WHO WE ARE

Local Union 575 came into existence July 29, 1907, when the original 28 members sought to be chartered by the IBEW. The first full time President, then Grand President, Frank J. McNulty, accepted their application and chartered the local, assigning it the new number of 575. Many of the family names are very familiar in the community today, Gerlach, Hughes, Lawson, Lewis, Martin, Moore, Morgan, Neff, Oaks, Riley, Taylor, Thompson, Weaver and Wells.

IBEW, Local 575 was added to the list of unions already in existence in Portsmouth. Some of those unions are/were Iron Molders’ Union of North America Local 147, International Association of Machinists Local 404, Ladies’ Federated Labor Union #3093, Brewery Workers’ Union #140, Portsmouth Typographical Union #222, Boot and Shoe Workers’ Union #73, Bricklayers’ Union #39 and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America #437. 

The Collective objectives of early unions, published in 1897, were:

1. To elevate the positions and maintain and protect the interests of the craft in general.
   
   
2. To establish and uphold a fair and equitable rate of wages and fair working hours and regulate all trade matters pertaining to the welfare of the members.
   
   
3. To influence the apprenticeship system in the direction of intelligence, competency and skill, to the interest alike of the employer and employee.
   
   
4. To endeavor to replace strikes and their attending bitterness and pecuniary loss, by arbitration and conciliation, in the settlement of all disputes concerning the wages and conditions of employment.
   
   
5. To relieve the deserving, needy and sick, and provide for the decent burial of deceased members.
   
   

Local 575 grew and were blessed with good leadership throughout the years. The one who gained the most notoriety was Gordon M. Freeman, who became IBEW President in 1955 and served until 1968. Shortly after brother Freeman became International President, the original job at the Piketon Uranium Enrichment Plant started. By this time Local 575 had grown to about 60 members. The “A” Plant, as it was referred to, was the largest job in the United States and at the peak employed about 2000 electricians.

Local 575 continued to grow and train electricians through our apprenticeship and journeyman programs and by 1994 our membership was 125. The IBEW decided we could serve the local area electricians better if they combined Local 575 and Local 88 in Chillicothe, Ohio. The Local number 575 was maintained and in 1994 the combined locals had a membership of 234 members. 

Through aggressive organizing campaigns and those who enter into the apprenticeship, the local had increased to 350 members by 2004. Because of the collective efforts of our 350 members, Local 575’s jurisdiction has one of the highest market shares of the work. The IBEW and Local 575 is also recognized as a force for good works and political prowess by the community and elected leaders.

Today there are many challenges to our way of life and it seems that workers wages and unions are under attack on every front. But, Local 575 did not get to where it is today by failing to stand up to the challenge. Hope is not a strategy for confronting a challenge nor is luck something we will base our future on! The future belongs to those who work hard and prepare for it. The officers and members of Local 575 will be ready for the future.

There was a time when electrical installations were chaotic. Lack of uniformity in manufacturing specifications for equipment and components hampered progress, as did the absence of consistent installation procedures. Viewed as a new frontier, electrical work soon attracted all sorts of people, few who were skilled and fewer still who had any kind of formal training.

A unified voice was necessary to deal with these issues. NECA was established in 1901 to act as this voice to create standards for the contractors, as well as work closely with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to encourage training, ensure fair wages and establish safety policies.  From its very beginning, NECA has also recognized that, in order for the organization to function effectively, the good of the public had to be considered on the same plane as the good of the industry.

NECA has long distributed its Standard of Installation and promotes the NECA Guarantee, which promises customers that they can depend on receiving high quality “on-time, on-budget, right-the-first-time” services from NECA contractors and their employees.

A qualified electrical contractor:

• Accepts full responsibility for the job.
• Provides an experienced management organization.
• Are skilled electrical journeymen trained to do a quality installation.
• Supplies properly selected, high-quality materials and schedules their delivery for on-time service.
• Uses time-saving tools and equipment to gain maximum efficiency and quality in installations.
• Stays informed on the most up-to-date techniques.
• Knowledgeable on the National Electrical Codes and local codes.
• Goes above and beyond the code requirements to ensure that all work meets neat and workman-like standards.

OUR CHAPTER

The Central Ohio Chapter serves two functions: to handle local programs and to serve as the local representative of the regional and national NECA organization.

The Central Ohio Chapter ensures that each member contractor has an opportunity to participate in developing the following:

• Association policies
• Electing leadership
• Evaluating current member services with a view to continual improvement
• Recommending new programs to meet the ever-changing demands of the dynamic electrical construction industry
• Guiding NECA’s involvement in a wide range of activities, including government affairs and interaction with affiliated organizations.

Visit NECA at www.necanet.org