User:Gormanmw/iec

The Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. (IEC) is a national trade association for electrical and systems contractors. The association focuses its attention and efforts on the nonunionized electrical industry workforce through educational programs, publications, advertising, and political lobbying. Like many other building trade associations [the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), it adheres to the merit shop philosophy of business and contract bidding.

History
IEC was founded on October 19, 1957 in Dallas, Texas. Originally named the Associated Independent Electrical Contractors of America (AIECA), the association had seven charter chapters of regional electrical and systems contractors:

-	Independent Electrical Contractors Association of Fort Worth

-	United Electrical Contractors Association – Dallas

-	Alamo City Electrical Contractors Association – San Antonio

-	Master Electricians Association of Texas – Houston

-	Independent Electrical Contractors Association of Oklahoma City

-	Independent Electrical Contractors Association of Tulsa

-	Association of Independent Electrical Contractors of New Orleans

The association became legally incorporated in 1962, but the process of building a truly national association was not a speedy one. In 1972, the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training approved the AIECA’s newly formulated National Standards of Apprenticeship and Training for Electricians. While this was a significant step for the association’s education programs, in most respects the 60s and 70s were a time of only modest growth.

The 80s saw the true arrival of AIECA onto the national scene. In 1980, AIECA shortened its name and became the Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc. or IEC. The national office was also moved from Arlington, Texas to Alexandria, Virginia. These changes affected a positive reaction, and by 1982, IEC had joined its voice with those of other trade associations and began actively lobbying for the electrical and construction industries in Washington, DC. In particular, the association argued for the replacement of the expiring Comprehensive Employment and Training Act of 1973 with the Job Training Partnership Act of 1982.

IEC continued to grow into the 90s, and in 1996, the IEC Foundation (IECF) was established to assume much of the association’s education and apprenticeship program funding. The express purpose of the IECF was to provide monetary resources and equipment to IEC Training Centers across the country, ensuring that well-qualified workers met the expanding demands of the industry. Most recently, the IECF established an endowment fund that will ensure a permanent source of assistance to fund career training in the electrical industry.

Faced with the ever-increasing pace of change in the political and technological climates, IEC –along with many other building trade associations – has continued to lobby for legislation and products that will positively affect both their members and the electrical and construction industries at large.

Structure and Organization
IEC is a non-profit organization that was officially incorporated by the State of Texas in 1962 (charter no. 182341). IEC is comprised of 67 independent chapters that are banded together under the general purview of the national office. Chapter members are located in all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands while the national office is located in Alexandria, Virginia.