Yanniah Scales

IBEW Local 16

Evansville, Indiana

Date: December 16, 2025

International President and Executive Officers

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

900 Seventh Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

Subject: Preserving IBEW Craftsmanship Standards and Union Compliance

  Dear International President and Executives, 

I am writing to express a growing concern shared by many members regarding our decreasing capacity to uphold the IBEW’s long-standing standards of craftsmanship, safety, and union compliance.

  Across the country, our locals recruit men and women into a rigorous four- to five-year apprenticeship program requiring approximately 8,000 hours of on-the-job training, successful completion of classroom instruction, and yearly hands-on evaluations in order to achieve Journeyman Wireman status. In many jurisdictions, members must also pass a state electrical licensing examination. These requirements have historically ensured the high level of skill, professionalism, and safety that the IBEW is known for nationwide.

  Today, however, our national work outlook has expanded to a level where we simply do not have enough trained manpower to meet demand. Even if we organized every non-union electrician available, we would still face shortages. In response, some locals have implemented alternative certifications that allow individuals recruited directly off the street to receive the same hourly wage as a Journeyman Wireman.

  While I appreciate and welcome anyone willing to join our organization and help fill calls for our signatory contractors, the reality is that many of these individuals do not possess the skills, training, or union knowledge required of a Journeyman Wireman. Paying them at 100 percent of the Journeyman rate undermines the value of the apprenticeship program and the title itself.

  This practice is particularly unfair to our apprentices. Apprentices commit to years of structured training, are held to strict performance and attendance standards, and progress through graduated wage increases tied to successful completion of schooling and on-the-job evaluations. They are contractually bound to the JATC, face potential repayment obligations for their education if they withdraw or become non-signatory contractors, and are subject to disciplinary action or removal through the national JATC point system. Individuals brought in off the street are not held to these same standards or consequences.

   There are countless examples nationwide of out-of-classification electricians being terminated for unsafe work practices, lack of technical knowledge, or failure to understand union jurisdiction and jobsite expectations—often leading to conflicts on the job. Yet these individuals frequently face little to no accountability from the local halls or Executive Boards.

To protect our standards and the integrity of our organization, I respectfully propose the following:

 1. Non-Journeyman classifications should receive a wage rate lower than the Journeyman Wireman scale, reflecting their skill level and experience.

 2. All non-inside Journeyman members should be required to attend IBEW RENEW meetings at least six times per year, with continued membership contingent upon participation.

 3. Mandatory attendance at regular monthly union meetings, whether at their home local or the local in whose jurisdiction they are working while on the road.

IBEW RENEW committees across the country do outstanding work educating members on collective bargaining agreements, industry politics, labor history, and the values that built this organization. Participation in these programs would help ensure that new members understand not only the work but the responsibility and honor that comes with being part of a union that quite literally helped build America—often at the cost of thousands of lives.

We should be tightening our standards, not diluting them. Membership in the IBEW should be something every individual earns, respects, and takes pride in.

Thank you for your time, consideration, and continued leadership.

Sincerely,

Yanniah Scales 

Inside Journeyman Wireman 

Card Number 7894964

IBEW Local 16

Evansville, Indiana