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International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Respect Our Craft — Pay the Standard

Original Campaign Thread

Local 57 / IBEW Campaign Planning Thread

User request

From 2007 until today, the UBCJA (Carpenters’ Union), has been representing electrical workers through their St Louis based “Local 57”. The UBCJA then signed a substandard wage and benefit agreement significantly below those established by the IBEW in the region. I created two websites to expose this atrocity in the American Trade Union movement and have done my best to help the members of this union, but it is a unique challenge. Many do not understand trade unionism and in some cases, this is the best job they have ever had. Specifically, young men and women can gain access to this union much quicker and easier than if they applied for an apprenticeship program with the IBEW. And although the wages and benefits of the Local 57 are significantly below those of the IBEW (see this site: https://lossclock.org/?ibew=l1&region=stlouis&tier=journeyman&since=2026-01-01 and this site: https://jointheibew.org/), I imagine parents are simply happy to have their 20 year old off the couch with health care and starting a pension (even though the pension is very poor). Also, the tenured journey-level members often, but not always, have a sketchy IBEW history. They may have tried to get in and failed as young people. Some may be bitter, others have worked their way up to a respectable standard and “a bird in the hand versus two in the bush” may be influencing their reticence for change. I have tried traditional organizing from the bottom up, gathering union authorization cards, and have had some success and will continue, and have created both digital and print based recruiting materials, but I am struggling and running out of ideas. Please provide me a comprehensive list of recommendations on how to tackle this unique problem, and include a detailed public informational campaign designed to call out the UBCJA and encourage traditional carpenter members to support our effort to help these underrepresented electrical workers whose skills are being exploited by the carpenters union. Use whatever tools you feel are best to complete this task and ask any questions you may have. I cover 6 local unions: 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, and 124, let me know the best way to help them.

Assistant response

You are dealing with a multi-front fight: a substandard “union” undercutting area standards, a vulnerable but somewhat satisfied workforce, and a broader labor movement that has not fully internalized how ugly this is.

Below is a structured set of recommendations: internal organizing strategy with Local 57 members, external political/industry pressure, and a detailed public info campaign aimed at both UBC carpenters and the broader labor community.

1. Strategic frame: how to define the fight

You will be more effective if every piece of work (cards, websites, leaflets, political work, social media) repeats the same core narrative.

Suggested framing pillars:

  • “Defend area standards, don’t undercut them”

    • Use very simple, visual comparisons of total package and retirement outcomes between Local 57 and IBEW locals 1/2/309/453/649/124, drawn from your lossclock/jointheibew data.
    • Emphasize that the Carpenters are lowering the value of electrical labor below the market they did not build.

  • “This is not a turf war, it’s wage theft with a union label”

    • Point out that Local 57’s electrical package exists only because UBCJA chose to sign a substandard agreement for electrical work already covered at higher rates in the same geographic market.
    • Make clear that your end goal is: (a) bring these workers up to full electrical area standards and (b) stop the UBC from expanding this model to other trades.

  • “Respect for real carpenters”

    • You are not attacking carpenters; you are asking them to stop their international from attacking another trade.
    • “Carpenters build with wood and concrete. When your union starts undercutting other trades’ work, it stops defending you too.”

Everything else should hang off these three ideas.

2. Inside game: organizing Local 57 electrical workers

You already know traditional bottom-up organizing; here are refinements specific to this “best job I’ve ever had / quick access” problem.

A. Map and segment the workforce

Build a live database (you likely already have one) that explicitly codes:

  • Entry path:
    • Direct-entry young workers (first union job, no IBEW history)
    • Workers with failed past IBEW applications
    • Former IBEW or other union members
  • Current status:
    • Apprentices vs A-card/B-card or equivalent tiers
    • Steady “core” vs dispatch casuals
  • Motivations and fears:
    • “Best job I’ve had”
    • “IBEW burned me once”
    • “Just need hours and benefits”
    • “Wants to top out, not rock the boat”

For each segment, tailor the ask:

  • Direct-entry young workers:

    • Focus on long-term earnings and retirement delta, using truly simple projections: “Stay 25 years here versus 25 years under IBEW – here’s the difference in lifetime earnings and pension.”
    • Talk about transferable credentials: “Under IBEW, you carry a card that travels nationally with standard training and standards; under 57 electrical you are locked into an experiment that other trades do not recognize.”

