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Official public sources checked September 6, 2026

IBEW Local 400 · phone-friendly

Shop Steward Quick Reference

Use this when a member needs help on the job. Check the rule, protect the member’s privacy, and call Local 400 when you need Union direction.

Call Local 400: (732) 681-7111 First day Pay & overtime

Start here: know these words

CBA
Collective Bargaining Agreement: the main union labor contract.
PLA
Project Labor Agreement: a job-specific labor contract for one project.
OSHA
Occupational Safety and Health Administration: the federal workplace-safety agency.
NLRB
National Labor Relations Board: the federal agency for private-sector labor rights.
SDS
Safety Data Sheet: chemical hazards, safe handling and first-aid information.
Grievance
A formal claim that the labor agreement was violated.
Weingarten rights
A worker’s right to request Union representation during qualifying questioning that could lead to discipline.
Journeyman Wireman
The CBA’s name for a journey-level electrician.

Your Business Agent

Monmouth County

Robert “Rob” Baumgartner

Business Agent for Monmouth County.

Ocean County

Michael “Mike” Ricca

Business Agent for Ocean County.

Call Local 400 at (732) 681-7111 to reach your county Business Agent. Local 400 officers and representatives.

Contract summaries are quick references. Get the signed CBA, any project PLA or addenda (official changes), and the Local-approved grievance process from Local 400.

1. Your job as steward

The Union appoints the steward. Your main contract duty is to help see that the agreement is followed while you continue your regular Journeyman Wireman work.

CBA section 2.12

Time and protection

You get sufficient time during regular working hours for steward duties. The employer may not discriminate against you for faithfully doing those duties.

CBA section 2.12

Overtime

The employer must distribute overtime as equally as possible among Journeymen on the job. You get at least two hours’ notice of scheduled overtime and must be consulted on every overtime assignment.

CBA section 2.15

Employee tool inspections

An employer inspection of an employee’s required tools is to happen in your presence. The employer supplies other necessary tools and equipment.

CBA section 2.12

Kept on the appointed job

You are kept on that job until no more than two Journeymen remain, unless the Local 400 Business Manager decides otherwise.

2. First day: get the right information

Get from Local 400
  • Your appointment and assigned Business Agent.
  • The signed CBA for that type of work and member.
  • Any project PLA or official changes.
  • Current wage rates and special pay rates.
  • The approved grievance form, process, recipient and deadlines.
Locate on the job
  • Foreman and site-safety contact.
  • Emergency route, alarms and meeting point.
  • First aid and how to report an injury.
  • Safety Data Sheets for jobsite chemicals.
  • Normal schedule and overtime notice method.

No invented packet: the checked CBA does not say the contractor must hand the steward these documents. Ask Local 400 for Union documents. Ask the contractor or site foreman where to find jobsite safety information.

What the checked CBA does require from the employer

Tools and storage

Necessary tools beyond the employee list, plus lockable tool storage. CBA sections 2.15 and 3.12.

Basic jobsite items

Drinking water and cups; where practical, a heated place to eat and change. CBA section 3.12.

Safety items

Helmets, a first-aid kit and rain gear, plus locks and warning tags for temporary power. CBA sections 3.13 and 11.

3. Pay, hours & overtime

Current Local 400 Inside Agreement: May 29, 2023–May 30, 2027. A PLA or signed change may differ.

CBA section 3.01(a)

What is the regular workweek?

The 40-hour week is Monday–Friday. A day is eight hours between 7:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; lunch is noon–12:30 p.m.

CBA section 3.02(a)

When is time-and-a-half (1½×)?

Work outside regularly scheduled hours and all Saturday work.

CBA section 3.02(a)

When is double time (2×)?

Sunday and these holidays: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Presidential Election Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. A Saturday holiday is observed Friday; a Sunday holiday is observed Monday. Labor Day work requires an emergency and Business Manager permission.

CBA sections 3.01(c) and 3.03(b)

Is anything after 10 hours automatically double time?

No. After any 10 hours worked, there is a 30-minute paid break. On approved four-10s, hours over 10 Monday–Thursday are 1½×, not 2×.

CBA section 3.01(c)

Can the contractor simply start four 10s?

No. Only with employer and Union consent. Four-10s run Monday–Thursday, 7:00 a.m.–6:30 p.m., with a 30-minute lunch. Hours over 10 and all Friday/Saturday work are 1½×.

CBA sections 3.02 and 3.08(d)

Does holiday double time mean a paid day off?

Not by itself. Double time applies to hours worked. Separate paid-holiday language covers foreman classifications. Check the project PLA.

