Service + Solidarity Spotlight: IBEW Members Integral to Production and Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

Almost one year after the first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in North America, vaccines from Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna are on the verge of becoming widely available. And while members of the Electrical Workers (IBEW) are not the scientists creating those vaccines, they have been nearly as integral to the discovery, production and distribution process as any biochemist or virologist on the planet. “Without a doubt, the vaccine that will end this scourge has and will be brought to you by the skilled craft unions. They are every bit as important as the person working at the lab bench they built,” said Tim Dickson, executive director of the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association. For instance, IBEW members have built most, if not all, of the major pharmaceutical and biotech research facilities in the United States. Click here to read more.