An Uplifting Connection With Union Labor

No other organization in St. Louis, and few in the country, enjoys the same record as Habitat for Humanity for matching needy families with stable, affordable, high-quality housing, and that record would not have been possible without the support of the unionized electrical construction industry.

Out of 1600 affiliates of Habitat for Humanity nationwide, Habitat for Humanity St. Louis builds more houses every year than all except for 31 other affiliates - 25 houses last year and more than 230 in all. The local affiliate stands out for other reasons, as well. Unlike other affiliates, it builds houses with full basements instead of on a slab. Last year, Habitat for Humanity St. Louis began putting the utilities to its houses underground, and starting this year its new houses all will be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Kyle Hunsberger, director of construction for Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, said the local affiliate's goals and record of accomplishments would not be so impressive were it not for the support of the Electrical Connection, which is a cooperative partnership of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local One and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association.

For the last two years, the Electrical Connection's donations of labor and materials have placed it in Habitat for Humanity's largest category of sponsors, Neighborhood Sponsors. Last year, the Electrical Connection wired a record 25 Habitat homes - using nearly 20 miles of wiring - which represented a $125,000 donation in materials and services.

It all started in 2002 when Mills Mall sponsored the construction of a house inside the mall. The house later was moved to a site in Hillsdale, MO. Habitat for Humanity St. Louis had worked with different electrical contractors on different houses, but had never established a relationship with the electrician's union until Bathe Electric's Martin Bathe told Hunsberger that he should talk to Matt Lampe at the IBEW. "Lampe organized electricians from a few different companies to rough in the electrical work while the house was at the mall, and when it was moved and set into its final location they came out and finished up the work," Hunsberger said.

The relationship between Habitat and the Electrical Connection leaped forward in 2004 when the Electrical Connection wired all of Habitat's houses in Hillsdale for free and worked alongside Habitat volunteers in a blitz build in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood of St. Louis.

"That is really what sealed the deal," Hunsberger said. "They became another part of the Habitat puzzle. From that point on they committed to taking on each project of ours. In 2006 we were back in the Jeff-Vander-Lou neighborhood with 20 homes; and in 2007 we did 25 homes in Mark Twain neighborhood, which is the first year we went with underground services, Ameren donated the conduit and the IBEW worked with us to put all services underground. They are committed to providing us with underground services, rough in, and with setting fixtures," he said.

Every year since 2004, the Electrical Connection has mobilized an army of 150 to 300 IBEW Local 1 electricians and union electrical contractors to safely wire homes to advance Habitat for Humanity Saint Louis' mission of providing homes for the disadvantaged.  The total investment of donated time and materials now stands in excess of $500,000 and has provided for safely wiring in over 140 homes. Since that first house in Mills Mall in 2002, over 850 union electricians and electrical contractors have donated time on weekends and evenings help Habitat for Humanity St. Louis fulfill its mission of eliminating poverty housing and homelessness.

This year, the Electrical Connection has committed to provide the electrical work to help Habitat for Humanity St. Louis reach its goal of building 27 homes in St. Louis. The organization is hoping to gradually build its capacity until it is able to build 50 homes a year starting in 2015.

"They are one of our largest sponsors and they have been wonderful to work with," said Kimberly McKinney, chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity St. Louis. "When you can have a partnership with union labor and contractors, it just makes sense," she added.

An ancillary benefit of the partnership is that Habitat "can focus on other areas," Hunsberger said. "It helps us on our fundraising knowing that the Electrical Connection is going to come in at $100,000-plus every year to take care of the electrical work. That allows us to build more houses and to add other things, like LEED certification," he said.

The benefits of the partnership to the families that will own the homes also are very real. Not only to they get safe wiring; not only does the donation of the electrical installation lower the purchase price for the family; but, "the Electrical Connection gives an additional five year labor warranty on all their projects on top of the contractor's one year warranty," Hunsberger said. "That is an added incentive that we weren't counting on."

Columns