IBEW Convention recap

As IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson struck his gavel on Sept. 19 convening the opening of our Convention, it symbolized the most important gathering of the IBEW and fulfills the mandate in our Constitution to choose our leaders, set and confirm our policies and renew the values at the heart of the world's greatest union.   

The 39th International Convention was also a homecoming, a time to look back to our founding here in 1891. Your delegates visited the birthplace of the IBEW, going to the boarding house where our first President, Henry Miller started our union. We celebrated the history of our union and respect the sacrifice made by our founding fathers. We honored them by putting forth resolutions that will ensure the future and continued success of our union.

The members of IBEW Local 1249 selected us to serve as delegates to the Convention and we consider it an honor and awesome responsibility. As delegates, we took great pride and respect in representing Local 1249 to the best of our ability.  Over the time we spent in St. Louis, our delegates took active roles in some of the caucuses, as well as networked with IBEW leaders from around the country, so that we can bring home some of the best practices from unions around the country and be even better leaders for our members.  We also took measures to address some of the most important issues facing our union like new leadership, the crucial upcoming election and the unprecedented economic challenges and opportunities that organized labor faces. 

Below you will see some reports and reflections on what we did while in St. Louis.   We have provided you with a list of resolutions that were taken up at the convention as well whether or not they were passed.  Finally, we have provided you with a short primer from behind the scenes at the IBEW convention so that you can have a better understanding of what happens at a union convention.  As always please remember to work safe.