The Shocking Truth About Local 57's "Union" Claims
$25,104
Less per year than IBEW Local 1
(A Card vs IBEW Journeyman)
$39,914
Less per year than IBEW Local 1
(B Card vs IBEW Journeyman)
$3.76M
Invested by UBCJA to undermine
electrical worker standards
The "100% Union" Ruse Exposed
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA) promotes their electrical projects as "100% union" while systematically undermining the living standards that real electrical unions have fought decades to establish.
DOCUMENTED THREAT
Since 2007, the UBCJA's electrical division has posed what industry experts describe as an "existential threat to the unionized electrical construction industry" through substandard wages and deceptive practices that violate fundamental trade union principles.
Systematic Market Attack - Key Facts
The Bottom Line
This isn't legitimate union competition - it's a coordinated 18-year attack on electrical worker living standards designed to benefit contractors at workers' expense while misleading the public with false "100% union" claims.
The Economic Reality: How Much Are You Really Losing?
Total Compensation Comparison (2025 Rates)
| Classification | Hourly Wage | Benefits | Total Package | Annual Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IBEW Local 1 Journeyman | $49.29 | $34.34 | $83.63 | $173,949 |
| IBEW Local 1 Foreman | $54.22 | $36.53 | $90.75 | $188,760 |
| IBEW Local 1 General Foreman | $59.15 | $38.72 | $97.87 | $203,569 |
| Local 57 A Card Journeyman | $49.31 | $22.25 | $71.56 | $148,845 |
| Local 57 A Card Foreman | $50.81 | $22.25 | $73.06 | $151,965 |
| Local 57 A Card General Foreman | $51.31 | $22.25 | $73.56 | $153,005 |
| Local 57 B Card Journeyman | $42.19 | $22.25 | $64.44 | $134,035 |
| Local 57 B Card Foreman | $43.09 | $22.25 | $65.34 | $135,907 |
| Local 57 B Card General Foreman | $43.49 | $22.25 | $65.74 | $136,739 |
Supervisory Position Disparities
Foreman Differential Comparison
Annual Foreman Disadvantage:
A Card: $7,093 less
B Card: $23,150 less
General Foreman Differential Comparison
Annual General Foreman Disadvantage:
A Card: $16,307 less
B Card: $32,573 less
30-Year Career Impact
IBEW Local 1 vs Local 57 A Card
$752,160
More over 30-year career
IBEW Local 1 vs Local 57 B Card
$1,197,420
More over 30-year career
Benefit Disparities: What You're Really Giving Up
Vacation Benefits
IBEW Local 1
$10.50/hour
Up to 6 weeks paid vacation
Separate vacation fund
Local 57
$1.00/hour
Deducted from your wages
No separate vacation fund
Retirement Security - The Critical Difference
IBEW Local 1
$15.00/hour
THREE PENSION PLANS:
1. Primary Plan (Defined Contribution)
2. NEBF (Defined Benefit)
3. PBF (Defined Benefit)
Triple-layer retirement security
Local 57
$11.00/hour
Single UBC Defined Benefit Plan
Plus small $1.50/hr annuity
Limited retirement options
Single-layer security
The UBCJA's Market Manipulation Scheme
Documented Tactics to Undermine Electrical Workers
🎯 Target Funds & Loans
The Carpenters' Union provides target funds and loans to their signatory contractors that undercut IBEW employers, creating unfair competition through financial manipulation designed to steal market share from legitimate electrical contractors.
💰 Pro Loan Bond Fund Exclusion
A $700 million real estate investment fund (80% controlled by UBCJA) that mandates the use of their electrical division and bars IBEW participation on funded projects in the Midwest, effectively creating a monopoly that eliminates worker choice.
🔄 Market Share Erosion
Since 2007, the UBCJA's aggressive tactics have led to deterioration in 100% unionized projects and emboldened contractors to introduce non-union competitors, weakening the entire labor movement.
