For nearly one hundred years, the skilled, trained, professional, and certified Journeyman and Apprentice Electricians of IBEW Local 48 have helped the cities of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, as well as their surrounding areas, grow and prosper. They have provided the superior and safe electrical construction and maintenance work that has allowed this region's residences, communities, and businesses to thrive. And they continue to maintain their Vision For The Future.

From the early days of electrification, to the dawn of green technology, IBEW Local 48 members have been supported, trained and valued by an encompassing Local Union with a rich history of progressive leadership and values. Over the span of a century, Local 48 has helped maintain the honor and dignity of working people, and has safeguarded the communities of the Northwest.

Watch this impressive history of the development of the Pacific Northwest, built by the committed and dedicated electricians of IBEW Local 48

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IBEW Local Union 48

For nearly one hundred years, the skilled, trained, professional, and certified Journeyman and Apprentice Electricians of IBEW Local 48 have helped the cities of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington, as well as their surrounding areas, grow and prosper. They have provided the superior and safe electrical construction and maintenance work that has allowed this region's residences, communities, and businesses to thrive. And they continue to maintain their Vision For The Future.

From the early days of electrification, to the dawn of green technology, IBEW Local 48 members have been supported, trained and valued by an encompassing Local Union with a rich history of progressive leadership and values. Over the span of a century, Local 48 has helped maintain the honor and dignity of working people, and has safeguarded the communities of the Northwest.

We represent approximately 4,000 members who work in a wide variety of fields, including inside electrical construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, electrical manufacturing, maintenance and marine.  Our representation brings with it clearly defined contract rights including wages and benefits, which allow our members to live in dignity and health through a rewarding career and to look forward to a prosperous retirement. Our contracts include:

A Brief History of IBEW Local Union 48

The first two IBEW Locals established in Portland were Local 317, chartered in 1904, and Local 480, chartered in 1912. These two Locals elected to merge in May 21, 1913, to form a unified Local Union. Since 1913, Local 48 has increased the standard and quality of living for thousands of electrical workers, helping them achieve decent wages, improved working conditions, and the right to organize. Local 48 has helped maintain and increase the honor and dignity of hard work in organized labor, while earning respect outside of the labor movement.

Our first Business Manager, 'Mud' Crockwell, signed contracts with local electrical contractors which called for a wage of 22¢ an hour, a six-day work week for journeymen, and a dollar a day for their helpers. By World War I, Local 48 was able to negotiate a 40-hour workweek and time-and-a-half for overtime. Hard times followed the War, with non-Union shops pitting one man against the other for less pay and longer hours. During this turbulent period, Local 48 and its Business Managers continued to work with electrical contractors to develop a sound relationship. In the 1920's, Local 48 included a no-strike clause in its agreements that helped stabilize Union shops and gave us an edge over non-Union shops.

Local 48 weathered the tough times of the Depression even though many members couldn't afford their Union dues. Through their personal sacrifices, members committed to the Union and kept it alive. With the start of World War II, the tide of work changed Union members found plenty of work with the defense industry. Shipbuilding in the Portland area increased membership, including many women, to over 20,000--making Local 48 the largest Union in the nation.

In the years following the War, Local 48 began its commitment to education--which today has produced one of the top-ranked apprenticeship training programs in the nation. Our program, in conjunction with the Oregon-Columbia Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, serves as a model for training programs around the world. During the 1960's and 70's, Local 48 benefited from the construction boom, with members working on some of the area's most important projects. The boom ended in the 1980's with a recession. Still, Local 48 leaders had a Vision for the Future. They worked together with NECA to put in place new programs and new opportunities that brought about positive changes for Local 48 and its electrical contractors.

Today, Local 48 enjoys a nationwide reputation for excellence and productivity as the Portland area once again is experiencing growth in the building industry.  Our journeymen are the best trained and most up-to-date in the nation. Their state-of-the-art skills, journeymen are employed on projects all over town--from safe wiring for family homes to the most intricate high tech projects.

If you are visiting Washington D.C. don't miss the IBEW Museum.

Our cause is the cause of human justice, human rights, and human security. Our object is to organize all workers in the entire electrical industry working in our jurisdiction into our Local Union. We believe in cultivating feelings of friendship among those in our industry, assisting each other in sickness or distress, securing adequate pay for our work in order to achieve a higher standard of living, seeking security for our individual members, and by legal and proper means elevating the moral, intellectual, and social conditions of our members and their families.

Promote by all proper means the material and intellectual welfare of the members;

Establish and maintain an adequate wage for our labor;

Advance the principles and practices of conciliation and arbitration in the settlement of any differences with our employers;

Make every effort for proper and safe installations of all electrical work, thus safeguarding life and property;

Make our card and seal a certificate of fraternity, honesty, efficiency, and reliability.

The Code of Excellence is a set of workplace conduct rules developed by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), endorsed by NECA, and accepted by Local 48 membership on May 22, 2002.

The program’s purpose is twofold: to inspire a higher level of commitment on the part of union workers, and to demonstrate to customers that by hiring union contractors, they will obtain a more productive, high quality and safety-conscious workforce.

The positive attitude generated in the workforce by this program has resulted in a very favorable response from customers. Another important benefit of the program is that it has led to increased efficiency on the job, which in turn enables union contractors to place more competitive bids.

Download: IBEW Code of Excellence Poster

The fundamental objective of green building is to transform the design and construction of buildings to be environmentally conscientious, cost-effective, and healthy places to live and work.

Local 48 has put its confidence in green technologies to the test and invested in the Union hall's infrastructure and retrofitted the employee parking lot with a 72 kWp solar panel system. We are anticipating a 13 year payback on the system but with increasing energy costs and the potential to sell off extra power through potential utility buyback programs, we believe the investment will exceed these predictions and the Local will realize an accelerated payback.

Click solar array image below for performance data of earnings and CO2 savings

As professional installers of cutting edge energy efficient innovations for homes and businesses, our mission is to lead the electrical industry - by example - to the highest levels of quality, skill, competence, value and integrity, thus earning the acceptance of our customers and community.

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In response to the emergent green technologies movement, NECA/IBEW Local 48 has incorporated green technologies in its training and certification programs. Our Electrical Training Center has implemented green training programs to ensure that new electricians, as well as the industry's experienced journeymen, have the skill sets necessary to operate in the increasingly green economy.