IBEW Local 353

What IBEW Local 353 does

IBEW Local 353 is a nonprofit labor union local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, representing electrical workers across the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding Ontario regions. Founded in 1977 with its first Education Committee meeting, the organization has grown to serve over 11,000 active members and holds signatory agreements with 6,500+ electrical contractors in Ontario (including Aecon, Black & McDonald, Modern Niagara, Plan Group, and others). Its core service is collective bargaining on behalf of members, alongside representation in grievance procedures, WSIB (Workers' Safety and Insurance Board) support, and advocacy on workplace safety and worker rights.

The organization's defining feature is its heavy investment in workforce training infrastructure. It operates four state-of-the-art training facilities (Toronto-South opened 1992, Mississauga-West opened 2009, Barrie-North opened 2012, Oshawa-East opened 2015) totaling 50,000+ square feet, with capacity for 90+ classes per year and 1,500+ seats. Annual training spend exceeds $3M. Programs span apprenticeship pipelines (via the Electrical Apprentice Training Alliance), continuing education in PLC programming (MicroLogix, ControlLogix, Siemens LOGO!), fiber optics (Corning Fiber IQ), EV infrastructure (EVITP), fire alarm certification (Certi-Fire, recognized by the Ontario Fire Marshal's Office), and welding. Member benefits — including health and pension — are administered through the TEIBAS platform.

The business model is dues-funded: members pay $57/month, of which $39 is remitted to International IBEW per capita and $18 is retained locally. Revenue streams include monthly membership dues, training-related income, the building fund, and ancillary member services. Recruitment combines community/event-driven outreach, direct entry apprenticeship applications, contractor sponsorship, and workplace organizing campaigns. The organization maintains formal partnerships with ECAO (Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario), NETCO, COBT, and technology partners (Klein Tools, Greenlee, Lincoln Electric, Corning).

Name

IBEW Local 353

Legal name

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS (IBEW) LOCAL 353

Website

https://ibew353.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IBEW Local 353 is a nonprofit labor union representing 11,000+ electrical workers across Ontario, Canada, delivering collective bargaining, apprenticeship training, certification, and member benefits through four GTA-area training centers and partnerships with 6,500+ signatory electrical contractors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: Monthly union dues from members form the primary revenue stream. Dues are divided between International IBEW per capita ($39/month for Operations and Pension Benefit fund) and Local 353's portion ($18/month for Operations and Building fund). Dues are set by membership vote.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IBEW Local 353 is a labor union local representing more than 11,000 electrical workers across Ontario. It provides collective bargaining, member representation, apprenticeship and continuing education training, certification programs (including fire alarm and EV infrastructure), and member benefit administration through the TEIBAS platform, supported by four dedicated training facilities in the Greater Toronto Area.

Product overview

IBEW Local 353 is a labor union (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 353) providing union membership, collective bargaining, and representation services to over 11,000 electrical workers in Ontario. The organization offers a comprehensive suite of services including an Electrical Apprentice Training Alliance providing apprenticeship programs, four state-of-the-art training facilities delivering continuing education courses (fire alarm certification, PLC programming, fiber optics, electrical code review, electric vehicle infrastructure), and member support services through the TEIBAS benefits platform and WSIB representation. The union also provides access to job dispatch services, member forms, agreements and wages information, and community programs like the Hammer Heads youth training initiative. The main products include union membership, apprenticeship and training programs, certification courses (Certi-Fire, Fire Alarm), and member benefit administration through various online portals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TEIBAS: Benefits administration and member services platform for IBEW Local 353 members, including pension and health benefits management through the myTEIBAS login portal.

