unions in the United States. Activists have made the IBEW a critical powerhouse in get-out-the-vote operations in countless campaigns, and this year’s membership engagement efforts start now.
After three years of wins for IBEW members as a result of Biden-Harris administration policies, the IBEW has grown markedly since 2021, from 725,000 to 820,000 members. For a lot of people, work, family, and community obligations have taken necessary priority, and many are not aware of the boon the administration has represented for working families, particularly the IBEW.
“We want to highlight the monumental successes of President Biden and Vice President Harris, successes that are turbocharging the IBEW’s work prospects in every sector,” said IBEW Government Affairs Department Director Danielle Eckert.
The grassroots team has new downloadable fliers available for distribution at union meetings and worksites, tailored to the IBEW’s branches. “The Biden-Harris administration is revolutionizing the landscape for IBEW members. [The fliers] showcase how their work is being transformed for the better, thanks to the administration’s impactful initiatives.”
Download fliers by sector:
Construction: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
Manufacturing: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
Telecommunications: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
Utility: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
Railroad: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
The fliers represent a piece in the growing toolkit Zapfel has already started introducing in district registrar trainings, with visits in mid-February to the Fifth, in Florida and Mississippi, along with Will Salters, renewable energy government affairs international representative.
Registrar trainings, for local union leaders, registrars and rank-and-file members, cover updates on the state of politics and legislation the government affairs team tracks, cultivating activism on the local level, building IBEW power with the PAC and using the Labor Action Network (LAN). The new video will also be debuted, which makes the connection between political action and IBEW jobs.
Across the country, IBEW members are working on massive projects, from semiconductor plants to new transmission lines, all made possible by the Biden-Harris agenda, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. Together, they are on track to create more than 200,000 jobs for electricians by 2030.
Eckert said now is the time for activists to spread the word:
- American Rescue Plan Act: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
- Chips and Science Act of 2022: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
- Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
- More Information on Biden’s Accomplishments: Biden’s Accomplishments for IBEW Members
Eckert encourages business managers to share fliers, videos, and the IBEW scorecard with members.
“It’s important. We’re not just giving out information; we’re bringing everyone together,” she said. “The Biden-Harris administration has supported our policies, our industries, our jobs and our pensions.”
If you are interested in attending an upcoming registrar training, please contact your district office.
