Member Services Department
Our Member Services Team is here to assist our members Monday – Friday during open office hours (9am to 12pm and 1pm to 5pm). You can call the team directly at 503-256-4848 (Extension 0).
Address and Phone Change Contact Information
| IBEW LOCAL UNION 48 Portland (503) 256-4848 Vancouver (360) 892-017 (503) 251-9952 (fax) 15937 NE Airport Way Portland, Oregon 97230-4958 | NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center 503-262-9991 360-694-1879 (Vancouver) 503-262-9920 (fax) 16021 NE Airport Way Portland, OR 97230 |
| EDISON PENSION 503-282-5581 503-460-2975 (fax) 800-547-1314 Edison Pension Trust / The William Earhart Company PO Box 4148 Portland, OR 97208 | NATIONAL ELECTRICAL BENEFIT FUND (NEBF) NEBF Plan Documents and Forms http://www.nebf.com/nebf/plan_documents_forms_and_tutorials/ Download the Change of Address Form found at the bottom of this page |
| DISTRICT NO. 9 PENSION 503-460-5276 877-396-5876 District No. 9 Pension Plan Willam C. Earhart Company PO Box 4148 Portland, OR 97208 | IBEW PACIFIC COAST PENSION Rehn & Associates, Third Party Administrator 509-534-0600 1322 N Post St.Spokane, WA 99201 |
| HARRISON HEALTH & WELFARE 503-224-0048, ext. 1679 800-547-4457 Drug Free Workplace Program 503-224-0048, ext. 1684 www.harrison.aibpa.com (Must create an account first, must note that it is a new address if you don’t have existing account.) Harrison Electrical Workers Trust Fund 5331 SW Macadam Suite 220 Portland, Oregon 97239 | IBEW FEDERAL CREDIT UNION 503-253-8193 503-253-0383 (fax) 800-356-6507 Must be in writing: Fax or mail or on-line if you have account set-up. PO Box 16877 Portland, OR 97292 Physical address: 9950 SE Washington St. |
| WASHINGTON LABOR & INDUSTRIES Must be in writing; forms available at local office. Forms also online at: http://www.lni.wa.gov/FormPub/Detail.asp?DocID=1792 312 SE Stonemill Dr Suite 120 Vancouver, WA 98684-3508 360-896-2300 Mail or fax written changes and forms to: PO Box 44810 Olympia, WA 98504-4810 360-902-5269 360-902-5296 (fax) | OREGON BUILDING CODES 503-378-4133 503-378-2322 (fax) 800-442-7457 1535 Edgewater NW Salem, Oregon Mailing Address: Building Codes Division PO Box 14470 Salem, OR 97309-0404 On-Line: http://www.oregonbcd.org/licensing/changeofaddressform.html |
How Does Reciprocity Work for IBEW Local 48 Electricians?
When you travel to work outside of your home Local and check in with the outside Local’s office to be dispatched, that Local office will notify via the ERTS (Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System) both the participating and home trust fund offices that you are to be dispatched in their jurisdiction (for Health Plan and Flex Plan purposes, you are not considered a Traveler when working in Local 48, 280, 659, or 932).
The Local notifies the participating funds so that they may prepare to transfer reciprocal monies received on your behalf and notifies your home funds to expect to receive the money. When working at a Local outside of Harrison’s jurisdiction, there is a delay in Harrison receiving your reciprocity. For example, February work hours will be received by Harrison Trust sometime in April for April coverage. To avoid lapses in coverage when you are traveling outside our jurisdiction, you can pay into your hourly reserve bank. Please contact the Trust Office at (800) 547-4457 or (503) 224-0048 extension 1632 for more information.
In order to ensure that your contributions are reciprocated properly you must register in the ERTS system when you travel outside of your home Local’s jurisdiction. Please be sure to check in at the Local office whose jurisdiction you intend to work so that they may notify the various trust offices.
Are You Registered On ERTS?
If you are working in the jurisdiction of another Local Union either by taking a dispatch or sent by your employer you must check in with their Business Office and be registered on the Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System (ERTS). ERTS will ensure that your pension and health care benefits are transferred according to your wishes. Failure to do so will result in your benefits being left in the Local Union whose jurisdiction you worked.
You must register at a Local Business Office. The process takes less than 10 minutes. The ERTS system has replaced the old paper reciprocal forms and replaced it with a one time (lifetime) registration.
To register at Local 48 call Meghan Cicerich (503) 251-9759.
Remember you are working under the collective bargaining agreement of the jurisdiction that you are working in. You are accumulating wages, pension, and health & welfare $/hrs under that agreement. For example, if the health & welfare rate in the jurisdiction you are working pays a lower amount per hour into health & welfare, your eligibility will not be the same as when you are working at home. You need to confirm your eligibility with Harrison.
If you are working in a jurisdiction that does not have a defined contribution pension, (like our) 9th District Pension, you will not be receiving contributions. The same applies for a defined benefit pension (like our) Edison.