  • Folks with a bad IBEW history:

    • Acknowledge it explicitly. “You were treated like a number before; my commitment is that we do not repeat that.”
    • Offer discrete, face-to-face problem-solving—“I’ll take your application personally; you will not be lost in the shuffle again”—and then over-deliver.

  • Older journey-level “bird in the hand” folks:

    • Show that they are already losing money today, not just in retirement. Your lossclock framing is ideal: “You have lost $X since January 1st compared to doing the same work under IBEW 1/2/309/453/649/124.”
    • Pair that with concrete transition plans (see below) that do not require them to risk unemployment.

B. Offer concrete transition pathways

To overcome “reticence for change,” you need real, low-risk options—not just “sign a card.”

  • “Soft landing” MOU approach

    • Work with your NECA contractors and your six locals to negotiate targeted hiring or “preferred consideration” for 57 electricians who sign IBEW cards and complete skills verification.
    • Aim for a written understanding that these members will have a clearly defined pathway into the apprenticeship or direct-entry classifications, with recognition of prior hours where possible.

  • Skills and classification bridging

    • Design short, intensive “bridge” training units (code update, conduit bending, advanced motor controls, safety) that 57 members can complete evenings/weekends; completion plus documented hours could support a specific entry level in your apprenticeship.
    • Emphasize “you don’t go back to square one; we recognize what you already know and pay you accordingly once you’re in the real electrical agreement.”

  • Anonymous pre-commit channels

    • Use your existing web infrastructure to let Local 57 electricians confidentially register interest in switching, without yet signing a card (e.g., a “when the path is ready, call me” list).
    • Once you have critical mass at an employer, move in clusters; group moves reduce fear dramatically.

C. Re-tool your ask: from “union card” to “control and standards”

Given that Local 57 already gives them a union label, differentiate by:

  • Emphasizing control:

    • “IBEW members elect leadership from among electricians; Local 57 electrical is controlled by a carpenters international that decided your trade is worth less.”
    • Contrast contract enforcement: how many dedicated electrical business reps, JATC instructors, safety programs, and grievance wins exist for IBEW vs 57 electrical.

  • Emphasizing standards:

    • “A real trade agreement is one where your skills set the area standard; 57 electrical is literally priced below that standard while using it as the benchmark.”

3. External leverage: pressure on UBCJA and contractors

A. Political and regulatory pressure

  • Public contracts and prevailing wage

    • Identify all public projects where Local 57 electricians work on electrical classifications. Cross-reference with prevailing wage determinations and contract language.
    • Where there is any misclassification or underpayment relative to prevailing electrical rates, file complaints and, when appropriate, publicize them as “Taxpayer dollars used to subsidize a union-label wage cut.”

  • Transparency and disclosure

    • Use DOL/OLMS reporting tools to examine any consultant or “persuader” activity linked to these arrangements; where anti-IBEW campaigns exist, expose their cost and origin.
    • Push city/county/state electeds: “Are you comfortable that your endorsed carpenters council is undercutting another union’s rate on your projects?”

  • Labor council resolutions

    • Introduce resolutions at the central labor council and state fed explicitly condemning substandard electrical agreements by carpenters and calling for neutrality / support for upgrading these workers to full electrical standards.
    • Phrase it as defending the principle that each craft’s agreed-upon area standard should be respected by other unions.

B. Industry and community allies

  • General contractors and owners

    • Quietly brief key GCs and institutional owners that the Local 57 electrical model is generating conflict and may be challenged on public projects.
    • Offer them a path to labor peace: “If you move this scope to IBEW at the standard rate, we can commit to stable, skilled manpower and no disruptions.”

  • Community organizations

    • Partner with clergy, worker centers, and community groups that do “good jobs” campaigns; this reframes the issue as community wage standards versus a race to the bottom.
    • Use them as validators when you eventually go public: “Community leaders support bringing these electricians up to full area standards.”

4. Public informational campaign: goals, targets, and message

You asked for a detailed campaign, especially aimed at calling out UBCJA and engaging traditional carpenters. Below is a blueprint you can adapt across your six locals.

