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WECA — Western Electrical Contractors Association

About WECA · History

Ninety-five years of keeping the lights on

Founded April 9, 1929. Renamed, rebuilt, and battle-tested since.

  1. 1929 · The beginning

    Established as the Electrical Contractors and Dealer Association of Sacramento on April 9, 1929, affiliated with the Association of Electragists International (later NECA).

  2. 1937 · Incorporation

    The association incorporates; founding names on the Articles include Rex Moore, E.L. French, George C. Foss, J.D. O'Connor, C.E. Vorlander, Sam Bissett, and C.S. Donley. W.H. "Bill" Welch serves as first manager for nearly 30 years.

  3. 1946 · Sacramento Valley Chapter, NECA

    Chartered as the Sacramento Valley Chapter of NECA. Kenneth W. Carlson manages the association from 1961 to 1990, securing its place in the industry.

  4. 1979-1990 · The merit shop fight

    When most of the chapter's C-10 members went non-union, NECA threatened its charter. Through strikes, lawsuits, and years of pressure, members like Rex Moore, Royal Electric, Slater Electric, and Carlson Electric refused to back down. Slater's Edward J. Miltner — who resisted until his business went bankrupt — was honored for decades through the WECA Man of the Year Award.

  5. 1990 · WECA is born

    With the NECA charter revoked, the membership votes to become the Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc. — and begins building a state-approved apprenticeship program with insurance and pension benefits for its apprentices.

  6. 1992-2005 · Training takes off

    Commercial apprenticeship standards approved in 1992, Residential in 1998, and Voice-Data-Video in 2005. In 1997 WECA joins the IEC as its Sacramento chapter and formalizes its Government Affairs program — becoming the only statewide merit shop electrical voice in California.

  7. Today · Three states and counting

    Training facilities across California, a Phoenix-based Arizona apprenticeship, a Salt Lake City Region program in Utah, official DOL Apprenticeship Ambassador status — and the same merit shop conviction it started with.

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