Welcome

Welcome to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). The IBEW represents approximately 725,000 active members and retirees in both the United States and Canada and is among the largest unions within the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). The IBEW stands for quality workmanship and dedication. The professionals of the IBEW take pride in their work and are committed to setting new standards of excellence.

Have you ever wondered how it is that some employees belong to unions and others don’t?  Within this site you will find some basic information about the IBEW and how workers like you and your fellow Materion Brush Brothers & Sisters form a union in your workplace.

Organizing and bringing new members into the IBEW makes us a stronger union and increases our ability to be more effective in protecting and promoting the interests of working men and women.

As you may already know, under the National Labor Relations Act the US Government protects workers’ rights to join or form a union if he or she so chooses. Basically, it’s the worker’s choice whether or not he or she wants to join a union and employers aren’t supposed to be involved in the process. You can learn more about your rights under the law by visiting the National Labor Relations Board’s website at www.NLRB.gov.

The National Labor Relations Act also provides the mechanism and procedure for how workers organize and form unions to bargain collectively with their employer. The law states that if a majority of the workers want to form a union, and vote as such in a secret ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, the employer must recognize that union and bargain with you and your IBEW Local Union 8 representatives in good faith for a contract outlining the terms and conditions of employment for those workers.

The process of organizing usually begins with one or two workers contacting the union for information. Already co-workers at Materion have reached out to the IBEW to assist them in gaining a voice at work. We are actively gathering signatures (through the use of Authorization Cards), gaining support and working towards filing a petition for election with the NLRB.