Canadian women members are finding new avenues of support as the First District’s number of Women’s Committees recently rocketed from six to 13. Tradeswomen make up roughly 4% of the construction workforce, representing an upward trend. Still, it leaves a lot of opportunity to recruit new members with construction workers in high demand — it’s…
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Alberta Local Helps Defeat Foreign Worker Plan
The importance of political relationships was evident in Alberta in December, when Edmonton Local 424 officials helped persuade the provincial government to squash a plan to import construction workers from the United Arab Emirates. “Employers have used programs like these to drive down wages and working conditions in construction,” said Assistant Business Manager Scott Crichton,…
MoreEdmonton Member Earns National Honor for Safety, Performance
This article was originally published in the January 2025 issue of The Electrical Worker. Renee Melnyk found a path into the trades when she completed the Women Building Futures program in Edmonton in 2005. It’s an understatement to say she’s made the most of it. Now a member of Edmonton, Alberta, Local 424 and a…
MoreB.C. Apprentice Is First Member From Canada to Win Coveted Organizing Award
*This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of The Electrical Worker Online Justin Santos, an energetic apprentice using social media to help squash myths about unions, was honored in August as the IBEW’s Rank-and-File Organizer of the Year during the union’s annual Membership Development Conference in Chicago. He’s the first member of…
MoreIntensified Organizing Pays Off as IBEW Grows in Canada
*This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue of The Electrical Worker Online The First District’s increased emphasis on organizing throughout Canada earned several honors at the Membership Development Conference in Chicago in August, including largest overall growth during the last year. The district added 2,907 members between Aug. 1, 2023, and July…
MoreLocal 1928 Members Save Heart Attack Victim, Earn Lifesaving Award
*This article was originally published in the October 2024 issue of The Electrical Worker Online Ten members of Halifax Local 1928 employed by Nova Scotia Power will receive the IBEW’s Lifesaving Award after they saved the life of a retired member who was working as a supervisor in a power plant when he suffered a…
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