A. Campaign goals

  • Primary goals

    • Make it politically and reputationally costly for the Carpenters to continue representing electrical workers at substandard rates.
    • Build sympathy within rank-and-file carpenters for 57 electricians and for respecting craft lines and area standards.

  • Secondary goals

    • Drive individual Local 57 electricians toward either:
      • Signing IBEW authorization cards, or
      • Registering for a transition pathway.
    • Encourage other unions to adopt a “no scabbing on our brothers’ trades” stance regarding electrical scope.

B. Audiences and tailored messages

  1. Local 57 electricians

    • “You deserve the real electrical standard.”
    • “You built this work; the carpenters underpriced your skills.”
    • “There is a way to move without risking everything.”

  2. Traditional carpenters (non-electrical)

    • “When your leadership undercuts another trade’s standard today, they can undercut your standard tomorrow.”
    • “We’re not asking you to give up work; we’re asking you to respect the lines that built our wages.”

  3. Broader union movement (IBEW members in 1/2/309/453/649/124, plus other trades)

    • “A union cutting another union’s rate is a direct threat to all of us.”
    • “Support these electricians in demanding full value for their skills.”

  4. Public and political class

    • “Taxpayer-funded projects should not use union labels to hide wage cuts.”
    • “Real unions lift standards; this arrangement drags them down.”

5. Campaign components and concrete tactics

A. Digital presence (leveraging your existing sites)

You already have lossclock/jointheibew-style assets.

  • Unify branding

    • Create a single campaign identity, e.g., “Respect the Craft – Pay the Standard” or “Real Electrical Standards Now.”
    • Ensure lossclock, jointheibew, and any Local 57 facts site all share this branding, color palette, and logo so a worker sees one coherent campaign.

  • Micro-tools aimed at workers

    • Extend lossclock to include:
      • A “Local 57 to IBEW” lifetime earnings calculator: user selects age, current rate, and years expected to work; tool shows a simple bar graph of lost lifetime income and pension accumulation.
      • A “Bridge me” interest form for 57 members, with strong privacy language and optional burner contact methods.

  • Storytelling content

    • Short, subtitled videos (60–120 seconds) featuring:
      • Former Local 57 electricians now in IBEW locals 1/2/309/453/649/124 talking about their transition.
      • Traditional carpenters saying, “As a carpenter, I do not support my union cutting another craft’s wage.”
    • Host on your own site and then push via social channels; keep clip scripts focused on one or two key phrases.

  • Social media cadence

    • Weekly “Fact Friday” posts comparing Local 57 electrical compensation to IBEW locals, using simple tables and concrete examples from your data.
    • Occasional “solidarity spotlights” featuring other craft unions endorsing your campaign.

B. Print and physical visibility

  • Piece 1: “Know your value” leaflet for Local 57 electricians

    • Front: big, bold wage/benefit comparison: “Same job, same city. Why is your skills package smaller?” with numbers pulled from your comparison data.
    • Back:
      • 3 bullets on what real electrical standards look like (IBEW apprenticeship, safety, JATC, grievance power).
      • Contact + QR code direct to a confidential info page.

  • Piece 2: “Respect the crafts” leaflet for carpenters

    • Front: message from an IBEW local officer: “We respect carpenters, but we cannot accept your union undercutting our trade.”
    • Back:
      • Quotes from union-movement sources about area standards and solidarity.
      • A simple statement: “We are asking you to support bringing these electricians up to full standard—not to give up legitimate carpenters’ work.”

  • Piece 3: One-page fact sheet for labor councils and political allies

    • Bullet points:
      • Dates and nature of Local 57’s electrical agreement.
      • Wage/benefit deltas vs IBEW.
      • High-level description of affected projects and employers.
      • A “what you can do” box: resolution language, call your carpenters council, etc.

C. Public actions and messaging moments

  • “Area Standards not for sale” days of action

    • Coordinated across IBEW locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124 around a single date, with synchronized leafleting at:
      • Major jobs using Local 57 electricians.
      • Carpenters’ union halls and training centers (for member-to-member education).
    • Use identical signage: “Respect Electrical Standards,” “Carpenters: Don’t Cut Our Wages.”

