Fourth District International Vice President Austin Keyser joins President Cooper and Secretary-Treasurer Noble to discuss IBEW's record-breaking membership growth in 2024-25. Keyser explains how his district led the way with innovative organizing strategies and intensive efforts that drove unprecedented expansion across the union.

IBEW International President Kenneth W. Cooper honors military veterans in union ranks by sending challenge coins to every IBEW veteran. Cooper highlights union's heavy investment in veteran outreach including hiring an international representative for veterans' affairs, expanding Veterans Electrical Entry Program, and supporting 70+ local Veterans Committees. He urges locals to recruit more servicemembers, noting veterans bring loyalty, pride and teamwork that enrich IBEW jobsites and strengthen organizing efforts.

IBEW Local 280 is opening a new 7,200-square-foot union hall and training center in Redmond, Oregon in January to accommodate growth driven by data center construction. The union has grown to 500 members, fueled by work on Facebook and Apple data center campuses in Prineville, with journeyman electricians earning $57.65 per hour. The electrician field in Central Oregon has grown 22.1% over the past decade. Source: redmondspokesman.com

As COP30 approaches, challenging questions loom about climate finance delivery, adaptation funding, and whether countries can bridge the widening gap between current emissions trajectories and climate targets. Experts warn that without decisive action on financing mechanisms and accountability frameworks, vulnerable nations will continue bearing disproportionate climate impacts while lacking resources for resilience. Source: ft.com

COP30 in Belem, Brazil marks the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement with critical discussions on climate finance, deforestation, and closing the gap between countries' pledges and the 1.5C warming target. Key issues include scaling climate financing from $300 billion to $1.3 trillion annually by 2035, protecting tropical forests through Brazil's proposed $125 billion fund, and addressing the urgent need for ambitious national climate plans. Source: france24.com