IBEW Local 494 is taking legal action to ensure the enforcement of an arbitration award against a company accused of violating a collective bargaining agreement. On January 26, 2026, IBEW Local 494 filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against Veterans Electric, LLC. The union seeks to confirm and enforce an arbitration award related to a grievance concerning employee termination.
The case stems from a grievance filed by IBEW Local 494 on July 12, 2021, alleging that Veterans Electric violated their collective bargaining agreement by furloughing and subsequently terminating a bargaining unit member while retaining other employees. This grievance was initially unresolved between the parties and was escalated to a Labor-Management Committee as outlined in their agreement. According to the complaint, both parties presented their cases during a meeting held on June 13, 2025. The Union’s representatives, John Jacobs and Nick Campbell, alongside Veterans Electric’s representative Scott Flaugher, were present at this meeting.
The Labor-Management Committee, composed of three representatives each from the Union and Employers’ Association, deliberated over the evidence presented. Ultimately, they reached a unanimous decision in favor of IBEW Local 494 with a vote of six to zero. The committee awarded $1,024.64 in wages to the affected employee as part of the settlement requested by the Union.
Despite receiving written notice of this decision via email on July 17, 2025, Veterans Electric responded stating that they would not comply with the settlement ordered by the committee. As per court documents attached as Exhibit F, this refusal prompted IBEW Local 494 to seek judicial intervention for enforcement.
In its filing with the court, IBEW Local 494 requests several forms of relief: confirmation and enforcement of the Labor Management Committee’s decision; an order compelling Veterans Electric to comply with said decision and remit payment; coverage for reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs incurred during this legal action; and any additional relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing IBEW Local 494 is attorney Jill M. Hartley from The Previant Law Firm S.C., based in Milwaukee. The case has been assigned Case No. 26-CV-123.
Source: 226cv00123_IBEW_Local_494_v_Veterans_Electric_LLC_Complaint_Eastern_District_Wisconsin.pdf