  • Labor council and state fed presentations

    • Prepare a 10–15 minute slide deck summarizing the issue, and request time at every central labor council where your locals are active.
    • Invite a Local 57 electrician (current or former) to give a short testimony describing lower benefits and lack of control.

  • Targeted open letter

    • Draft an open letter signed by officers and rank-and-file leaders from your six locals, addressed to:
      • UBCJA regional council leadership,
      • Local political allies,
      • The broader labor movement.
    • Publish it on your campaign site and push it via local labor media, emphasizing the precedent it sets if left unchecked.

6. How to coordinate across Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124

Given your six-local footprint, structure the work like a campaign, not six separate skirmishes.

  • Establish a joint campaign committee

    • 2–3 reps from each local (one officer, one organizer/rep, and if possible one rank-and-file leader) plus yourself as campaign director.
    • Weekly virtual check-ins focused on: targets, numbers (cards, contacts, bridge candidates), upcoming jobs, and political/labor council opportunities.

  • Shared data and contact infrastructure

    • Centralize all 57 electrician contacts and notes in a single secure system you maintain (obviously locked down).
    • Use common tags and scripts so each local is not reinventing the wheel.

  • Divide roles by strength

    • One local takes primary responsibility for digital and content production (likely Local 1, given your web background).
    • Another leads political work; another leads central labor council work; another specializes in specific GCs or owners.

  • Metrics and feedback

    • Track:
      • Number of Local 57 electricians spoken to,
      • Cards signed or transition interest forms submitted,
      • Public allies secured (resolutions, statements),
      • Projects where Local 57 usage has been reduced or replaced.
    • Review monthly and adjust: if public pressure moves UBC or contractors in one area, replicate in the others.

7. A deeper escalation track (if needed)

If the campaign stalls and you need heavier pressure:

  • Expose specific projects

    • Carefully document wage and benefit differences on high-profile jobs, especially publicly funded ones.
    • Use FOIA or state open records to get contract and wage compliance documents where possible, then work with media or community groups to highlight, “Union-label wage cut on a public job.”

  • Encourage internal carpenters dissent

    • Quietly recruit carpenters who are uncomfortable with this strategy to push internal resolutions or to speak at their meetings.
    • Provide them with your fact sheets and commit not to drag them into public fights without consent.

  • Legal exploration

    • Depending on the specifics of the agreements, review whether there are jurisdictional or duty-of-fair-representation angles when a carpenters local bargains a separate, lower-standard agreement covering electrical work that is already covered locally by IBEW agreements.
    • Even if not litigated, the research itself can shape your public talking points.

8. One concrete example flow

For a given large job using Local 57 electricians in, say, Local 2’s jurisdiction:

  1. Quiet phase

    • ID and quietly meet with a cluster of 57 electricians on that job, using your “Know your value” leaflet and lossclock-style numbers.
    • Collect contact info, get a sense of who might move if a path exists.

  2. Path phase

    • Coordinate with Local 2 and NECA partners to create a specific hiring pathway for these workers (bridge training, classification, expected timeline).
    • Present it back to the group as a concrete offer.

  3. Public phase

    • Once you have meaningful interest, run a day of leafleting at job gates and nearby carpenters facilities, framed around “Respect Electrical Standards,” and seek media and community allies.
    • Use that moment to ask the owner/GC to commit to full electrical standards on future phases.

Assistant clarifying question

The single factor that will most shape your next move is how far you are willing and able to go with public confrontation of the Carpenters (including possibly straining relationships in the local labor council). Are you prepared to escalate into an openly contentious, public campaign against UBCJA’s electrical program in your area, even if it creates tension with other union leaders?

User answer

The answer to your clarifying question is: YES!

Assistant response

Then you should plan for a real, visible, escalating fight with a clear end state: either the UBC drops or upgrades its electrical program, or key employers abandon it in favor of IBEW standards.

Below is a concrete escalation plan designed for a public campaign, built around your existing online tools and your six-local footprint.

1. Define the win and the targets

You need explicit, public demands and named targets so the campaign isn’t just “raising awareness.”

