When you join IBEW Local 48 you expect to receive the best pay and benefits in the industry. And you do!
Health and Welfare Benefit Plans
All of our members have a superb series of medical plans for themselves and their family, actively working or retired.
Active Trust Plan
This benefit plan is a comprehensive health insurance for working members and their family for group medical, prescription drug, dental and vision benefits. Contributions to the plan are completely employer funded at $7.55 times the members total hours worked each month. The plan has a maximum benefit amount of $2 million dollars. Health and welfare plan funds go directly into an individual account in the members’ name. Reserves are kept in the members’ individual account for continued coverage if they are not working. These reserve accounts are affected by the plan chosen and hours worked.
There are three health plans available to choose from: Harrison Trust, Providence or Kaiser. These plans have benefits for Family Medical, Prescription Drugs, Vision, Dental, Hearing, Employee Assistance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, Life Insurance and Time Loss. Other benefits include Homemaker Services, Impatient Custodial Care, Hospice, Home Health Care Program, Preventative Wellness Exams, Nurse Help Line (real medical professionals), Seatbelt Benefit and more.
Flexible Benefit Plan
This benefit plan is a supplementary plan to the Active Trust plan above, designed to provide members with a variety of additional benefits to meet their individual circumstances. Contributions to the plan are completely employer funded at $1.20 times the members total hours worked each month. This plan takes advantage of favorable tax rules for some of the benefits, which means members may avoid paying federal and state income tax on some services. Listed below are a variety of supplemental benefits this plan can provide.
Tax deferred reimbursements for self-payments for health and welfare premiums in certain cases, certain out-of-pocket medical expenses, certain dependent care expenses and purchase of Group Term Life Insurance.
Other non-tax deferred benefits are Supplemental Short Term Disability, supplemental Workers’ Compensation Time-loss, supplemental Unemployment Compensation, and Economic Dislocation if a member chooses to relocate to another IBEW jurisdiction.
Retired Trust Plan
This benefit plan is a comprehensive health insurance for retired members age 60 to 65, spouse and eligible dependents for group medical, prescription drug, dental and vision benefits. There are three health plans available to choose from: Harrison Trust, Providence or Kaiser.
Medicare Supplement and Dental Coverage
This benefit plan is a supplemental health insurance for Medicare enrolled retirees who have attained the age of 65, spouse and eligible dependents for paying a portion of Medicare Supplement/Medicare Advantage Plus premiums and out-of-pocket cost and for a dental plan through Willamette Dental. There are five health plans available to choose from: United Healthcare (PacificCare), Providence Health Plan, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Clear Choice Health Plan, or Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.
Retirement Benefits Plans
Our members have a comfortable retirement plans in the making. They have four types of pensions, not four to choose from, but four separate pensions.
Edison Pension
The Edison Pension is a defined benefit plan in which contributions are made by employers at $2.85 times the members total hours worked each month. The plan provides two types of benefits: retirement benefits and disability benefits. The plan has options for normal retirement at age 65, or reduced early retirement at ages 64 through 55 in which a member may elected from several different methods of receiving benefits.
National Electrical Benefit Fund
The NEBF is another defined benefit plan in which contributions are made by employers at 3% of our members’ gross labor payroll each month. The plan provides three types of benefits: retirement benefits, disability benefits and pre-retirement spouse benefits.
District No. 9 Pension Plan
The District No. 9 Pension is an undefined benefit plan in which contributions are made by employers at $3.15 times the members total hours worked each month. All contributions are deposited according to our members’ individual investment selections of 24 available accounts or any combination thereof as a personal matter of investment risk and return. The plan has options for normal retirement early retirement or deferred retirement in which a member may elected from several different methods of receiving benefits.
IBEW Pension Benefit Fund
The IBEW Pension is sponsored by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as established in the IBEW Constitution. Contributions are made by Active “A” members at $13 a month into the Pension Benefit Fund. The plan provides three types of benefits: retirement benefits, disability benefits and death benefits. The plan has options for normal retirement at age 65, and optional early retirement at age 62. The death benefit to help defray funeral costs is $3,000 to $12,500 depending on the members’ active or retired status.
Our members have a wide variety of other benefits available to them.
Electronic Reciprocity Transfer System
One of the benefits of being in the IBEW is the ability to travel the country and work out of any IBEW local where your credentials as an IBEW electrician will automatically qualify you to go to work and where you will be welcomed as a brother or sister. While working away from home, IBEW electricians wherever they work in the U.S. are entitled to reciprocity of their earned benefits. This means their benefits will be transferred to their home local upon request, maintaining their insurance coverage and the continued accrual of pension credits.