Products and services

• IBEW Local 353 Union Membership
• Electrical Apprenticeship Program
• Continuing Education and Technical Training Courses
• Certi-Fire Fire Alarm Certification Program
• Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training (EVITP)
• TEIBAS Benefits Administration Platform
• WSIB Member Support Services
• Hammer Heads Youth Apprenticeship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 54% higher wages than non-union electricians in Toronto
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Certi-FirecoreTechnology or IntegrationECAO Certi-Fire Program is an intensive four-level certification program for electricians meeting requirements of Ontario Fire Code O. Reg. 213/07, recognized by Ontario Fire Marshalls Office.
• National Electrical Trade Council (NETCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Labour-Management partnership of IBEW First District Canada and Canadian Electrical Contractors Association (CECA). Provides national coordination on workforce skills development and public policy issues.
• Central Ontario Building Trades (COBT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresents over 80,000 skilled trades people in central Ontario since 1943. CoBT Hammer Heads Program offers apprenticeship career opportunities to youth from under-resourced neighborhoods.
• Electrical Apprenticeship Training AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint labor-management partnership providing direct entry apprenticeship opportunities. Starting in 2020, the public can apply for electrical apprenticeship directly through this alliance.
• Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECAO/IBEW team is the trusted source for electrical work critical in hospitals, schools, businesses, and transportation networks. Joint initiatives through energizeontario.ca.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• IBEW Local 47: Another IBEW local covering Southern California. Operates with the same charter, training-center model, and signatory-contractor structure as Local 353, but serves the Los Angeles region, making it the most directly comparable regional peer in terms of operating model and member/contractor mix.
• IBEW Local 46: IBEW local serving the Seattle/Puget Sound area in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Directly comparable in size, trade focus, and operating model to Local 353, and a useful benchmark for dues structure, training capacity, and contractor relationships in a similar mid-size metropolitan market.
• Central Ontario Building Trades (COBT): Regional building-trades council representing 80,000+ skilled trades workers across central Ontario, with which IBEW 353 has an explicit strategic partnership. Acts as an umbrella coordinator across multiple trades and is a key channel for cross-trade apprenticeship programs like Hammer Heads.

Direct peers

• United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Service Techs (UA): Largest U.S./Canada building-trades union after IBEW. Operates the same union model—membership dues, signatory contractors, apprenticeship training centers, collective bargaining—but for plumbers/pipefitters. Directly comparable in structure, scale, training-center footprint, and dues-funded revenue model.
• Ironworkers International Union: International union representing ironworkers on structural steel, rebar, and rigging across North America. Same dues/contractor/apprenticeship structure as IBEW 353, operating in adjacent construction trades with shared worksites and competing for the same apprentice pool.
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers: Skilled-trades union for boilermakers across construction, industrial, and shipbuilding. Shares the IBEW 353 model of monthly dues, contractor signatory agreements, and apprenticeship training centers, with overlapping membership on large industrial and infrastructure projects.
• LiUNA (Laborers' International Union of North America): North America's largest construction-trades union by membership. Operates with the same dues-funded, apprenticeship-training, signatory-contractor model as IBEW 353, frequently partnered on the same Ontario jobsites and a counterpart for collective bargaining leverage.

Broad incumbents

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): Parent international union of Local 353. Operates the national IBEW charter, sets per-capita dues, coordinates across all U.S./Canada IBEW locals, and provides shared brand, training standards, and political advocacy—the closest broad incumbent to Local 353's narrow Ontario remit.

Others

• Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS): Joint labour-management council for Ontario's unionized industrial, commercial, and institutional construction sector. Provides industry-wide data, research, and policy advocacy that both IBEW 353 and its signatory contractors use to benchmark wages, productivity, and market share.
• Electrical Contractors Association of Ontario (ECAO): Provincial contractor counterpart to IBEW 353. Not a union, but operates joint programs (Certi-Fire, energizeontario.ca) and serves as the management-side counterpart in collective bargaining—directly comparable as a stakeholder in the same Ontario electrical-construction labor market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LOCAL353
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IBEWLU353
• Facebookfacebook.com/IbewLocal353
• Instagraminstagram.com/ibewlocal353
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibew-local-353

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IBEW Local 353