🏗️ Construction Industry Manipulation
Prime contractors (99% signatory with Carpenters) are incentivized to select electrical subcontractors also signatory with Carpenters, creating a rigged system that eliminates fair competition and worker choice.
The Devastating Impact on Workers
Resource Drain
IBEW locals forced to spend massive resources fighting market manipulation instead of organizing and improving working conditions for all electrical workers
Non-Union Growth
Non-union electrical contractors have grown substantially in targeted regions as the UBCJA's divide-and-conquer strategy weakens union solidarity
Multi-State Threat
Aggressive expansion now covers Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Ohio, California, Washington, Michigan with continued growth planned
Union Credibility Damage
The "100% union" ruse misleads construction consumers and damages the reputation of legitimate union electrical work
A Message to Real Carpenters: Your Union Has Been Hijacked
To the rank-and-file carpenters who believe in true union solidarity: Your union leadership has betrayed the fundamental principles of trade unionism that built the American labor movement.
Since 2001, when the UBCJA withdrew from the AFL-CIO, your leadership has pursued an aggressive "go-it-alone" policy that attacks other skilled trades, steals work from properly trained electrical workers, and undermines the wages and benefits that generations of union members fought to establish.
AFL-CIO Resolution 70: A Call for Action
In 2009, the AFL-CIO passed Resolution 70, which directly addresses the UBCJA's harmful practices and calls for the restoration of democratic trade union values. The resolution urges the Carpenters' Union to:
- End its "go-it-alone policy" that harms building trades solidarity
- Re-affiliate with the AFL-CIO and Building Trades Department
- Stop raiding other unions and respect craft jurisdictions
- Return to the principles of solidarity that make unions strong
Restore Democracy in Your Union
Your union's current leadership has concentrated power at the top while silencing the voices of working carpenters. The systematic attacks on electrical workers, plumbers, and other skilled trades are not in your interest - they weaken the entire labor movement and give contractors more power to divide and exploit all workers.
Real carpenters deserve better. You deserve a union that stands with other trades, not against them. You deserve leadership that builds solidarity, not destroys it.
Take Action for Union Democracy
Demand Answers
Ask your local leadership why they're attacking other unions instead of organizing non-union contractors
Build Solidarity
Reach out to IBEW, plumbers, and other trades to rebuild the brotherhood that makes unions strong
Get Information
Contact IBEW Local 1 to learn more about AFL-CIO Resolution 70 and efforts to restore trade union democracy
Local 57 Members: You Deserve Better
Don't let the UBCJA steal your future. Real electrical workers deserve real electrical union representation with real electrical union wages and benefits. Join the union that has represented electrical workers for over 130 years with the training, benefits, and security you deserve.
IBEW Local 1 Contact Information
5850 Elizabeth Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63110
Phone: (314) 647-5900
2611 Gerhardt
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Phone: (573) 334-5491
For Information on AFL-CIO Resolution 70 and Union Democracy:
Contact IBEW Local 1 to learn more about efforts to restore democratic trade union values and end the UBCJA's attacks on skilled electrical workers.
The Evidence: Documented Industry Threats
"The Carpenters' Electrical division poses an existential threat to the unionized electrical construction industry through substandard wages and benefits that are significantly below those established by the IBEW."— Industry Analysis of Market Manipulation Tactics
Key Facts from Industry Documentation:
- $3.76 million invested by UBCJA to systematically undermine electrical worker standards across multiple states
- 633+ electrical workers recruited into substandard agreements as of 2023
- 10 signatory contractors participating in the market manipulation scheme
- $700 million Pro Loan fund controlled by UBCJA excludes IBEW workers from major construction projects
- 18+ years of expansion has damaged legitimate electrical union representation across the Midwest
- Multiple craft unions affected including partnerships with Laborers International Union (LIUNA) to perform traditional IBEW work
Violation of Trade Union Principles
The UBCJA's electrical division represents a fundamental violation of traditional trade union values and craft jurisdiction principles that have protected skilled workers for over a century. This is not legitimate union competition - it's a coordinated attack on electrical worker living standards designed to benefit contractors at workers' expense.