Industry and IBEW News

Twenty-eight contributors to the Federal Judicial Center's Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence have signed an open letter condemning the deletion of its climate science chapter as a political attack on judicial independence. The chapter was removed in February after 27 Republican state attorneys general pressured the center to retract it, leaving federal judges without a peer-reviewed resource on climate science at a time when climate litigation is rapidly expanding in U.S. courts. Subscription may be required.
Union members rallied in Rocky Hill alongside displaced residents of the condemned Concierge Apartments complex after the state issued stop work orders against seven contracting companies for labor violations including missing workers compensation coverage. The 554 unit complex has been in crisis since late January when burst pipes forced hundreds of tenants from their homes, with many still displaced as repair crews work to restore all buildings.
Connecticut lawmakers are considering legislation to legalize small portable plug-in solar panels that connect directly to standard household outlets, making solar accessible to renters and others who cannot install rooftop systems. A public hearing is scheduled for March 5, and if passed the law could take effect by October, putting Connecticut in line with more than 20 other states exploring similar measures.
IBEW International President Kenneth Cooper writes in The Electrical Worker about the union's role in meeting surging electricity demand across the country, from data centers to clean energy buildout. Cooper argues that the boom in power infrastructure represents a generational opportunity for IBEW members and calls on locals to position themselves at the forefront of the expanding electrical grid.
The Electrical Worker examines Illinois' landmark energy reform legislation, which includes some of the strongest pro-worker provisions in the country for the energy industry. The law, backed by the IBEW and the state's building trades, ensures that the transition to clean energy in Illinois creates and protects union jobs, setting a model other states are beginning to follow.