After you are registered: Check in with the Local Business Office. Tell them you are registered on ERTS.
| Local Union 125 Portland | 503-262-9125 |
| Local Union 280 Salem | 541-812-1771 |
| Local Union 932 Coos Bay | 541-756-3907 |
| Local Union 659 Medford | 541-664-0800 |
| Local Union 112 Kennewick | 509-735-0512 |
| Local Union 76 Tacoma | 253-475-1190 |
| Local Union 46 Seattle | 253-395-6500 |
Keep track of your hours and please remember that the reciprocity process takes two months. The same time it takes when you are working in Local 48. Your benefits reported from your employer are not due until the 15th of the following month from which you started work. If you wish, check in with the administrators after the 2nd month to confirm contributions have been made on your behalf. This is not required you will receive statements from the administrators throughout the year.
| Edison Pension | 503-282-5581 |
| 9th District Pension | 503-460-5276 |
| Harrison Health & Welfare | 503-224-0048 x 1679 |
| Pacific Coast Pension/ Rehn & Associates, Third Party Administor | 509-534-0600 |
If you are already registered ask the people you are working with if they are registered.
No Longer Registered in the ERTS System?
If you are no longer registered in the ERTS system (https://erts.ibew.com/index.htm) or no longer have your PIN (personal identification number) please contact your IBEW Local office. They can assist you with this process.
If you have questions regarding dues, membership, or honorary withdrawal, please don’t hesitate to contact the Membership Services so we can explain your options. Thank you!
(503) 256-4848
Extension 0
IBEW Electricians’ Union Membership Dues:
- Working dues will be based on percentage of gross wages.
- Working dues will be deducted from employee paychecks.
- It will remain the member’s responsibility to pay their monthly Basic Dues either by paying in person, thru mail, online or with your credit union deduction.
- If you leave the employer you are working for either by you quitting or reduction of force contact Local 48’s dues office for options.
- Your membership continues regardless of whether you are working or not (this includes Material Handler, BA members, etc.).
- If a member has questions regarding dues, membership, or honorary withdrawal, they need to contact the dues office so we can explain their options.
- Your dues will not be deducted from your credit union without your written authorization. See the dues office.
- It is the member’s responsibility to call the dues office and to notify the Local of address changes. Changing your address and telephone number with Local 48 DOES NOT change your address with your retirement plans, credit union, Harrison.
ERTS: (Electronic Reciprocal Transfer System) – We cannot stress how important it is that all members be registered on ERTS (click for more information below). ERTS will allow for the transfer of pension and health & welfare money (contributions) back to your home funds no matter where you may be working. This is important to maintaining your health care coverage. Failure to do so will result in your funds being left in the Local Union whose jurisdiction you worked. If you have questions about registering on ERTS please contact us for more information.
When working in another jurisdiction, it is imperative that you check in with the Local Union Business Office as soon as possible.
If you are getting a travel letter from your Local Union, you should register on ERTS at the same time in person.
IBEW Member Hour & Wage Verifications:
The Membership Services office is receiving an increasing number of phone calls from lending institutions requesting verification of hours and wages. Please be advised: We do not provide this information, as the local is not your employer. We do not issue paychecks to our members and therefore have no direct payroll information to provide. Stating the union as your employer on credit applications only delays your approval.
This book could just as easily be called a Reference Guide, User Manual, Need to Know, or Introduction to Being a Member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 48.
The title is less important than the information contained in these pages.
The goal of this document is multi-faceted. It is to:
- Provide information to assist you in making the most of the benefits negotiated by IBEW Local 48 on your behalf.
- Serve as an Emergency Guide for your family in the event of a serious accident, injury, or other situation where you may not be able to provide information on “what to do,” or “who to contact.”
Please take the time to read, fill in your personal emergency information, and familiarize your loved ones with the information and the location where this information is available.
Thank you again for your time.
Fraternally,
Garth Bachman
Business Manager
Financial Secretary
Q: Where do I start?
A: Start Here!
IBEW Local Union 48 has a geographical jurisdiction which covers 10 counties in Oregon and 5 counties in Washington. We represent over 4,000 members that are working under more than 20 Collective Bargaining Agreements.
The most efficient way to disseminate information covering that large of a group in all of the varying circumstances will take multiple steps.
The Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) you are working under will determine which benefits apply to you. For example, a journeyman wireman (JW) working under the Inside Construction Agreement has different benefits than a JW working under the Sound and Communications Agreement. Within many CBAs are different classifications or levels of wages and benefits depending on the type of dispatch requested and filled, the level of apprenticeship or experience attained, and other variable factors.
For simplicity, we sorted this manual by the CBA you are working under. Those CBAs may have different pay scales and benefit levels based on the type of Dispatch (manpower request by the employer) or classification you are working under.
Do not be overwhelmed by all of the information; concentrate first on what affects you directly based on the CBA you are working under. Your presenter, business representative, job or shop steward can help you through some of the things that are easy to learn and understand.
Please read the acronyms and definitions PDF before you begin looking at other information. Then you can start reading the Overview and Summary Plan Description (SPD) for those benefits.
Some may find it helpful to complete the Important Records Planner while going through each section. The Planner is the key for your loved ones finding needed information quickly in the event of accident, serious illness or death.
Information that affects every member: Union DuesDeath BenefitsJury Duty
IBEW 48 Sick Fund and support for community charitable organizations, youth sports, safety boot program and many other similar benefits. These benefits are best explained by your Business Representative, shop or jobsite Steward, and are touched on briefly on the benefits overview page.
Finally we get to where it will start to make sense, the Collective Bargaining Agreements list. From there, follow the links through.