Welcome to Local 1

Welcome to Local 1 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Midwest’s largest resource for skilled electrical workers.

Local 1 represents over 7400 active members and retirees working in a variety of fields including construction, telecommunications, manufacturing, and government.

Local 1’s principal officer is Business Manager Frank Jacobs, a 40-year, 4th generation member. Frank is also the President of the St. Louis Building and Construction Trades Council, AFLCIO, a coalition of 18 trade unions, his door is always open.

Local 1 Hallmarks

First Local Union of the IBEW: Federal Local Union No. 5221 was chartered by the American Federation of Labor in October of 1890 for St. Louis electrical workers. Upon the foundation of our national organization in St. Louis on November 28, 1891 it was re-chartered as IBEW Local No. 1. Today the IBEW’s 881 local unions represent over 750,000 members across the United States, Canada, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.  

Safety: Our entire construction membership holds an OSHA 10-hour certification and more than 70 percent, including all site managers, hold an OSHA 30-hour certification.

Training: Our mission is to train and educate apprentices and journey-level electricians and telecommunications technicians to the highest level of quality, skill, integrity, value, and safety in the industry.

Our programs are completely funded through the IBEW/NECA Labor-Management partnership at no expense to taxpayers and are structured to meet Missouri’s next generation electrical needs, including electric vehicles, cybersecurity, smart building technology, robotics, advanced manufacturing and digital communications.

Diversity is fully integrated into the center’s programs, more than 25 percent of our graduating apprentices are minorities.

The partnership also invests in the Regional Union Construction Center’s mission to create a more sustainable minority contracting community.

Workforce Development: IBEW representatives participate in over twenty high school career fairs annually and join our recruitment partners in reaching out to communities traditionally underrepresented in the organized building trades.

Community: Local 1 has a long history of supporting the development and economic vitality of the communities where our members live and work.

To date our member-volunteers and contracting partners have donated $1.3M to help build homes for Habitat for Humanity, $950K to improve over 500 homes for low-income, elderly, and disabled St. Louisans through our partnership with Rebuilding Together – St. Louis, and $85,000 to Shop With A Cop, a program whose mission is to foster trust between law enforcement officers and the children of the minority communities they serve.

Skill and Productivity: We are most proud of the skill and productivity of our members. Our core values are clearly defined in our Code of Excellence, a commitment we make to safety, quality, professionalism, accountability, and relationships.

Award-Winning Contractors: The highly skilled men and women of the IBEW have also helped our contracting partners secure over 90 AGC Keystone Awards for Excellence.

Call us at (314) 932-6526 and let us help ensure your next project is a success!

Thank you for choosing the safest, most highly trained, skilled workforce in the electrical industry!