Primary demands (external, public):

  • UBCJA/Mid-America Carpenters must either:

    • Exit the electrical trade in your region, or
    • Lift Local 57-represented electrical workers up to the existing IBEW area standard for wages, benefits, and training.

  • Major GCs/owners must:

    • Commit not to use substandard electrical contracts (including Local 57 electrical) on new projects in the jurisdictions of 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, and 124.

Primary targets:

  • Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council leadership and the AEC/Local 57 joint apprenticeship apparatus.
  • Key GCs/owners who regularly use 57 electricians, especially on high-visibility or public work.
  • Secondary: political leaders and labor councils who currently sit on the fence.

Write these as a short “campaign statement” on your sites and in print so everyone in the IBEW family is saying the same thing.

2. Escalation ladder: from exposure to confrontation

Think in terms of a classic escalation staircase: expose → isolate → confront → force a choice.

Step 1 – Exposure (you’re most of the way there)

You already have content showing that Local 57 undercuts area standards; build on existing public material like the 2014 informational video and Local 57 facts work.

  • Refresh and amplify the story:

    • Short blog posts and videos: “What is Local 57?” and “How Carpenters Created a Cut-Rate Electrical Union in St. Louis.”
    • Explicitly connect wage and benefit deltas to your lossclock visualizations and to real contractor lists from 309’s document so people see this is current, not ancient history.

  • Public education at union forums:

    • Present at central labor council and state fed meetings on the Local 57 model, using archived IBEW coverage of a contractor dumping Local 57 as proof that this is a known, long-standing problem.
    • Push for resolutions condemning any union that signs substandard agreements in another trade’s jurisdiction.

Step 2 – Isolation (within labor and the community)

You want the broader movement and community to see UBC’s electrical program as an outlier, not “just another union.”

  • Labor council and union-to-union resolutions:

    • Draft resolutions stating that member unions will not support any effort by another union to undercut an established area standard of a different trade.
    • Get them passed at local labor councils where your six locals operate and at the Missouri AFL-CIO if feasible.

  • Solidarity statements from carpenters rank-and-file:

    • Quietly recruit sympathetic carpenters willing to sign or anonymously support a statement: “We are carpenters. We do not support our union running a cut-rate electrical program.”
    • Publish quotes (with names only if they consent) in your campaign materials to show internal dissent.

  • Community/faith allies:

    • Use research on unions and working conditions to frame this as a community wages issue: “Union labels should not hide wage cuts on public projects.”
    • Ask congregations and community orgs involved in “good jobs” work to sign a pledge supporting full electrical standards and opposing substandard contracts.

Step 3 – Confrontation (public actions targeted at UBC and employers)

Here you lean into informational picketing, direct actions, and media. The 2014 video is useful: it already makes the point that Local 57 projects can be informationally picketed even though they are “union.”

  • Coordinated area-standards actions at Local 57 jobs:

    • Across 1/2/309/453/649/124, select a few flagship jobs where Local 57 electricians are on site, especially those with public visibility or public funding.
    • Run synchronized informational pickets and leafleting, using the clear legal framing that it is about area standards, not union affiliation.
    • Messaging: “This project is advertised as 100% union, but the electrical rate is below the local electrical standard.”

  • “Respect the Crafts” rallies at carpenters facilities:

    • Organize short, disciplined rallies outside Mid-America Carpenters offices or AEC/Local 57 training locations, timed to high-profile meetings or graduation events.
    • Use joint turnout from all six locals; have speakers from IBEW and other trades but keep focus sharp: “We respect carpenters’ work. We cannot accept your leadership cutting our trade’s standard.”

  • Petition and open letter deliveries:

    • Once you have signatures from IBEW members, other trades, and community allies, stage a public delivery of a petition to the Carpenters council and to key owners/GCs:
      • Demands: end substandard electrical agreements, commit to full standards on future work.
    • Use media and social channels to amplify these events; frame them as part of a broader movement defending craft standards against race-to-the-bottom experiments.

Step 4 – Force a choice (political and contract leverage)

If you’ve built momentum, you can start making this a political litmus test.

  • Political endorsements and access:

    • Ask elected officials and candidates: “Will you stand with real electrical standards or with a union cutting another union’s wage?”
    • Encourage them to publicly call on UBC to meet IBEW standards for electrical work on public projects in your area.

