IBEW Local 342

Chartered in 1987, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

IBEW Local 342 was officially chartered in 1987 to serve electrical workers across the North Carolina Central Piedmont Region — including Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point. From its founding the local’s mission has been straightforward: organize, train, and represent skilled electrical workers so they can secure safe jobs, fair wages, and professional careers. 

The charter in 1987 marked the beginning of a locally led effort to bring the resources of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers to the Central Piedmont region. Local 342 quickly focused on building relationships with area contractors and community partners while establishing internal structures to support members — from collective bargaining to member services, to new organizing campaigns in the Professional and Industrial (P&I) world and establishing a reputation for skilled labor in North Carolina, a state that has fought vigorously against organized labor.

Training has been a cornerstone of Local 342’s growth. From the start, the local invested in apprenticeship and journeyman upgrade programs through its Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee (JATC), following the IBEW’s national model of “earn-while-you-learn” hands-on training. That emphasis on formal apprenticeship and continuing education has ensured Local 342 members are among the most skilled and code-knowledgeable electricians available to contractors in the region.

Over the decades since 1987, Local 342 has grown into a community institution — filling calls for manpower across construction in the Triad, supporting apprentices, leading new, external organizing campaigns and participating in local labor and civic events. The charter’s legacy is tangible: a regional union hall, an active JATC that graduates trained electricians, and a membership committed to workplace safety, professionalism, and community service.