IBEW LOCAL 21

What IBEW LOCAL 21 does

IBEW Local Union 21 (legal name: International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 21) is a chartered labor union local representing electrical and telecommunications workers across Illinois and parts of Indiana. The organization was formed through consolidation of predecessor locals, including IBEW Local 336, IBEW Local 383, and the Illinois Union of Telephone Workers, with the Frontline publication archiving issues back to 1947. Headquartered in Lisle, Illinois with six unit meeting locations spread across Chicago, Joliet, Merrillville, Springfield, and Collinsville, Local 21 is staffed by approximately 19 employees led by President Business Manager Paul T. Wright.

The union's core offering is collective bargaining, grievance representation, contract negotiation, and member services for workers at a defined set of employers, including AT&T (across multiple sub-units such as technicians, Mobility call center, and DirecTV National SCT-3), Comcast, CenturyLink, Avaya, DirectSat, Altura, CBRE, the City of Chicago OEMC-911 Center, and the Lake County 911 Center in Indiana. Member-facing services include a UnionActive-powered member portal, scholarship programs (2024, 2025, 2026 cycles), a COPE (Committee on Political Education) political-advocacy function, steward resources, organizing campaigns, and multi-channel communications (email, SMS shortcode IBEW21 to 69866, Facebook, Twitter/X, and a member hotline at 630.415.2711).

The revenue model is membership-dues-based and is not publicly disclosed; Local 21 is a private non-profit membership organization affiliated with the IBEW International, the Illinois AFL-CIO, the Indiana State AFL-CIO, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and the national AFL-CIO. The union has used federal (NLRB) and state (Illinois SB3649, signed July 31, 2024) regulatory channels to defend and expand its operating environment, and is governed by an elected executive board rather than external investors.

Name

IBEW LOCAL 21

Legal name

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 21

Website

https://ibew21.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IBEW Local Union 21 is a chartered labor union representing electrical and telecommunications workers across Illinois and Indiana, providing collective bargaining, grievance representation, and member services at employers including AT&T, Comcast, CenturyLink, Avaya, CBRE, and government 911 centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IBEW Local 21 is a chartered labor union representing electrical and telecommunications workers in the Chicago metropolitan area, including Illinois and parts of Indiana. The union negotiates collective bargaining agreements with employers such as AT&T, Comcast, CenturyLink, Avaya, CBRE, DirectSat, Altura, and City of Chicago OEMC-911 Center, while providing members with grievance handling, benefits administration, scholarship programs, and political advocacy through its COPE department.

Product overview

IBEW Local Union 21 is a labor union representing electrical workers in the Chicago area and surrounding regions. The organization provides member resources including contract information, benefits administration, scholarship programs, COPE (Committee on Political Education), organizing campaigns, steward resources, unit meetings, video gallery, and member communications tools. The union offers services for members working at various employers including AT&T, Comcast, Altura, CenturyLink, Avaya, CBRE, DirectSat, and City of Chicago OEMC-911 Center. The website serves as a member portal built on the UnionActive platform, featuring login capabilities, member updates, news, events calendar, and voluntary member information forms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Bargaining and Contract Negotiation

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and regional.

• Governor JB PritzkerminorOthers · 31 July 2024Governor Pritzker signed SB3649 (Worker Freedom of Speech Act) into law on July 31, 2024, banning 'captive audience' meetings in Illinois, a measure supported by IBEW Local 21 and organized labor.
• IBEW InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBEW Local 21 is a chartered local union of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, receiving organizational support, resources, and guidance from the international union while maintaining local autonomy for representing Chicago-area electrical and telecommunications workers.
• Illinois AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the Illinois AFL-CIO labor federation, participating in statewide labor solidarity initiatives, political campaigns, and legislative advocacy for working families.
• Chicago Federation of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the Chicago Federation of Labor, participating in metropolitan labor solidarity, community advocacy, and coordinated labor actions in the Chicago area.
• Indiana State AFL-CIOregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated with the Indiana State AFL-CIO to coordinate labor representation across the Chicago metropolitan area, including Indiana locations represented by Local 21.
• AFL-CIOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational labor federation affiliation providing resources, political advocacy, and solidarity support for IBEW Local 21 and its members.
• National Labor Relations BoardminorOthersFederal agency that oversees union elections and handles unfair labor practice charges. IBEW Local 21 has filed charges with the NLRB against employers (such as Altura Communications) when employer actions violate the National Labor Relations Act.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AFSCME: AFSCME is a major national public-sector union; it is a peer in labor-federation politics and has overlapping interest in government/911 dispatch representation, a segment in which Local 21 also operates.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: The Teamsters are a large U.S. labor union with comparable dues-funded member-benefit model and federation-level political advocacy footprint, making them a structural peer across the labor-union industry.
• AFL-CIO: AFL-CIO is the national labor federation of which Local 21 is an indirect affiliate through Illinois AFL-CIO; it sets national labor policy priorities that shape Local 21's operating environment.
• Communications Workers of America (CWA): CWA is a national labor union representing workers in telecommunications, media, and related industries — overlapping with Local 21's telecom technician and call-center membership at AT&T, CenturyLink, and Comcast.
• IBEW International: IBEW International is the parent federation that charters Local 21, providing the national organizing infrastructure, political action, and contract resources on which Local 21 depends.
• SEIU: SEIU is one of the largest labor unions in North America, comparable to Local 21 as a dues-funded service union with active organizing, political advocacy, and member-benefit operations.
• International Association of Machinists (IAMAW): The Machinists represent skilled trades and technical workers across manufacturing and services, overlapping with Local 21's representation of technicians and call-center workers in adjacent industries.

Direct peers

• IBEW Local 134: IBEW Local 134 is the Chicago-area IBEW local representing inside electrical workers (electricians), making it the closest direct peer in the same geographic and organizational ecosystem with a similar collective-bargaining mission.
• IBEW Local 9: IBEW Local 9 is another chartered IBEW local in the Chicago metropolitan area, representing electrical workers in adjacent jurisdictions and operating under the same international federation.

Others

• Chicago Federation of Labor: Chicago Federation of Labor is the central labor body of the Chicago area; IBEW Local 21 is a direct affiliate, making it a peer-level institutional counterpart in coordinated labor activity.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IBEWTwentyOne
• Facebookfacebook.com/home.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibew-local-21

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IBEW LOCAL 21