The History of IBEW
Victory, Growth and Progress
The Fifth Convention, held in Detroit in 1897, proved that the courage of people who persevere despite great odds had not been in vain. Work became more plentiful, membership increased and the Brotherhood treasury showed a surplus. Encouraged, the officers sent an organizer to Canada; and a successful campaign began there. J.H. Maloney served as Grand President from 1897 to 1899.
The Sixth Convention, meeting in Pittsburgh in 1899, changed the name of our union from National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. The first local to be organized in Canada was Local Union 93 of Ottawa, Ontario, on December 20, 1899. In 1899 Thomas Wheeler became Grand President of the new International, while Harry W. Sherman continued as Secretary.
The Constitution adopted in 1891 vested considerable executive power in the officers, but such power was exercised rarely in the early years of the Brotherhood. The officers were not paid regular salaries and earned their living working at their trade. Traveling organizers received expense money if the union could afford it. Despite the remarkable devotion of these men and the personal sacrifices they made to perform the work of the Brotherhood, they were unable to devote sufficient time to union business to ensure that locals complied with the provisions of the Constitution. Headquarters, as well as the international officers, changed frequently.
Effective Leadership
In 1901 when the Seventh Convention met in St. Louis, the Grand Secretary reported that unconstitutional strikes were so numerous that year as many as 40 at one time that he was unable to keep an accurate record. The International was reluctant to suspend a local union for disregarding its obligations when the dues and support of each local were so critically needed. But the lack of discipline discredited the organization in the eyes of employers. W.A. Jackson, elected President at the Seventh Convention, tried to cope with the situation; but such oversight required the services of a full-time, salaried officer.
Accordingly, at the Eighth Convention, held in 1903 at Salt Lake City, Utah, the members elected F.J. McNulty as Grand President and voted him a full-time salary so he might dedicate his time solely to the interests of the union. A strong, magnetic leader, Frank McNulty served in this office until 1919.
The change was an important event in the history of the Brotherhood. It transformed the international body from a weak association into a coordinated and effective organization. President McNulty was determined that the provisions of the Constitution should be enforced, particularly those dealing with relations between the union and employers. All infractions were promptly punished. In a short time, the organization regained its prestige as employers were assured that any contracts they might make with local unions would be respected and enforced.
Enforcement of the Constitution also favorably affected the Brotherhood's growth. Illegal and unsuccessful strikes had discouraged many members and had forced them to seek employment wherever they could find it. After an unsuccessful strike many locals found themselves almost entirely disorganized and had to drop out of the Brotherhood. Under President McNulty's constructive policy, many difficulties which formerly would have resulted in strikes were peacefully settled; and turnover in membership greatly decreased.
Dissenting Forces
Annual records show that the membership in good standing prior to 1903 was composed almost entirely of the new members initiated each year. In some cases there were fewer members in good standing at a year's end than had joined during the year. In December 1903, for example, the total membership in good standing was 9,922; however, 18,341 new members had been initiated during the preceding 12 months.
In 1905, just two years after the President became full-time, the total dues-paying membership had increased to 24,000, while 12,247 new members had been initiated during the preceding two years. The Brotherhood was not only recruiting members, it was retaining them.
In 1908 when the IBEW was in pretty fair condition with paid officers, a treasury balance and a strong organization a bitter internal struggle erupted. This costly experience, which resulted in the secession of a large percentage of the Brotherhood, was known as the Reid-Murphy split, named after the two officers elected by the seceding faction. Frank J. McNulty and Peter W. Collins remained the true officers of our Brotherhood.
A number of problems caused the split; such as the long-brewing dissension between wiremen and linemen, stimulated by disappointed office seekers and by a former Grand Treasurer removed from office in 1907 because of irregularities. In addition, employer forces appeared to want the fast-growing union to be destroyed. So they fostered the struggle which divided our Brotherhood for six long years.
A large number of local union representatives attended a special convention called by the dissenting forces in 1908. They refused to recognize President McNulty and Secretary Collins. Instead, they elected J.J. Reid as President and J.W. Murphy as Secretary. The Reid faction secured an injunction to prevent disbursement of union funds. The McNulty group secured another to forestall seizure of the International Office and operated on loans from local unions and individuals. AFL President Samuel Gompers unsuccessfully attempted to reconcile the groups, then subsequently recognized the McNulty-Collins faction as the ``legitimate" Brotherhood.
