Why Telecommunications Workers Should Unionize with IBEW Local 342

Your Work Keeps the World Connected

Telecommunications workers are essential. Every day, you’re building and maintaining the infrastructure that keeps families, businesses, schools, and emergency services connected. Whether you’re pulling fiber, climbing poles, splicing cable, installing or troubleshooting complex systems, the work you do powers our digital world.

But far too often, the people doing this vital work don’t get the respect or protection they deserve. Wages may fall behind industry standards. Safety concerns can be ignored. Scheduling is unpredictable. And decisions about your job are made without your input. That’s why now is the time to organize with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 342.

A Union With Over 130 Years of Strength

Founded in 1891, the IBEW was created by electrical workers who were tired of risking their lives for low pay and zero rights. Since then, it has grown into one of the most powerful and respected labor unions in North America—representing electricians, linemen, utility workers, and telecom professionals who demanded more.

IBEW Local 342 was chartered in 1987 and continues that tradition in Greensoro, Winston-Salem, High Point and the surrounding Central Piedmont region. The local union, while being an inside/outside construction local, values and commends telecommunications workers. We know the value of your work—and we are ready to help you and your coworkers build a union where you are. You can form a unit with IBEW Local 342 by forming an organizing committee with your union-driven coworkers and build support with the help of a union organizer.

What Happens When You Organize?

When you form a union with IBEW Local 342, you and your coworkers join together to negotiate a legally binding contract. That contract gives you the power to:

• Win better wages that reflect your skills and experience

• Secure healthcare and retirement benefits you can count on

• Establish clear safety standards and enforce them

• Gain job security and protection from unfair discipline or layoffs

• Have a real voice on the job in the decisions that affect your life

IBEW 342 provides the tools to make that happen—trained union organizers, legal support, experienced negotiators, and the backing of more than 188,000 IBEW members across the country.

It’s About More Than a Paycheck

Unionizing is about more than just dollars and cents. It’s about dignity, fairness, and respect. It’s about having a say in your working conditions and being treated like a skilled professional—not a replaceable part. When you organize, you stop going it alone. You stand with your coworkers and gain the collective power to make real, lasting change.

Ready to Learn More?

If you’re a telecom worker in one of the 17 counties in the Central Piedmont region of North Carolina, and you’re ready to take the first step, IBEW Local 342 is here for you. We’ll help you build support, answer your questions, and guide you through the process from start to finish—confidentially and professionally.

Reach out to the P&I (Professional and Industrial) Organizer today:

Julian McDaniel - (743) 643-5128 or Julian@ibew342.org

You deserve better. Together, we can win it.