Tag Archives: Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program

WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW! Protect Our Apprenticeship Program

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It only takes 5 minutes to click on the link below and tell the U.S. Labor Department not to destroy our apprenticeship program!

www.saveIBEWapprenticeships.org

The I.B.E.W., along with many other building trade unions, have created apprenticeship programs that produce tradespeople with the best training and most up-to-date technical knowledge in their fields. These programs are registered with, and overseen by, state and federal Labor Departments in order to guarantee that standards remain high and curriculum keeps pace with industry advancement.  Our apprenticeship programs are the key to allowing our union, our contractors and our members to continue to thrive in a healthy and growing electrical industry.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is finalizing a regulation that will allow companies and industries to establish and recognize their own “apprenticeship programs” that would not be closely monitored and regulated by the DOL. These Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, or IRAPs, are one of the latest examples of allowing the foxes to guard the henhouse. Companies will be free to cut corners and lower standards in the name of increasing their profits.

Currently, the construction industry is excluded from the new IRAP regulation, and we want to make sure our industry is excluded from the final version, too.

PLEASE click on the link above and use our quick and easy tool to send a letter to the DOL, telling them that you think IRAPs should be kept out of the construction industry.

The future of our apprenticeship programs
DEPENDS ON YOU!

Apprenticeship Programs Under Attack – ACT NOW To Support Our Training Programs

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IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson has issued a call for all IBEW members and their families and friends to mobilize in support of our apprenticeship training programs. These programs are in danger of being undercut by a proposed Department of Labor (DOL) regulation called Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP).

“This proposal establishes a system in which a non-union contractor could recognize its own “apprenticeship program” that would not be subject to many of the same requirements that our DOL-recognized apprenticeships are,” President Stephens said in a letter to all IBEW Business Managers.

“At this time, the construction industry is temporarily exempted from the proposal,” Stephens continued. “However, I am very concerned that this exemption will not be part of the final regulation.”

Along with President Stephens, Local 24 Business Manager Pete Demchuk is asking that all members, regardless of classification, submit comments to the DOL in support of making the construction industry exemption permanent. You can do that in 5 easy steps by going to

www.saveIBEWapprenticeships.org

Building trades unions and our contractor partners spend millions of dollars every year creating the best-trained workforce in the world. Our programs train 75% of all construction apprentices in the U.S. IBEW members complete projects in a safe, efficient manner, using craftsmanship learned through our DOL registered training programs. Don’t let non-union contractors drag down our training and apprenticeship standards!

“While this proposed regulation directly impacts all members of the construction branch, it indirectly impacts all members, their families, and friends. The IBEW prides itself on its electrical ALLIANCE training programs. These programs have graduated hundreds of thousands of journeyman wiremen and journeyman linemen. These individuals are our members; each day they perform their jobs safely and efficiently. They are in part responsible for ensuring our country’s critical infrastructure and emergency response systems are powered. Their training allows them to do so and impacts us all,” Stephens concluded.