(PHOENIX, ARIZONA) - Organizing is often described as a marathon.

It takes time to build relationships and establish trust.

For Phoenix International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 640, that long effort has come to fruition and the Local's rolls are swelling.

"This is the culmination of a lot of things that we've been trying for a long time," said Dean Wine, IBEW Local 640 Business Manager and International Executive member. "It's like dominoes falling into place."

In 2015, Local 640 had fewer than 1,500 members.

By January of this year, that number had more than doubled to 3,600 - and it's still growing, with much work filled by Travelers.

As for how Local 640 made it happen, Wine said there was no magic bullet.

It wasn't one campaign or one person.

It was the result of a concerted group effort, from the leadership down to the Members, and a willingness to try new things - alongside a booming job market.

Business in Arizona really started to open up in 2019, said Wine, with data centers and chip factories popping up all over, as well as facilities like hospitals.

There's so much going on in Tech, said IBEW Organizer Kevin Maher, that Phoenix is now being called The Silicon Desert.

"We have more work than we can shake a stick at," Maher said.

Arizona was fortunate in that few jobs were lost during the worst of the Coronavirus Pandemic and the economy has quickly surged since.

And legislation like the CHIPS and Science Act, which promises Federal dollars for domestic manufacturing of semiconductors, has helped as well.

In fact, said Maher, one project went from having a price tag of $12 billion to $40 billion.

So it's no surprise Local 640 has been bringing in a lot of travelers to help meet the demand.

"We've been employing around (900) Travelers," Wine said. "There's work all over."

With so much going on, Local 640 has been trying everything it can to fill the jobs.

There's the tried-and-true tactics of attending job fairs, doing organizing blitzes, going out to area schools and running ads, which have all played an important role.

But they've also engaged in some out-of-the-box thinking and are doing things like offering bonuses to any Member who brings in a Non-Union Worker who stays for at least 90 days.

"It's been pretty popular," Wine said. "It's brought in close to (100) guys so far."

And when that Worker comes over, their friends are more likely to follow.

More dominoes falling into place.

"We now have the ability to strip entire crews and place them with a contractor," Maher said. "And these are guys who know each other already and have been working together.  It's a ‘win-win’ for everybody."

The Local is also making it easier to become a Member and start getting benefits.

To Continue Reading This Organizing Labor News Story, Go To: Long Organizing Push Pays Off for Fast‑Growing Arizona Local (ibew.org)