New York City Central Labor Council

10/04/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 10/04/2024 09:34

Electrical Workers Without Borders Join “Light Up Navajo” Volunteer Project

Electrical Workers Without Borders North America (EWWBNA) is a volunteer-driven non-profit organization supported by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). It was officially established by a resolution at the IBEW's 39th International Convention in 2016 at the urging of the late Edwin D. Hill (IBEW International President 2001-2015), who sought to combine already existing volunteer programs associated with local unions and union members.

EWWBNA's most recent volunteer project is part of "Light Up Navajo," which is bringing electricity to thousands of homes and families living in the Navajo Nation on the borders between Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. About a third of Navajo households, as many as 15,000 families, have to survive increasing temperatures without connections to the electrical grid. That is changing with the help of volunteers from the IBEW and EWWBNA under the direction of the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA). Union electricians, including members of Local 3, IBEW, are already volunteering on the project during the fall season and will resume in the spring. Over the past decade, Local 3 and IBEW members have volunteered on similar projects with EWWBNA and their European counterparts in Africa, South America, and the West Indies.

It is Electrical Workers Without Borders' belief that "all the world can and should have access to electricity when needed." If you can, please consider volunteering and/or making a donation to support their mission in the United States and around the world.