  • Owner and GC policies:

    • Use public actions and community pressure to push key owners to adopt vendor policies: “On projects in these counties, we will only accept electrical work at or above the established IBEW standard, regardless of which union provides it.”
    • This doesn’t require them to name IBEW explicitly but effectively bans substandard programs.

  • Highlight defections:

    • Every time a contractor drops Local 57 electrical in favor of IBEW labor (as documented in prior IBEW coverage), publicize it as “Another contractor chooses real electrical standards.”

3. Messaging lines tailored for a hard public campaign

You will likely do a lot of media, social posts, and speeches; here are concise lines that fit a confrontational stance but keep you on the moral high ground.

Against UBC’s electrical program:

  • “The Carpenters created a special local to sell cut-rate electrical work under a union label. That is a betrayal of the entire labor movement.”
  • “Local 57 electrical is a discount version of our craft designed to make owners happy and keep electricians poor.”

To carpenters rank-and-file:

  • “When your union undercuts the electricians today, it sets a precedent to undercut carpenters tomorrow. We are fighting to defend your standards as much as ours.”
  • “We want to work with carpenters to build good jobs. We cannot do that if your leadership runs a race-to-the-bottom side hustle in our trade.”

To the broader public/political class:

  • “St. Louis deserves honest union construction. Calling something ‘union’ while paying less than the area standard for that craft is deceptive.”
  • “Taxpayer-funded projects should not rely on a ‘fake electrical standard’ created to cut corners.”

4. Specific roles for the six locals

Since you asked how best to help Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, and 124, here’s one way to organize the division of labor in a public fight:

  • Local 1 (St. Louis core):

    • Lead digital campaign and content, using lossclock and your web tools as the central hub.
    • Anchor media relationships and major city-center actions.

  • Local 2:

    • Coordinate cross-river political work and regional owner/GC targeting; use shared job lists and Local 57 contractor data to identify best targets.

  • Local 309:

    • Map and monitor all remaining Local 57 contractors and jobs; maintain and update public-facing “Who’s using Local 57 electrical?” lists.

  • Locals 453 and 649:

    • Focus on outreach and organizing among Local 57 electricians working in their territories, including identifying bridge candidates for transitions.
    • Lead some of the “Respect the Crafts” actions at carpenters facilities outside the core metro.

  • Local 124:

    • Provide additional contractor depth and stories from a different urban market; also, amplify social content and serve as an example of how many signatory contractors and opportunities exist under a real electrical agreement versus the limited Local 57 contractor base.

Have a single “campaign coordinating committee” with reps from each local (plus you) that sets the escalation calendar and keeps everyone on message.

5. Guardrails so the fight doesn’t blow back on workers

In a hard public campaign, you still need to protect Local 57 electricians and carpenters rank-and-file from collateral damage.

  • Emphasize leadership responsibility:

    • Always frame the attack on the Carpenters’ council and UBC leadership decisions, not on individual carpenters or apprentices.

  • Reiterate your commitment to Local 57 workers:

    • In every public statement, add a line: “Our fight is to raise these electricians up to full standards, not to put them out of work.”

  • Provide off-ramps:

    • Make sure every leaflet, website, and picket sign includes a clear way for Local 57 electricians to contact you confidentially and ask about transition options.

Assistant follow-up offer

If you like, I can next help you draft: (1) a one-page “campaign statement” suitable for public posting and labor council resolutions, and (2) specific text and structure for a coordinated “Respect Electrical Standards” day of action across your six locals.

User answer

Yes!

Assistant response

Here’s a first-draft package you can actually drop into websites, leaflets, resolutions, and internal memos. You can tweak tone/length to fit each audience.

1. One-page campaign statement

Title: Respect the Craft – Pay the Standard

Preamble

For more than a century, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and our signatory contractors have built and defended area standards for electrical work in the St. Louis region and beyond. Those standards protect not just electricians, but every worker and contractor who depends on fair competition and safe, high-quality construction.

In recent years, the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council has expanded a separate program for electrical work through Local 57. This program pays wages and benefits significantly below the established electrical standard in our region and operates outside the proven IBEW training and enforcement structure. It uses a union label to sell cut-rate electrical work.