A Turning Point
Two conventions were held in 1911. Photos in the IBEW Archives show that the Reid-Murphy Convention was much larger than the McNulty-Collins Convention. While no reliable figures on the membership of the Reid-Murphy faction can be obtained, it has been conceded that the Reid faction at one time controlled three-fourths of the organized electrical workers in the United States and Canada.
Finally, a court decision in February 1912 declared the 1908 convention illegal and its actions void; union funds were restored to the AFL-recognized group. That 1912 court decision marked the turning point of the rebellion.
Union Spirit Survives
The 12th Convention of our Brotherhood, held in Boston in 1913, included nearly all of the local unions which had seceded. In his report to the Convention, Frank J. McNulty, now a 10-year veteran as Grand President, tried to bind the wounds of secession and inspire the members to carry on in a true spirit of unionism. Speaking of his years in office, he said:
"I have seen our Brotherhood in victory, as well as in seeming defeat; I cannot say in defeat, because I do not concede to anyone that our Broth Brotherhood has met defeat....No labor organization, in our opinion, is ever defeated. When it suffers a setback, it incites the members to greater effort in organization and makes better pilots out of the leaders who profit by their past experiences and guide their organizations over the dangerous shoals upon which they had grounded in the past....
"We have fought a clean fight, and we have won, simply because we were right....
"We have not centralized our efforts to bring about temporary advantages for our Brotherhood; we rather have endeavored to fortify the trenches of our Brotherhood, so as to make them impregnable against the forces of its enemies in the future...."
President McNulty then directed a poignant statement to those of us reading our Brotherhood's history many years later:
"When the history of our Brotherhood is read by the Electrical Workers of the future and we have all transferred our cards to our local union in Heaven, they will appreciate our efforts. They will realize and know that we fought the battle successfully that assured its future prosperity."
At the 1913 Convention President McNulty presided with a new partner. Brother P.W. Collins, who stood with Brother McNulty during the days of secession, resigned on July 15, 1912. Charles P. Ford was appointed Secretary in his place.
Winning Back Membership
The 12th Convention, with delegates representing 18,500 members, lasted 14 days. The Convention again attempted to put the IBEW on a firmer financial basis by voting to recommend to the membership an increase in per capita from 30 to 40 cents. That action, as well as all convention actions except the election of officers, had to be submitted to the membership for approval. While the per capita increase and other constitutional amendments passed, the requirement of membership approval continued to handicap the organization.
Once more in possession of its funds and with AFL backing, the McNulty administration gradually won back its membership. By 1914 the locals which constituted the Reid faction were readmitted. Those who left the Brotherhood with Reid and Murphy received credit for whatever standing they would have enjoyed had they never seceded. They also received 12 months' credit in the payment of death benefits. Those who joined the secessionists but were never in the IBEW received the same consideration.
Rapid Growth
From 1913 to 1919, while our Brotherhood was feeling its way and setting the stage for progressive action, membership exploded: from 23,500 in 1913 to 148,072 in 1919. Many factors contributed to this growth; but the most significant by far was World War I and the consequent great demand for electricity, with its power and versatility. Our union had mechanics trained to handle electricity, and the IBEW could quickly train more. Our ranks swelled as the call went out for IBEW members to perform the vitally important role of building our first "Arsenal of Democracy."
The IBEW's 13th Convention was held in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1915 and the 14th in Atlantic City in 1917, with the same principal officers at the helm. The history of our organization was not affected significantly by the actions of these Conventions, chiefly because the decisions of the delegates were defeated when submitted to a referendum vote, as our Constitution required.
The only laws adopted during those years were amendments submitted separately to the membership. One of the amendments passed in 1918 established a separate Telephone Operators Department. Operators had full rights and full vote at conventions. Because of efforts to encourage organization among them, however, they paid about half the per capita paid by other members.
Policy for Progress
A constitutional amendment adopted in 1918 declared all Convention actions final, except when the Convention itself votes to refer a matter to the membership for consideration. This single change is credited with allowing a more effective and efficient operation of our Brotherhood, curtailing contentious political maneuvers and fractious circular letters. Thus, the amendment enabled the officers to focus their attention on the jobs they were elected to perform. If not for our predecessors' foresight in adopting this policy, much of our union's progress might never have been accomplished. At the very least, our progress would have been seriously delayed.