Our History

The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local Union #271 has a long history in Wichita, Kansas. We were chartered on April 10, 1914 and have been at our location at 1040 S. Broadway since 1946.

For over 108 years, we currently represent more than 900 construction electricians, maintenance electricians and teledata workers. In 1918, Shelley Electric and Southwestern Electric became the first two electrical contractors to sign with us, and they are still signatory today. In 1954, the Boeing maintenance electricians voted to be represented by the IBEW #271 and still remained with us after Boeing was sold to Spirit Aerospace. Today, we cover 30 signatory electrical contractors.

While the electrical industry is rapidly changing, we have remained committed to our roots— organizing all workers in the electrical industry and raising the standard of living for all electricians.