This website is full of resources designed to improve the entire electrical industry. We at IBEW Local 48 represent professionals in the electrical trade and share long-standing partnerships with over 200 electrical contractors dedicated to providing safe, efficient, and reliable electrical installations to all of our customers.

We believe all electrical workers deserve the opportunity to earn the highest standard-of-living in the industry for their families. We also understand that not only do contractors have families and responsibilities of their own, but they are also taking the risks necessary to manage upstanding businesses that make a profit. IBEW Local 48 is not here to prevent those businesses from succeeding but to help build stronger relationships between workers and owners so that we all have the best opportunities to provide for our families.

Perhaps you have come here with preconceptions about the IBEW or unions in general. Please take a moment to objectively browse this site and learn the truth about us. You don’t even have to take our word for it because all the claims we make are documented and rather than asking you to trust a promise, we put everything in writing. Thank you for taking the time to learn about the opportunities that the IBEW can provide. If you have any questions please call or email one of our organizers any time of day, any day of the week.  

  WHO WE ARE  

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was founded on November 28, 1891 by a group of ten delegates representing 286 members employed in the electrical industry. Prior to the creation of the IBEW the death rate for linemen was as high as 50% in some areas and the national death rate for electrical workers doubled the rate of any other industry. With the risk of death so high, the workers in the electrical industry were looking for a way to care for the widows and orphans of the fallen. Dues were collected on the job informally and used to provide assistance to the families of the workers killed. By forming a Union, the workers gained a stronger voice in workplace safety and training. By negotiating reasonable safety and training procedures as well as fair wages and hours, conditions began to improve. While the size and scope of the contracts have changed, the vision still remains:

To promote reasonable methods of work,

To cultivate feelings of friendship among those of our industry,

To assist each other in sickness or distress,

To secure employment,

To secure adequate pay for our work,

To seek security for the individual,

And, by legal and proper means, elevate the moral, intellectual, and social conditions of our members, their families and dependents, in the interest of a higher standard of citizenship.

(Taken from “Objects” in the “The IBEW Constitution”)

	ELECTRICIANS AND LOW-VOLTAGE TECHNICIANS  The IBEW represents the most highly skilled professionals in the electrical industry. If you are a professional electrician or low-voltage technician who can legally do work in Oregon and/ or Washington, click here.
	ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS AND SELF-EMPLOYED ELECTRICIANS  Being a successful electrical contractor can be rewarding and profitable but it requires a large amount of personal sacrifice as well as a significant amount of financial liability. IBEW signatory contractors enjoy many benefits, such as access to reliable labor availability, but that is only the beginning. Click here for more information.
	CURRENT APPRENTICES, RECENT GRADUATES, OR NEW-CAREER SEEKERS  The NECA/IBEW Training Center offers one of the top-ranking electrical apprenticeships in the nation. State-of-the-art facilities and professional educators provide everything a future journeyman electrician needs to become the most competent workers in the industry. Click here for more information
	WORKER RESOURCES  Self-advocacy is one of the key goals of the IBEW. Whether you choose to join IBEW Local 48 or go it alone, knowing your rights and responsibilities is vital to a safe and successful career in the electrical industry. Our advice and support for workers is intended to enhance the entire industry and it is available regardless of union membership.  Click here for more information.

ORGANIZING@IBEW48.COM

15937 NE AIRPORT WAY

PORTLAND, OREGON 97230