All IBEW locals help match qualified members with unionized employers that have labour needs. Local 1928's jurisdiction in Nova Scotia and PEI includes the electric utilities, outside construction contractors, UPEI maintenance, and utilities/public works at some towns and municipalities in Nova Scotia and PEI. Some employers—a number of them are not in Atlantic Canada—contact the Local seeking qualified permanent full-time workers (see section below "Permanent Full-Time Work"). Other regional employers (mainly contractors) are looking for construction labour for work that can be of shorter (say 6-week) or longer (several-year) periods, depending on the employer and the project/location. To be clear, outside construction work, by definition, requires some travel—sometimes out of province—and it is not necessarily permanent employment. But construction work has its rewards (mainly monetary, though you can find some employers and schedules that will allow you to be home for relatively long periods).
Outside Construction Work and the Local 1928 Referral List
Local 1928 maintains a list of members in good standing who are qualifed and available for full-time outside construction work (typically the work is located somewhere between Ontario and Newfoundland) with employers who have contracts with or are signatory to a contract with IBEW Local 1928. This is called the Referral List. With more contractors getting work from the electric utilities in the Atlantic provinces and with more capital projects like Muskrat Falls and the Maritime Link coming on line, the Local expects to get more frequent requests from employers for additional qualified workers. If you would like to be referred by the Local for work with a unionized contractor, please read the Referral List Guidelines. Regional unionized contractors who have contacted Local 1928 for qualified PLTs and equipment operators over the last three months include: CAUS Atlantic, Black & McDonald Ltd, Locke's Electric.
There are any number of unized construction contractors in Western Canada who are seeking PLTs and operators and offer competitive wages and attractive travel schedules; you can get in touch with many of them through the appropriate IBEW Local (for instance, Rockstad Power, MidLite Powerline Construction, Wilson Construction). There are also some contractors, such as Valard, who work union in some jurisdictions and non-union in others. Contact the union hall who has jurisdiction for the location you are researching if you have questions about a particular contractor. For a list of unionized contractors in Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, go to the Unionized Contractors link on this website.
