Former IBEW National Political Director shared his journey in Labor

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Former International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers National Political Director Brian Baker, joined America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss his time with the Union from Business Manager at IBEW Local 129 to the Policy Office at the International Office in Washington D.C.

Baker began followed in the footsteps of his father, who was a member of LIUNA Local 758. But Baker’s father suggested he look elsewhere, as it was slow for the Laborers at that time. Baker joined the IBEW Local 129 —with workers in Lorain, Huron and Erie County in Ohio— apprenticeship program, where he grew and improved after four years as a young union electrician.

When he became an organizer, Baker grew his membership from a little over 100 members to nearly 450 members by the time he became the Business Manager. He spoke with several non-union employers around Lorain County and developed these workers into well-trained and qualified IBEW members. Whether it was educating the workers or providing them with better wages and benefits, Baker found several workers were excited to join the Local. Local 129 is now around 400 members due to a downturn during COVID, but they are beginning to grow for the future jobs coming to Northeast Ohio.

Baker said his work with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown allowed him to move to the IBEW International Office. The International offered him the newly opened position of Political Director on March 1, 2007, which he accepted and spent the next 15 years in the role. Baker talked about that experience and what it took to do the job successfully and work with politicians to create good national legislation to assist his union Brothers and Sisters.

Learn more about Baker’s time in the IBEW by listening to the show above.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Former IBEW National Political Director shared his journey in Labor

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