Meet The Scranton Electricians

The First Union   #81 of our brotherhood was located in Fort Worth, Texas,  and was chartered August 6, 1894. This local became defunct a year or two after it was chartered.

Local Union  #81 Scranton, Pennsylvania, was chartered June 7, 1899. Scranton was then one of the top iron and coal producing cities in the nation, so a lot of the local's work was related to those industries. But the age of electricity was upon us, and the demand increased for skilled workmen to install electrical services in homes and businesses.

Our local union made it through the Depression when many unions lost their charters due to the tremendous unemployment at that time.

In the fifties and sixties our membership steadily grew to the construction of the Tobyhanna Army Depot and the Procter and Gamble Plant, two of the largest projects ever built in our jurisdiction.

In 1966 our local union bought land and announced plans for construction of our own I.B.E.W Building, which was to become the first labor temple in the City of Scranton. Our 30,000 square foot building was dedicated on January 16, 1968, by the late International President Charles H. Pillard ........a proud day for our local union.

In the late sixties Local #81 organized the Scranton Housing Authority,  including maintenance, clerical, and management employees.

In 1993 our National Electrical Benefit Fund, under the guidance of International Secretary  Jack F. Moore,  provided the construction financing for the Steamtown Mall in Downtown Scranton. This project not only provided many jobs for Scranton Area union tradesmen but also provided the much-needed revitalization of our city.

Today we have  427  "A"  members and  67 active  "BA"  members employed by the Housing Authority. We have come a long way in 100 years, and with our younger,  highly skilled and well-trained members to lead the way, we anticipate a brighter and more progressive future.