Friday Afternoon Legal Services
IBEW Local 48 offers a legal services program to members. Commonly, this free service provides members a referral to an attorney who is competent in the area where they need help. The legal services program consists of a half hour consultation with Local 48 attorney, Norman Malbin. Norman can usually help members figure out how to begin dealing with a legal problem.
Credit Union Membership
IBEW Local 48 members may join the IBEW & United Workers Federal Credit Union, a partnership which provides us and our family financial services. The Credit Union's focus is to design products and services that are requested directly by our membership.
Sick Fund
IBEW Local Union 48 has a sick fund funded by donations and fund raising efforts of Local 48. As a general rule, it is available to provide assistance to members who are in serious financial difficulty due to illness or injury, who have been off work for at least thirty days and are not receiving financial assistance from other sources.
Jury Duty Compensation
IBEW Local 48 has Jury Duty compensation for our members equal to a maximum of eight hours pay per day times their normal rate of pay.
Our organization and membership believe it is of paramount importance that we understand the need for developing safe working practices. We make every effort for proper and safe installations of all electrical work, thus safeguarding life and property.
Training
IBEW Local 48 has a top-rated apprenticeship training program and state-of-the-art facility that’s funded through the industry, not by the government or tax dollars. The NECA-IBEW Training Center provides excellent training in a nationally recognized five-year program. The Training Center guarantees our members skills are always up to date – and in demand with Continued Education classes for only $10 per class.
Safer Workplaces
Our members have excellent safety programs which provide for the safety of every electrician on the job. Registered and certified apprentices working along with certified journeyman at the proper ratio helps to guarantee a safe workplace. Our members work for fair employers who comply with licensing and apprenticeship laws.
IBEW members participate in a self administered drug testing program to also ensure a safer workplace. The program is funded by employers and a $50 reimbursement is given to members for their valuable time taken away from work to test.
A Contract emphasizes equality and fair treatment. One set of rules that apply to everyone eliminating favoritism and discrimination and guaranteeing that no one can be unfairly or arbitrarily disciplined or dismissed.
Wages
Our members have adequately established and maintained wages for their labor. Strength in numbers equates to bargaining power to improve wages. These excellent working wages help to achieve a higher standard of living for all in the electrical construction industry. Wages are negotiated for the members by the Local and the workers negotiating committee. Our Journeymen earn $36.05 an hour and at least $3.60 per hour extra for Foreman pay and $7.21 for General Foreman.
Hours
Working hours for all members are determined by contract at 8 hours days, 40 hour weeks. Work outside of these hours are always paid at regular wages times one and one-half or double time for Sunday and holidays.
Working Conditions
Our employers supply power tools and services vehicles and guarantee travel pay and parking reimbursements depending on the work location circumstance defined in our contract. Strength in numbers equates to bargaining power to improve working conditions.
Representation brings with it clearly defined contract rights including wages and benefits which allow our members to live in dignity and health through a rewarding career and to look forward to a prosperous retirement. We believe in cultivating feelings of friendship among those in our industry. Our members have representation through a grievance process if problems arise at work. Practices of conciliation and arbitration are utilized in the settlement of any differences with employers.
In the IBEW, you have the opportunity to work as part of the best team of electricians in the industry, and work on the most exciting and challenging projects in the region. Our members have access to working for over a hundred union contractors in our jurisdiction and have a choice of what areas they wish to accept to be offered work. Our employers have honest layoffs when the work picture for that company fluctuates up and down. Out-of-work members are referred to future employment through the Local 48 referral system. This means no more answering ads or pounding the pavement when the inevitable construction layoff in an economically driven industry occurs. The referral office does the work for us and the Oregon State Unemployment Division recognizes this process as an employment search.
We value our membership in a democratic organization run by worker for workers where we a each receive respect from our employer and peers.
Teamwork
IBEW Local 48 believes in labor-management cooperation (LMC) that builds a positive relationship with employers. Individual grievances and mandatory subjects of bargaining are not discussed at LMC’s. The purpose of the LMC is to improve service to the public, employee satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency by promoting trust, fairness, open communication and collaboration by consensus between Labor and Management. LMC also promotes more member involvement.
Community
We are a community of electricians and our families that care and help provide for our community, future and children. Our members regularly take part in local political activities, fund raisers and volunteer work. And together we attend social events such as an annual picnic, a golf tournament, and a holiday party.
A Voice
As a member of the IBEW we have a voice in our industry and a voice in our future. Through monthly union meetings members we can voice our concerns, air our problems, vote on contracts and decide who will be the future leaders of our Local Union. The Local Union not only represents its members but it is controlled by its members.
Benefits of Inside Wireman Membership at IBEW Local 48
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