IBEW 2150 was founded in 1964 representing approximately 800 operations and maintenance workers at the former Wisconsin Electric Power Company. Over the past 40 years IBEW 2150 has grown to a membership of over 4,300 members. Headquartered in Menomonee Falls, it is not only the largest IBEW local Wisconsin, but is the largest labor organization representing utility workers in Wisconsin.
IBEW 2150’s growth over the past few years has expanded the variety of workers to include utility and support workers in the electric, natural gas, and water industries. They work for investor owned, municipal, and rural cooperative utilities in addition to dozens of outside construction contractors. IBEW 2150 members generate electric power at coal, nuclear, hydro, and natural gas plants. They also build, operate, and maintain thousands of miles of transmission and distribution lines. IBEW represents natural gas utility workers from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River and from Kenosha to Spooner.
The men and women of IBEW 2150 are line mechanics, technicians, clerical support workers, tree trimmers, nuclear plant operators, meter readers, sales reps, gas service workers, electricians, and dozens of other occupations whose responsibility is to help provide safe, clean, reliable, and affordable energy for over two million natural electric, natural gas, and water utility customers.
IBEW 2150 is very active in legislative and regulatory affairs in Wisconsin. Since the early 1990’s, when electric power deregulation was first proposed, IBEW 2150 decided to become a participant in these discussions. Our local led the formation of the Utility Workers Coalition, representing over a dozen local utility unions with over 10,000 members.
IBEW Local 2150 lobbied with other stakeholders to help pass Reliability 2000 which led to the
creation of the American Transmission Company, redefined the limits of utility holding companies,
and guaranteed that a qualified work force would continue to keep the power flowing even in the
event of utility mergers, takeovers, etc. Since the 1999 IBEW 2150 has been a licensed lobbying
organization in Madison and has offered its perspective on most utility related legislation over the past five years