The history of our Union is well documented in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) archives in Washington, D.C. In 1890, a “glorious exhibit” was held in St. Louis to show the start of our industrial revolution with the aid of electricity. Wiremen and linemen flocked to St. Louis to work on that exposition.  In many cases, the people who put this exhibit on did so at their own expense, oftentimes risking their lives to complete the project.  They would get together in the evenings to discuss the horrible working conditions and low pay.  A union was the next logical step for this small group of men.  After contacting the American Federation of Labor (AFL), the group was chartered as the Electrical Wiremen and Linemen’s Union, No. 5221, of the AFL. 

One year later, at the first convention of the Electrical Wiremen and Linemen’s Union, a decision was made to change the name to the National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (NBEW).  The small group of 10 men wrote the first constitution, and general laws, and created the now-familiar logo of a fist grasping lightning bolts.  Later, in 1899, the NBEW changed its name to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

According to official IBEW records, Local 22 was chartered on April 7, 1892.   Our early history is a bit murky due to internal strife.  Therefore, we did not have our official charter signed until 1910.  The names signed to our founding charter are C.O. Posh, W.S. Donaldson, C.P. Kortwright, O Peterson, Floyd Straw, Ed Ismond, C.M. Keplinger, J.M. Gibb, H.W. Miller, L.T. Crawford, H. Skinner, Gus Kimmel, John A. Portly, R. W. Jones, Charles Stathem, Charles Starr, C. Rosenquist, J.B. Portly, Frank Ousler, C.L. Rhamey, Charles McDermott, and E.J. Krecjci. 

Local 22 has held monthly Union Meetings in several different spaces over the years.  Some of those locations were members’ homes in the early days: the Labor Temple on 19^th and Davenport, the Hungarian Hall on 17th and Cuming, and the Labor Lyceum on 31^st and Cuming.  It wasn’t until 1950 when the Local purchased their very first building.  They converted a former beer hall at 1336 Saddle Creek into offices and a meeting hall, which they used for many years. Our current hall, at 8946 L St, was purchased in 1974.  Local 22 transformed the former Frazier-Schurkamp Inc. warehouse into the full-time home for the Business Office, Credit Union, and Apprenticeship.   Over the years, the campus has seen a few renovations and one big construction project, namely the building of the Electrical Training Center directly to the West of the Hall. Construction began in 2002 and was completed later that year.  The new building at 8960 L St became home to the Apprenticeship, Credit Union, Benefits, and NECA offices.

Over the past 130 years, Local 22 has grown from a mere 22 members to over 2,000 active members and 302 retirees.  The local started as a mainly Inside local but added several classifications throughout the years: Motorshopmen, Signmen, Residential Wiremen, Telecommunication Technicians,  Construction Wiremen, Construction Electricians, and Lightning Protection.  

Not only have we grown through membership but also through our business reach.  In partnership with our contractor, we focused on the western area of our jurisdiction and developed an Area B Agreement in 2007.  Soon after, Local 22 combined forces with Local 265 (Lincoln, NE) in a total market recovery agreement and created the Greater Nebraska Agreement in 2013.  Since Local 231’s (Sioux City, IA) jurisdiction covered part of Nebraska, bringing them into the fold in 2017 made sense.  Since its inception, our market share has gone from less than 1% to almost 2% and still growing.

Local 22 has always been invested in the community it serves. For instance, in 1937, the Local charged a $2.00 assessment for not marching in the Labor Day Parade, and in 1938, each member donated $0.25 to Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home. Today, we volunteer our time setting up Septemberfest, walking in the Labor Day Parade, participating in and sponsoring paper sacks for a canned food drive in partnership with the Postal Workers to help support the Food Bank of the Heartland, wiring the inCommon Community Outreach Center; sponsoring the Thursday Night Lights program which awards scholarships to student-athletes; and teaming up with Rebuilding Together to start the Powering Hope campaign which provides free electrical home repairs to low-income families.

Throughout the years, the Brothers and Sisters of Local 22 have enjoyed many social activities.  Some functions, like the annual picnic, are purely social, while others are benefit fundraisers such as the Fallen Brothers Benefit. 

The Local 22 picnics became an annual event after July 14^th, 1962. That picnic, which was held at Peony Park with 1,008 adults and children, has been held in multiple locations since then. Some locations are Sokol Park, Peony Park, Elmwood Park, Meyer Landing, The Bellevue Berry Farm and Pumpkin Patch, and its current home, Falconwood Park.

The Fallen Brothers Benefit is our newest event organized by the Local 22 chapter of RENEW.  The RENEW Council, or Reach Out and Engage Next-gen Electrical Workers, is a national group of young IBEW members who want to become more involved in their Locals.  In 2014, Local 22 RENEW was inspired to start a benefit for the family members of the active members who had passed away the previous year.  The Local 22 RENEW members organized a family-friendly event with games, a dunk tank, and raffles.  It is held every July. 

Other Local 22 activities include the Keyser Memorial Golf Tournament, the Dan Munch Memorial Bass Tournament, Local 22 Bowling Sweeper, DAD’s Day Bowling, the Nebraska and Southwest Iowa Building Trades Chili Cook-Off, and Union Night at the Storm Chasers.

Working together for equal representation is the foundation of our Union.  Over the last 125 years, we have made great strides in improving wages and benefits for our members. From making 9 dollars a day with no benefits in August 1923 to $40.00 an hour plus benefits.  In addition to the IBEW pension and National Electrical Benefit Fund,  Local 22 has worked hard to provide for the future of its members through collective bargaining.  In 1968, the Defined Benefit Pension Plan A contributed $0.03 per hour, and today, we get 80 dollars a credited hour. The Defined Contribution Pension Plan B started in 1978.  This provided the members with a money market account in which to invest. 

Our founding fathers met in 1892 to improve the lives of electricians. One hundred and thirty years later, Local 22 is still working hard to ensure the future of our members and trade.