This is not acceptable.

What’s wrong and why it matters

  • Local 57 electrical agreements undercut the existing IBEW electrical package for the same work in the same jurisdiction.
  • These contracts drag down the value of electrical skills, weaken area standards for every contractor, and open the door for similar attacks on other trades.
  • Workers in Local 57 electrical classifications often believe they have reached “union wages,” but they are being paid less than the actual craft standard and lack a voice within their own trade.
  • When any union signs a substandard agreement in another trade’s jurisdiction, it undermines solidarity and gives owners a tool to pit workers and contractors against each other.

We respect carpenters and the work they do. Our opposition is not to the carpenter trade or its members, but to the decision by their leadership to create and maintain a cut-rate electrical program.

Our goals

We are launching the Respect the Craft – Pay the Standard campaign with three clear objectives:

  1. Raise Local 57 electricians up to the real electrical standard in our region for wages, benefits, safety, and training.
  2. Defend area standards by ensuring that electrical work in the jurisdictions of IBEW Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, and 124 is performed at or above the established IBEW electrical rates, regardless of which union label is on the check.
  3. Protect solidarity among trades by setting a clear precedent: no union should undercut another trade’s established standard in order to win work.

Our commitments

  • We will stand with Local 57 electrical workers who want a path into full electrical standards, and we will work to create real transition opportunities without demanding they risk unemployment.
  • We will focus our criticism on the leadership decision to undercut electrical standards, not on individual carpenters, apprentices, or any worker trying to support a family.
  • We will be honest and transparent about wage and benefit differences, project by project and contractor by contractor.
  • We will pursue this fight through organizing, public education, political advocacy, and coordinated action across our six locals.

What we are asking of others

  • To the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council: End cut-rate electrical agreements in our region. Either withdraw from electrical work or agree to electrical wages, benefits, and training that fully match local IBEW standards.
  • To owners and general contractors: Commit that on projects in this region, electrical work will be performed at or above the established IBEW electrical standard, regardless of which union is on the letterhead.
  • To other unions and labor councils: Adopt and enforce the principle that no union should sign substandard agreements in another trade’s jurisdiction. Stand with us as we defend area standards for electrical workers.
  • To carpenters rank-and-file: Make your voice heard. Tell your leadership that undermining another trade’s standards is not solidarity, and it is not worthy of your union’s history.

Conclusion

We did not choose this fight. It was created when a fellow union decided to sell our trade short. We intend to win it by organizing workers, defending real standards, and rebuilding solidarity on a foundation of mutual respect between crafts.

Respect the Craft. Pay the Standard.

Signed, IBEW Local 1
IBEW Local 2
IBEW Local 309
IBEW Local 453
IBEW Local 649
IBEW Local 124

(plus any contractor associations and allies you add)

2. “Respect Electrical Standards” day of action – structure and text

A. Overall structure

Name: Respect Electrical Standards Day
Scope: Synchronized informational actions by Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124 on the same date.
Targets:

  • High-visibility jobs using Local 57 electricians
  • Mid-America Carpenters facilities (office, training center, union hall)
  • One central rally location in St. Louis city (Local 1 as anchor)

Core components:

  1. Early-morning gate leafleting / informational picketing at targeted jobs.
  2. Midday “Respect the Crafts” outreach at carpenters facilities.
  3. Late-afternoon central rally with media, union speakers, and community allies.

B. Sample internal call-to-action (to IBEW members)

Subject: Join the Respect Electrical Standards Day of Action

Sisters and Brothers,

On [DATE], IBEW Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, and 124 are coming together for a coordinated day of action to defend our trade and our area standards.

The Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council is promoting a cut-rate electrical program through Local 57 that pays less than our established electrical standard for the same work in our jurisdictions. They are using a union label to sell our craft short.

We respect carpenters and the work they do. But we cannot and will not accept any union undercutting the standards that generations of IBEW members built.

On [DATE], we will: – Leaflet and hold informational pickets at targeted projects using Local 57 electricians. – Talk directly with carpenters at their halls and training centers about why this program is a threat to all of us. – Rally together in St. Louis to launch our Respect the Craft – Pay the Standard campaign publicly.

