Riston Breiner, Organizer and Membership Development Director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 226, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed how two sizable projects in Kansas impact the workload of the Local’s membership.
Local 226 represents 700 members in the Topeka, Kan. area.
Breiner talked about the $650 million National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), a biosafety research laboratory operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Manhattan, Kan., where many Local 226 members worked. He then spoke about a $4 billion Panasonic battery plant under construction in De Soto, Kan., just outside the Local 226 jurisdiction that will likely employ many of the Local’s members.
Breiner noted the Local not only needs to grow its apprenticeship program to help fill the need for electrical workers, but they also need to train Local 226 members to install electric vehicle charging stations through the IBEW’s Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP).
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.