International Brotherhood of Electrical  -  Local 340

HISTORY

I.B.E.W., Local 340 was issued a charter from the international office on December 9, 1902. Eleven (11) members signed the original charter. They were:

The original charter was issued for inside and outside construction. It has been amended twice since then to include manufacturing and government workers. The original meeting place was the Pythian Castle which was located on the corner of Ninth and I Streets in Sacramento.

The membership in Local 340 increased slowly in the early years. The turn of the century brought prosperity to California, new industries were springing up and the old ones were flourishing. Influential employers were fighting against the union but the union was successful in increasing wages and lowering the hours worked.. There were approximately 50 members in Local 340 by 1917 and most of the members worked for the State of California or the City of Sacramento. The meetings for Local 340, along with other organized trades, were now being held in the Labor Temple at Eight and I Streets.

The Electrical Workers of  Local Union 340 held their first first annual ball in 1928 at the Memorial Auditorium. It was considered the greatest ball given by any organization in the city of Sacramento. This continued to be an annual event with each succeeding year striving to be bigger and better. There were about 80 members by 1929.  Scale was $10 per day for eight hours worked and the work week consisted of five and one half days. Dues were $7.50  per month.

By the early 1930's  membership had grown to 125-150 members. In 1938 the apprenticeship program was recognized. This program, with the exception of a brief period during World War II, has been turning out well-trained electricians ever since.
Local Union 340 jurisdiction covered the twenty counties from Amador County to the Oregon border.  On June 1, 1942 thecharter was amended and Local Union #36, Sacramento, CA, one of the few active lineman's locals in California, and#1188, Redding, CA amalgamated with the Local Union 340.

In December 1951 Local Union 340 moved from the Labor Temple at Eighth and I Streets to the new Labor Temple at 2525 Stockton Blvd. The welfare Plan was put into effect November 1, 1953 and was thought to be the first plan in the State of California for Electrical Workers.  The first trustees were Burt Lancaster, Chuck Hunt and O. D. Duncan.  In November 1958 they moved to the "Plumbers Hall" at 5841 Newman Court.  

In spite of the bad publicity organized labor was receiving in the late 1950's Local 340 was in good shape and membership reached over 1, 000 members by the 1960's.  In 1963 Redding was granted a Charter from the International Office whichestablished a jurisdiction, Local Union #442, that covered the northern nine counties (seven of those counties were returned to the Sacramento Jurisdiction in 1998, Siskiyou and Modoc counties were placed in local union #659, Medford Oregon's jurisdiction). On January 1, 1967 Local Union 340 instituted a Pension Plan, the first trustees were Al Rommitti, Dave Gilchrist, Richard H. Moore, Jack Wyman, and Lee Frith.

Local Union 340 moved to 535 Fulton Avenue in March 1982 and on October 1, 1987 to its current location at 2840 El Centro Road, Sacramento.

Local Union 340 has gone through many growing pains over the years but it has managed to maintain its membership and benefits due to the dedication and hard work of its leadership.

In 1981 Local Union 340 and the Sacramento Chapter of NECA faced some of their toughest challenges.  Mistakes were made on both sides which caused some long time employers to leave the IBEW.  Since 1981 IBEW local 340 and the Sacramento Chapter of NECA have worked very hard to rebuild those relationships.  We now enjoy a very strong working environment between NECA and the IBEW in the Sacramento / Redding area.

The future of the IBEW and Local Union 340 is very promising. Our membership has grown constantly since 1983 and will     continue to do so as long as the membership continues to participate.  Brother Al E. Danielson, in an article from the June 1929 IBEW Journal, commented on the progress that our Brotherhood was making, "I believe it well to consider the farsightedness of our leaders in the past, for present achievement.  To hold a membership card in our organization is an asset to any man working in the electrical industry."

The ten men from five cities who met above Stolley's Dance Hall in 1891 and formed our union had one objective: to make life better for themselves, their families, and those around them.  They and those who continue their work have made life better for themselves and for thousands of workers like you.

If we want to continue to enjoy the benefits of union representation, we must work toward increasing our numbers.  A strong union movement is one of the major factors in protecting our future.  It enables us to negotiate for and win good wages, benefits, and working conditions.
The IBEW is committed not only to preserving the gains fought for by our ancestors in the labor movement, but to continually improving the quality of life for all workers.

"We earnestly invite all workers belonging to our trade to come forward, join our ranks and help increase our number, until there shall be no one working at our trade outside of our Brotherhood..." 1891 preamble to the IBEW Constitution.