IBEW Local 11, Los Angeles. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) was formed in 1891 by a group of electricians who wanted a safer workplace, fair wages and, in general, respect for the service they rendered their communities through their labors. In 1891 there were no training programs, no safety regulations, no medical plans, no pension or retirement plans, and nearly half of all electricians were being killed on the job. Because the IBEW nourished the needs of these workers, it has grown from a handful of pioneers to the largest electrical union in the world. However, the IBEW is not about a growing business or organization, it's a fraternity. The IBEW is made up of working men and women, in the electrical industry, committed to bettering themselves and the industry. Neither the IBEW nor the electrical industry is made better, unless all who labor in the industry are secure in their employment, receive a fair wage, have training programs, pension plans, dental and medical plans for themselves and their families. For over a hundred years the IBEW has been about offering all these things to electricians. All electrical workers deserve the IBEW's standard of living, the highest in the industry!