International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 153 Business Manager and Financial Secretary Mike Leda joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the need to grow the Local as a wave of retirements approach.
IBEW Local 153 has nearly 1,100 active members and its jurisdiction covers Berrien and Cass counties in Michigan, plus Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall and St. Joseph counties in Indiana.
Last year, the Local doubled the size of its apprenticeship program, despite what Leda called negative feelings toward organized labor in the region. After averaging 20-30 apprentices per year, their classes grew to over 50 apprentices the past two years. He said this growth was due to a larger number of apprentices between the ages of 35 and 40, who seek retirement benefits and insurance. With nearly 300 of its members age 58 or older, and coming 2,000 hours shy of reaching 2 million manhours in 2022, the increase in apprentices has arrived just in time.
Leda shared Local 153’s outreach plan to continue their growth. The Local hired a third recruiter to organize non-union electrical workers, plus attract apprentice candidates. Another new aspect of the outreach plan is a podcast started by Local 153. Leda explained the podcast will focus on the Locals members, who will tell their stories. He hopes the podcast will help bring in new members by shedding a light on the benefits of being in a union.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.