This is not just about one local or one job. It is about the future of our trade.

Turnout matters. When we stand shoulder to shoulder, owners, politicians, and other unions pay attention.

Please contact your local union office to sign up for an assignment on [DATE], and plan to join us at the central rally at [TIME, LOCATION].

In solidarity, [Names and titles from all six locals]

C. Sample leaflet text – jobsite / public

Front headline:
“UNION LABEL, CUT-RATE ELECTRICAL? NOT HERE.”

Body:

This project is being built with electricians represented by Carpenters Local 57. On paper, it sounds good: a union job with benefits.

But here’s what they don’t tell you:

  • Local 57 electrical contracts pay less in wages and benefits than the established electrical standard in this region.
  • The Mid-America Carpenters leadership created a separate electrical program to sell cut-rate electrical work under a union label.
  • When any union undercuts another trade’s standard, it pushes down wages for everyone.

We respect every worker on this job — including Local 57 members. Our fight is not with them. Our fight is with a system that uses their skills to drag down the value of electrical work.

Electrical work on projects in IBEW jurisdictions should meet or exceed the established IBEW standard. Nothing less.

Back side:

WE ARE ASKING FOR:

  • Owners and general contractors to commit to full electrical standards on future projects.
  • The Mid-America Carpenters leadership to end substandard electrical agreements in this region.
  • Other unions and community allies to stand with us in defending real area standards.

TO LOCAL 57 ELECTRICIANS:

You deserve the real electrical standard. There is a path to higher wages, better benefits, and a voice in your own trade.

Scan this QR code or visit [campaign site URL] to learn more — confidentially.

Respect the Craft. Pay the Standard.

IBEW Locals 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124

D. Sample leaflet text – carpenters’ halls / training centers

Front headline:
“CARPENTERS: THIS IS ABOUT YOUR STANDARDS TOO.”

Body:

We are IBEW electricians. We have worked side by side with carpenters for generations.

Today we face a problem we did not create:

  • The Mid-America Carpenters leadership has built a separate electrical program through Local 57 that pays less than the established electrical standard in our region.
  • They are using a “union” electrical program to undercut another union’s trade.

If they can do that to us today, they can do it to you tomorrow.

This is not solidarity. It is a race to the bottom.

Back side:

WE RESPECT YOUR WORK. WE NEED YOU TO RESPECT OUR TRADE.

We are asking carpenters rank-and-file to:

  • Tell your leadership that undermining another trade’s standard is not acceptable.
  • Support efforts to bring Local 57 electricians up to full electrical standards — not keep them at a discount.
  • Stand with us when we say: no union should sign substandard agreements in another trade’s jurisdiction.

We want to keep building together on real union jobs that lift everyone up.

Respect the Craft. Pay the Standard.

[Contact / campaign URL]

E. Rally program skeleton

Length: 45–60 minutes, tightly scripted.

  1. Opening (5 min)

    • MC from Local 1 welcomes everyone, explains purpose: defending electrical standards and respecting all crafts.

  2. IBEW speakers (15–20 min total)

    • Short remarks (3–4 minutes each) from Business Managers/Presidents of 1, 2, 309, 453, 649, 124.
    • Focus: what area standards mean in their jurisdiction; why cut-rate electrical threatens everyone.

  3. Local 57 worker voice (5–7 min)

    • A current or former Local 57 electrician willing to speak safely about their pay, benefits, and conditions versus IBEW.
    • Emphasize that your fight is to raise them up, not leave them behind.

  4. Other union / labor council speaker (5–7 min)

    • Representative from another trade or labor council endorsing the principle that no union should undercut another’s established standard.

  5. Community ally (5 min)

    • Clergy or community leader tying it to good jobs and public accountability.

  6. Closing (5 min)

    • Call to action:
      • Join ongoing jobsite actions,
      • Sign petitions and resolutions,
      • Spread the Respect the Craft – Pay the Standard message.

Assistant closing note

If you tell me whether you’d like this framed more as “IBEW-only” language or as “IBEW + signatory contractors” jointly, I can adapt both the campaign statement and the day-of-action text to explicitly include contractor associations and a more owner-friendly argument set.