Show-up, call-back, payday and layoff rules
  • Show-up: Directed to report but unable to start because of weather, materials or another cause beyond the worker’s control: two hours’ pay unless notified before start time. Starting then being stopped for those reasons also pays two hours. Work after 12:30 p.m. pays a full day unless the worker leaves voluntarily.
  • Call-back: After going home: at least four hours at the proper overtime rate, including weekends and holidays.
  • Payday: Weekly, no later than quitting time Wednesday; Thursday when a holiday falls Tuesday or Wednesday. The pay stub must list all deductions and contributions.
  • Layoff: All wages are due immediately, with a half-hour notice and paid gathering time. Lack of work pays a full day. Reporting without prior-day notice generally pays at least four hours. Call the Business Agent if the notice or pay is wrong.

CBA sections 2.12, 3.01–3.04, 3.08 and 3.09. Confirm the signed agreement, wage sheet and project PLA with your Business Agent before asserting a violation.

4. When a member needs help

Listen, keep the facts private, check the CBA and PLA, and call the Business Agent promptly. Use only the form and process Local 400 approves.

Possible discipline

The worker should request a Union representative

Simple request: “I believe this meeting could lead to discipline. I request Union representation.”

Weingarten rights apply to a union-represented worker in qualifying investigatory questioning the worker reasonably believes could lead to discipline. The worker must request representation.

Open the official NLRB request card

Contract or grievance

Call the Business Agent now

Check which CBA, PLA or official change controls. Follow Local 400’s approved grievance process and deadline.

The CBA’s 48-hour rule applies to what authorized representatives do with an unresolved dispute. It is not written as a member’s filing deadline.

Pay, rate or overtime

Confirm the rate and the rule

Use Local 400’s wage-rate request and check the project PLA. For scheduled overtime, remember the steward notice and consultation rights in CBA section 2.12.

Request current wage rates

Hazard or injury

Emergency first; then report

For immediate danger, call 911 and follow the site emergency plan. Notify Local 400. OSHA and New Jersey workers’ compensation are separate government routes, listed below.

Tools or staffing

Use the exact agreement language

Be present for an employee tool inspection. Check the CBA and project PLA before asserting a staffing, crew-size or assignment rule.

Harassment or retaliation

Keep details private and call the hall

Do not post names, medical information, discipline, testing details or case facts in Discord. Ask the Business Agent which Union and government route applies.

5. Workplace safety

The checked CBA makes the employer responsible for jobsite safety. A steward should raise hazards and help members reach the right Union or government resource without taking over the employer’s safety job.

CBA section 11

Quick contract checks

  • Employer-furnished helmets, first-aid kit and rain gear.
  • At least two Journeymen for energized circuits or equipment at 440 volts or higher.
  • For energized manholes at 600 volts or higher: two Journeymen, a safety person above, and gas testing and pumping.
  • Employer-furnished locks and warning tags for temporary-power lockout/tagout—keeping power from being turned on unexpectedly.
Official OSHA help

Know the difference

Workers can report hazards and contact OSHA. Refusing dangerous work has a strict legal test; this page does not give blanket stop-work authority.

OSHA worker rights

OSHA: refusing dangerous work

6. Official tools and forms

These resources already exist. Government forms are separate from Local 400’s grievance process.

IBEW

Steward training

Basic and advanced steward training from the International union.

IBEW Education
OSHA

Safety rights

Hazard reporting, inspections, injury records and retaliation protection.

OSHA worker rights
Open the CBA section 2.15 employee tool list

The checked agreement says Journeymen report with these tools, and these tools only, in A-1 condition. The employer supplies every other necessary tool or equipment. Confirm the list against the signed agreement and any project PLA.

  • Latest Code Book
  • 3/8-inch drive socket set, 3/8 to 3/4 inch
  • Screwdrivers: 4, 6, 8 and 10 inch
  • 6-inch diagonal cutting pliers
  • 1/4 to 3/4-inch box wrenches
  • 6-inch Phillips screwdriver
  • 8 or 9-inch side-cutting pliers
  • 1 to 3-inch chain wrench
  • Plumb bob
  • Two pairs of channel-lock pliers
  • Electrician’s knife
  • 1/2-inch wood chisel
  • Long-nose pliers
  • 6-foot rule or 25-foot steel tape
  • Hacksaw frame
  • 1/2 to 1-1/4-inch pipe reamer
  • Awl / center punch
  • Wire strippers
  • Small and large Allen-wrench sets
  • Claw hammer
  • Adjustable square
  • Tap handles up to 1/4 inch
  • Compass-saw handle only
  • Tool carrier
  • 9-inch pouch-type small level
  • Flashlight / continuity tester
  • 10-inch crescent wrench
  • Roto-Split frame only
  • Pencil and keel
  • 600-volt tester

All pliers are to have insulated handles.

More official government help — not Local 400 forms

Call Local 400 before filing in the Union’s name or on a member’s behalf. Agency deadlines may apply.