What Ibew Local Union 98 does

IBEW Local Union 98 is a labor union representing electrical workers across Philadelphia and surrounding Pennsylvania counties, including Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, Delaware, and Lehigh counties. Founded in 1900, it operates as one of the largest and most politically influential IBEW locals in the United States, with a membership base exceeding 5,000 active and retired electrical workers. Its core functions are collective bargaining on behalf of members with signatory contractors, operating a referral dispatch system, administering member benefits (health insurance, unemployment, dues protection), and providing continuing education and representation.

Local 98's primary service line is its registered apprenticeship program, the Allentown Electrical Training Institute (ATEI 98), which has trained licensed electricians for over 114 years. The local also runs member benefit administration, political and legislative advocacy (including statewide electrician licensing and prevailing-wage enforcement), and community-facing initiatives such as its 2024 partnership with the Philadelphia 76ers and a Vietnam Veterans Memorial project.

The business model is dues-funded: revenue comes primarily from per-member monthly dues, supplemented by initiation fees, apprenticeship tuition, investment income on reserves, and ancillary member services. As a nonprofit labor organization under Section 501(c)(5), Local 98 does not operate on profit margins but reinvests dues into training, benefits, advocacy, and member services. In 2015 it expanded its footprint through amalgamation with IBEW Local 380, and in 2024 it underwent leadership renewal and pursued an active regulatory and community-partnership agenda.

Name

Ibew Local Union 98

Legal name

IBEW Local 98

Website

https://ibew98.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

IBEW Local Union 98 is a Philadelphia-area labor union representing 5,000+ electrical workers through collective bargaining, a registered apprenticeship program (ATEI 98), member benefits, and political advocacy for statewide licensing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Union Membership Dues: IBEW Local 98 generates revenue through membership dues paid by its 5,000+ members. Members pay dues for union representation, collective bargaining services, training programs, and access to member benefits including health insurance coordination, job placement, and legal assistance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IBEW Local Union 98 is a labor union local chapter that represents electrical workers across Philadelphia and surrounding suburban counties, providing collective bargaining, worker representation, and advocacy. Its core offerings include union membership with negotiated wages and benefits, the ATEI 98 apprenticeship training program for electrical, sound, and communications technicians, and member assistance programs covering job placement, health benefits coordination, safety/OSHA training, and substance abuse/behavioral health support.

Product overview

IBEW Local 98 is a labor union for electrical workers in Philadelphia and surrounding counties. The organization provides union membership and collective bargaining representation as its core offering, supplemented by ATEI 98 apprenticeship training programs for electrical, sound, and communications work. Member benefits include a member portal, online dues payment, substance abuse and behavioral health assistance, and various member assistance programs. The union also advocates for worker rights through political engagement and legislative efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IBEW Local 98 Union Membership Labor union membership for electrical workers in Philadelphia and surrounding counties, offering collective bargaining, worker representation, and advocacy services.
• ATEI 98 Electrical Apprenticeship Training Comprehensive electrical apprenticeship training program providing education for apprentices and continuing education for journeymen electricians and technicians.
• Sound and Communications Apprenticeship Training

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 members lost to opioid abuse in 2017 - union responded by limiting opioid prescriptions and pursuing class-action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans MemorialminorOthers · 29 February 2024IBEW Local 98 is leading a fundraising effort to help repair the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at 108 Spruce Street near Penn's Landing after it was vandalized in August. The union offered to cover labor costs and is assisting with material fundraising.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• IBEW Local 103 (Boston): Major IBEW local covering the Boston metro area, providing collective bargaining, apprenticeship training through its JATC, and member benefits. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and revenue model (dues + training) to Local 98.
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 (Philadelphia): Philadelphia-area building trades union covering sheet metal workers. Directly comparable as a fellow Philadelphia-based trade union offering collective bargaining, apprenticeship training, and member benefits in the same regional construction market.
• IBEW Local 26 (Washington, D.C.): Large mid-Atlantic IBEW local representing inside wiremen, sound & comm technicians, and other electrical workers in the D.C. metro. Operates an apprenticeship program analogous to ATEI 98 and similar collective bargaining footprint.
• Operating Engineers Local 542: Mid-Atlantic local of the International Union of Operating Engineers representing heavy equipment operators. Operates in the same Philadelphia/surrounding-county construction jurisdiction as Local 98 and partners on major regional building-trades projects.
• Plumbers Union Local 690 (Philadelphia): Philadelphia plumbers' union local covering the same metropolitan construction market. Comparable in structure (membership dues, apprenticeship program, collective bargaining, political advocacy) and operates in close partnership with Local 98 on Philadelphia building-trades projects.
• IBEW Local 47 (Los Angeles): One of the largest IBEW local unions in the U.S., representing electrical workers in the Southern California market. Directly comparable as a peer IBEW local with similar collective bargaining, apprenticeship (NLMCC), and member-benefit structure.

Others

• Philadelphia Building Trades Council: The umbrella council of Philadelphia-area building-trades unions, of which Local 98 is a member. Directly relevant as the coordinating body for multi-trade project labor agreements that Local 98 participates in.
• AFL-CIO (Philadelphia Central Labor Council): The Philadelphia regional AFL-CIO body coordinating affiliated unions including IBEW Local 98. Relevant as the larger labor federation under which Local 98 conducts broader political and community advocacy.
• National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA): The counterpart trade association representing union electrical contractors that hire IBEW members. Highly relevant as the demand-side counterpart to Local 98's labor supply and a partner in the prevailing-wage/JATC ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) National: The parent international union to which Local 98 belongs. Provides national standards, collective bargaining frameworks, and political coordination that Local 98 operates within — comparable as the overarching organization.

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ibew98
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ibew98
• Instagraminstagram.com/ibew98
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibew-local-union-98

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Union 98