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IBEW Local 332 has a proud and colorful history.
Founding of the Electrical Workers Union
As early as 1870, telegraph linemen started many small electrical unions. By 1880 enough telegraph lineman organized to affiliate with the Knights of Labor.
The IBEW began with the formation of the Electrical Wiremen and Linemen’s Union of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) in 1890 during an exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Electricians from all over the country had come to St. Louis to install the electrical wiring for the exposition during the day. At night they gathered to discuss their hazardous jobs and low wages.
At the first convention in 1891 the name National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers was adopted. The emblem of the fist grasping lightning bolts was also adopted. In 1899 the name was changed to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers when workers and locals from Canada joined.
In 1919 the IBEW International approved participation in the Council on Industrial Relations, or CIR. The National Association of Electrical Contractors and Dealers (later NECA) became the signatory employer organization. They joined the IBEW in setting up the CIR as a "supreme court" of the electrical construction industry, to settle disputes and bring stability to the industry.
The Prune Picker Local: Santa Clara Valley Local is Born
Electrical line workers in the Santa Clara Valley founded IBEW Local 250 in 1902 in San Jose. Electrical construction workers left to form their own local, 332, in 1912. Later Local 250 merged with Local 332.
The Santa Clara Valley, called the Valley of Heart’s Delight, was famous for its fruit orchards and canneries. When Local 332 was formed, the Valley had 8 million fruit trees. Other locals in the state referred to Local 332 as the "Prune Picker Local." The electrical industry installed residential and public lighting, and worked mainly in the agricultural industry and canneries, plus a handful of factories.
The Rise of Silicon Valley
High technology arrived in the Santa Clara Valley with the pioneering firms Hewlett-Packard and Varian Associates in 1938, under the guiding influence of Stanford University. Other contributors were Moffett Field, which opened in 1930, and NACA, the predecessor to NASA, which started the Ames Research Center in 1939 in Mountain View.
Local 332 electricians built the electrical infrastructure for IBM when they opened their San Jose R&D labs in 1952. This is where the computer disc drive was invented. The IBM presence has expanded many times in the Valley, as has Hewlett-Packard’s.
Other early high-tech firms include Fairchild, Lockheed, General Electric and Admiral Corporation. With the development of the microchip and the personal computer in the 1970s, "Silicon Valley" really began to take off.
1976: Strike and Industry Turnaround
In the mid ’70s the IBEW was still restricted by post-World War II-era language from the Council on Industrial Relations. The CIR still linked the IBEW with the construction Crafts including carpenters, plasterers, cement masons etc. Of all the Crafts, electrical workers were rated 23 out of 28 on wages despite their hazardous work and high skill level.
In 1974 the IBEW National Convention determined to change the CIR language. With a sanction to strike from the International, in May 1976 Local 332 went to the bargaining table with the contractors to change this status. Area contractors didn’t foresee the solidarity of the Local and refused to change.
Local 332 voted overwhelmingly to go on strike to change the union’s status and to raise wages commensurate with the nature of their work. The contractors thought the Brotherhood would be back at the bargaining table within two weeks.
As the strike went on, it became clear that it was going to be a long struggle–and an important milestone that the Local would have to pass if it was going to make permanent changes. Where necessary, Local 332 organizers pulled men out of the shops of delinquent contractors.
By mid-summer the contractors were back at the table–they made a 180-degree turn. With a new contract, higher wages, better fringe benefits, Local 332 has been going forward ever since.
Sound and Communications - Voice Data Video
With the court-ordered breakup of the Bell System in 1984, the Sound and Communications / Voice-Data-Video industry was born. In 1984 Local 332 had only two S&C workers! Bay Area locals that handled telecommunications company workers were broken up and the workers reassigned to Local 332.
With the explosive growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web, it’s the members of Local 332 who have built the Internet infrastructure that connect corporate campuses, public buildings and private residences.
Sound and Communications workers also install each new generation of communications devices, connecting them to fiber and cable networks for remote access and control. Many Silicon Valley businesses and public facilities now have advanced conference rooms and state-of-the-art training centers. The projection, sound and environment controls are networked by Local 332 VDV workers.
VDV has been especially important to Silicon Valley and to Local 332, where it has been the fastest-growing sector of the industry in Local 332’s history. The VDV sector now has its own training center.
The Silicon Valley Boom Years
The Silicon Valley boom years of the ’80s and ’90s saw new numbers of members at Local 332 and a raise in wages for IBEW workers–but at the same time a rise in the number of non-union electrical workers in the Valley. Local 332 launched new efforts to recruit workers for the Local, based on the COMET training promoted by the International.
Today Local 332 has the largest number of members in Northern California, and one of the largest memberships within the State of California, second only to Los Angeles.
In 2001, historic wage raises, up $10 over the last three years, reflect the prosperity of the general economy, especially in the high-tech sector. It’s the highest pay raise the Local has ever received for electricians. All four contracts received a 9% pay hike over three years, for Inside, Residential, Sound and Communications VDV, and Material Handlers.
New Training Center
In 1987, Local 332 built a new training center in San Jose. Apprenticeship used to be held at San Jose City College. From there, the JATC moved to the old Camden High School. Having the new, dedicated training center for the electrical workers is a big step towards recruiting and training most of the electrical workers for Silicon Valley.
New Union Hall Pioneers Solar in Silicon Valley
In 2001, Local 332 opened the new union hall on Canoas Garden Avenue in a part of San Jose that’s easily accessible by the modern work force. The old union hall was built in 1967 on Stone Avenue in San Jose. It was too small and inadequate for the needs of the Local.
The new hall was built in the middle of a growing energy crisis. The new offices were designed from the ground up for solar power, called building-integrated photovoltaics. Solar energy technology is becoming more and more efficient. In response to its new efficiency and to the energy crisis, the International initiated a program to train union electricians to install solar photovoltaic systems on commercial and residential structures.
The Local 332 union hall is a perfect example of this application. The solar energy system on the roof, installed by electricians from Local 332, creates most of the power for the building’s needs. On bright, sunny weekends or holidays when the offices are closed, the photovoltaic panels send extra electricity back out to the public utility grid through an inverter. The electric meter literally runs backwards, earning power credits for the building.