History of the IBEW
Over one hundred years ago, in 1891, ten men met above Stolley’s Dance Hall in St. Louis in hopes of
bringing a better life to those in the electrical trade. Then, apprenticeship training was unheard of and
safety consisted of trial and error and hoping for the best. Those ten men later became the founders of the
National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (NBEW), which became the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers (IBEW) in 1899 when jurisdiction extended to include Canada.
The IBEW has lasted through two World Wars, The Great Depression, internal disputed, and hostile
government leaders to become the oldest and largest electrical union in the world today. The IBEW
represents workers’ rights in all are of the electrical industry. To provide the highly skilled work force
necessary to meet in the customer needs and to insure job satisfaction for the electrical workers, the IBEW
provides the very best apprenticeship training programs available.
Over one hundred years ago, in 1891, ten men met above Stolley’s Dance Hall in St. Louis in hopes of
bringing a better life to those in the electrical trade. Then, apprenticeship training was unheard of and
safety consisted of trial and error and hoping for the best. Those ten men later became the founders of the
National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (NBEW), which became the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers (IBEW) in 1899 when jurisdiction extended to include Canada.
The IBEW has lasted through two World Wars, The Great Depression, internal disputed, and hostile
government leaders to become the oldest and largest electrical union in the world today. The IBEW
represents workers’ rights in all are of the electrical industry. To provide the highly skilled work force
necessary to meet in the customer needs and to insure job satisfaction for the electrical workers, the IBEW
provides the very best apprenticeship training programs available.
| Founders |