Evidence-Based Comparison
The IBEW Difference
Electrical workers under Carpenters jurisdiction face real, documented shortfalls in wages, retirement, and representation. Here's the full picture.
Calculate What You Will Gain
Total package vs total package · Locals 1 · 309 · 649 · 124
Enter your hourly wage and your benefits. We add them into your total package and compare it, dollar for dollar, against the IBEW Journeyman Inside Wireman package in Locals 1, 309, 649, and 124. Not sure of your numbers? Tap a Local 57 card to fill them in.
See the one local that covers your jobsite, with your organizers.
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Your gain at each IBEW local
Total package per hour for each local around you. Enter your numbers above to see your gain.
IBEW Local 1
St. Louis and eastern Missouri$88.23/hr
$51.79 wage + $36.44 benefits (eff. 2026-05-31)
Your gain ·
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Union Hall5850 Elizabeth Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110
Your IBEW Organizers
- Chad Cleveland
- Matt Eschbacher
- John Kahrhoff
IBEW Local 309
Metro East Illinois (Collinsville)$87.22/hr
$54.95 wage + $32.27 benefits (eff. 2026-08-31)
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IBEW Local 649
Alton and Wood River, Illinois$84.42/hr
$54.53 wage + $29.89 benefits (eff. 2025-12-29)
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IBEW Local 124
Kansas City metro$87.04/hr
$57.01 wage + $30.03 benefits (eff. 2026-08-31)
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Union Hall301 E 103 Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64114
Your IBEW Organizers
- Roger Lake
- Brandon Schaaf
- Chris Heegn
- Kent Eagen
What the IBEW benefit package buys you
The "benefits" number is not a vague figure. Here is how it breaks down, per hour worked, for IBEW Local 1:
Shown as an example until you share your location. Total packages across the four locals are close, but the composition differs — notably vacation, which some locals fund by wage deduction rather than as an employer contribution.
If you currently receive some benefits, your true gap is the difference between what you have and the package above. The calculator compares against the full employer-paid package, which is the standard way union wage sheets are quoted.
Retirement & Pension
IBEW — Three Pension Systems
- ✓ Primary DC plan: Projection at 35 yrs is $5,830/mo at the 4% safe-withdrawal rate, with the full $1.5M–$2M+ account balance preserved for the spouse
- ✓ Secondary — NEBF: ~$1,225/mo for life on top, with 75% spousal option · PBGC-insured
- ✓ Tertiary — IBEW Pension Benefit Fund: ~$175–$192/mo for life · 50% spousal option
- ✓ Employer contributes up to 20% of gross once vested in the Income Security Fund (10,000 credits, ~1 yr of work). Immediate full vesting in the pension account itself.
Carpenters Local 57 — One DB Plan, Two Tiers
- ✗ Grandfathered members (began accruing before 5/1/2020): standard form is ~$3,885/mo starting with the 3% annual COLA, or elect Level for ~$4,988/mo flat for life — at 35 yrs / 2,000 hrs
- ✗ New Entrant members (began accruing on or after 5/1/2020): $3,850/mo single-life flat · no COLA option · no Rule of 90
- ✗ Pre-retirement death benefit capped at ~$50K–$70K · $0 post-retirement unless you accepted a permanently reduced monthly to elect a J&S form
- ✗ One DB pension fund plus a separate DC Annuity Fund (recordkept by John Hancock) — no balance projections published; does not approach the IBEW DC's $1.5M–$2M+ projection · apprentices accrue at only 75%
- ✗ St. Louis Carpenters Pension Fund merges into MACRC effective 10/1/2026: Normal Retirement Age moves from 62 to 65, Rule of 90 preserved only for Grandfathered participants, new $3,000 retirement death benefit, "greater annual accrual" promised on a per-future-hour basis only
Over a 20-year retirement, the difference is roughly $3.4M–$3.5M more in lifetime pension income for the IBEW member.
See the Full Pension Breakdown →Healthcare Benefits
IBEW Healthcare
- ✓ Family coverage for worker, spouse, and dependents
- ✓ 90/10 cost-sharing ratio
- ✓ Retiree coverage — after 17.5 years, pay 50% of premium at age 62
- ✓ No coverage gaps during slow work periods
Carpenters Healthcare
- ✗ 80/20 cost-sharing
- ✗ Working spouses must take their employer's coverage — Carpenters plan becomes secondary, often leaving the spouse paying out of pocket via payroll deduction
- ✗ Employer contributions capped at 143 hours/month (avg. work is 173 hrs)
- ✗ Coverage lapses during slow periods when hours fall below threshold
- ✗ Limited retiree healthcare coverage
Union Representation
Built for Electricians
IBEW is the only union specifically chartered for electrical workers. The Carpenters is a carpentry union that also handles electrical work — your trade is an afterthought.
Prevailing Wage Enforcement
The IBEW actively enforces prevailing wage compliance. A documented audit of the Vande East project found massive underpayments under Carpenters jurisdiction — with no response from Carpenters leadership.
Superior Training
The IBEW JATC offers a 5-year electrical apprenticeship that is widely recognized as the best in the trade. Carpenters training is generalized and provides limited electrical-specific education.
Power Tools Supplied
Under the IBEW agreement the contractor supplies power tools — you bring hand tools only. Under the Carpenters, power tools come out of your paycheck.
Past-Service Credit
When your contractor signs with the IBEW you can receive up to 5 years of past-service pension credit for work already performed. The Carpenters offer no equivalent.
Lower Working Assessment
IBEW working assessment is 3% of gross wages. The Carpenters take 4% — you pay more and get less for it.
Even Carpenters Leadership Has Made the Switch
Former officers of Carpenters Local 57 have joined the IBEW. Their reasons speak volumes.
Kevin Anderson
Former Financial Secretary → IBEW/Archkey General Foreman
Mike Meinhardt
Former VP → IBEW/JF Electric General Foreman
Kevin Radake
Former Treasurer → IBEW/Dynamic Electric Project Manager
Andrew Schaefer
Former Trustee → Project Manager, Legacy Electric
Nick Lovelace
Former Vice President → Foreman, Warren County Electric
Nathan Glass
Former Workforce Coordinator, Power Up Electrical Contractors → General Foreman, American Electric & Data
You've Seen the Numbers. Now Make the Move.
Join the union that fights for electricians — not carpenters.