How union electricians travel: Book 1 vs Book 2

Book 1 is the referral list for journeymen who qualify in that local, usually by living and working in its area. Book 2 is for journeymen who meet the same trade bar but not the local area bar, which is mostly travelers. Calls go to Book 1 first, then Book 2. To sign Book 2 you bring a travel letter from your home local, a current dues receipt and ID.

Every local writes its own referral rules. What follows comes from the published rules of three locals, so treat it as how it usually works and call the local you're headed to before you load the truck.

01Book 1 vs Book 2

The books are the local's referral lists, officially the out-of-work list. Each one is a priority group, and the dispatcher fills calls from the top group down.

A plain-language version from a 2006 thread on the ECN forum: Book 1 is the book "for journeyman members of the local," Book 2 is "usually for those that are not members of the local (usually traveling brothers)," and "work is dispatched Book 1 first and if the call is not filled, then people from Book 2 are dispatched" (ECN forum).

The real test is in each local's rules. Here's how IBEW Local 48 (Portland, Oregon area) defines its inside groups in its hiring hall rules, revised Aug. 1, 2024:

Local 48 counts "one year" as 1,500 hours. Its rules also say "No Individual will qualify for Book I in Local 48 if they are registered on Book I in another Local." Your Book 1 stays at home. On the road, you're Book 2.

That's why traveling works best when a local has more calls than its own hands. When Book 1 is short, calls drop to Book 2, and travelers go to work.

02What to bring before you leave

You need your travel letter, your dues paid up, and ID. Some locals want more. Here's what three locals ask for, from their own pages:

Sources: Local 11 travelers page, Local 26 travelers page, Local 48 tips for traveling.

Details that trip people up:

• Local 26 wants it all at once. Its page says "All documents must be submitted at the same time (in one email or upload)," and you aren't registered until everything is in.
• Local 11 checks state certification at dispatch. "You do not need California General Cert to sign our Book 2, but you are required to provide your general cert card at the time of dispatch." Its page also says "Local 11 is 100% state certified."
• Your license matters even on the books. A union traveler still needs whatever card the state or city requires. Electrician license reciprocity by state covers which cards carry over and which states make you test.

Local 11 will also take your travel letter and dues receipt by email or fax from your home local, and holds them for two weeks.

03Where the calls are

Look at the job calls before you go. Many locals post open calls online, and some show them without a login. Local 11 posts its calls at its online dispatch page and says "You do not need to log in to view our available jobs." Local 26 posts daily inside wireman calls on its site.

Local 48's travel tips point to two places to see which locals need help: the IBEW jobs board and a site called where2bro.com. A local with calls going unfilled for days is a local where Book 2 is moving.

Data center and big industrial work is where a lot of travelers are going right now. What data center electrician work is like covers the hours and how long the phases run.

04Signing and re-signing

Each local sets its own sign-in times and re-sign rules, and missing one drops you off the list. These are three real examples:

Local 26 is blunt about the window: "If you sign in outside of this time frame, your entry will be deleted." Local 11 says if you miss the 8 am day book, "we will NOT be able to dispatch you."

05How dispatch works

Calls go out in list order, top group first. Within a book, you go by your place on the list. Local 26's rules, for example, offer each call to the lowest registration number in the zone first. Then the rules on turning calls down and short calls decide whether you keep your spot.

Turning calls down. Local 11 gives a strike to anyone in the first 100 on the inside books who passes a strikeable call, and the third strike takes you off that book. Its rules say this applies to Inside Wireman Book 1 only. Swing and graveyard calls, special-skill calls and emergency calls don't count as strikes. At Local 26, anyone in the top 25 can turn down all calls on two separate days. A turn-down on a third day takes you off the list.

Short calls. If a job ends fast through no fault of yours, many locals put you back where you were. Local 11 restores you if you worked "a cumulative total of 120 hours or less (not to include Overtime Hours)" and were laid off in a reduction in force, as long as you report by the end of the next dispatch day with your termination slip and check stubs. Local 26's rules restore you if you get less than 40 hours or one week of work, as long as you notify the hall within 3 working days.

Foremen. At Local 11, a contractor can ask for a foreman or general foreman by name, in writing, only if that hand is on Group I. Local 48's tips say plainly: "As a traveler, it is disrespectful to accept a foreman position if local members are willing."

Read the full rules for any local before you sign. Local 26 posts its referral rules, effective July 11, 2021, and Local 11 posts its dispatch procedures.

06The unwritten rules on the road

The written rules get you dispatched. The unwritten ones get you called back. Local 48's tips for traveling are a good short list:

• "Do not double book (keeping your name on Book 2 in other Locals while working)."
• "Only sign Book 1 in your home local."
• "Read the agreement you will be working under to avoid issues."
• "Make friends with local hands, they can assist in guiding you."
• "When layoffs start, local hands should stay on the job."

That last one is worth planning around. Travelers are usually first out when a job winds down. Know the phase you're walking into, and keep an eye on the next call before this one ends.

07What a traveler's check looks like

You work under the agreement of the local you're dispatched to, so your rate is their rate. That can be a big change. IBEW Local 46 in the Seattle area lists a journey-level inside wage of $77.93 effective Aug. 3, 2026 (Local 46 wage sheet). IBEW Local 48 lists $65.50 gross for a commercial and industrial journey-level electrician for 2026 (Local 48 wage page).

Two things to sort out before you go:

1. Benefits. Local 48's tips say to "learn about reciprocity to keep track of your pension and benefits." Ask your home local how your pension and health contributions follow you.
2. Costs. Don't assume per diem. Unless the agreement or the contractor pays subsistence, your room and food come out of the check. Run the whole-check math on travel vs local with the local's rate and hours.

To compare a local's package line by line, how to read a union wage sheet breaks down the wage, fringes and dues. And if you're weighing union travel against open-shop travel, union vs non-union electrician pay puts them side by side with respect for both.

08Call the local first

Rules differ by local and change over time. Before you go, call the dispatch office and ask:

1. Is Book 2 moving, and how far down is the last dispatch?
2. What papers do you need, and can my home local send them ahead?
3. When do I sign the day book, and when do I re-sign?
4. What's the short-call rule, and what counts as a turn-down?
5. What state or city card do I need at dispatch?

Run your Pay Check to see what electricians with your license make near you, and what a move could be worth. Takes about a minute and your boss never hears about it.

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