IBEW Local 98

IBEW Local 98 is the Philadelphia local of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, representing electricians in the city and surrounding counties. It has long been among the most politically active unions in Pennsylvania, with a history that includes both strong influence on city politics and a federal corruption prosecution of its former leaders.^[1]

1 Leadership

The Local 98 website's officers page lists James Foy as president and Mark Lynch Jr. as business manager and financial secretary, along with a vice president, recording secretary, treasurer and executive board; its business-agents page lists an assistant business manager and agents by territory (Center City, Bucks and Montgomery counties, Northeast Philadelphia and Delaware County). The Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO lists Lynch as Local 98's representative on its executive board. For years the local was led by business manager John Dougherty, who also became business manager of the Building and Construction Trades Council, according to the Justice Department's description of the 2021 case. After his 2021 conviction he resigned as business manager of Local 98.^[2]

2 The Dougherty prosecutions

In January 2019 a federal grand jury returned a 116-count indictment against Local 98, Dougherty, then-Councilmember Robert (Bobby) Henon and others. The case was tried in two parts. On November 15, 2021, a jury convicted Dougherty of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and seven counts of honest services wire fraud, and convicted Henon of one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, eight counts of honest services wire fraud and one count of federal program bribery. On December 7, 2023, a second jury convicted Dougherty and former Local 98 president Brian Burrows of conspiracy to embezzle union funds; Dougherty was also convicted of 33 counts of embezzlement, 24 counts of wire fraud, false filings with the Department of Labor and false tax returns, and Burrows of related embezzlement, false-filing and tax counts. The Justice Department described the embezzlement as roughly $600,000 taken from the union between 2010 and 2016.^[3]

Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl sentenced Burrows to 48 months in prison on June 26, 2024 and Dougherty to 72 months on July 11, 2024. The Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney lists a commutation warrant dated September 3, 2026 for John Dougherty (Eastern District of Pennsylvania; 72-month sentence imposed July 11, 2024) among the clemency grants by President Donald J. Trump; the terms are set out in the warrant itself, which the Pardon Attorney's page links. See Political Corruption Cases in Philadelphia for the wider record.^[3][4]

3 Political role

Local 98's website describes its political program: it says it supports candidates who support working people and has advocated, for example, statewide licensing of electricians, prevailing wage and project labor agreements. Its political committee spending is a subject examined in Political Action Committees and Big Money and Campaign Finance in Philadelphia. After the convictions, the Board of Ethics and federal oversight remained important in scrutinizing relationships between union money and officials. See also Labor and Politics in Philadelphia.

4 Work and jurisdiction

Local 98 says its mission is to supply its contractor partners in the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and end-users with a trained union workforce, including a Sound & Communication division for telecommunications work. Members work in the electrical, telecommunications and broadcast industries in Philadelphia and surrounding counties, and train through the local's Apprentice Training Academy. Their work on city and authority projects is shaped by prevailing wage and project labor agreements.^[5]

See also: Organized Labor in Philadelphia, Conflicts of Interest and Pay-to-Play.

References

1. IBEW Local 98, ibew98.org ("Our Mission," "Politics").
2. IBEW Local 98, "Officers" and "Business agents," ibew98.org; Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, Executive Board, phillyaflcio.org (viewed October 2026); U.S. Attorney's Office, E.D. Pa., press releases of November 15, 2021 and July 11, 2024, justice.gov.
3. U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania: "Local 98 Leader John Dougherty, Philadelphia City Councilmember Robert Henon Found Guilty of Public Corruption" (November 15, 2021); "Federal Jury Convicts Former IBEW Local 98 Business Manager John Dougherty and Former Local 98 President Brian Burrows" (December 7, 2023); "Former Local 98 President Brian Burrows Sentenced to Four Years in Prison" (June 26, 2024); "Former Local 98 Business Manager John Dougherty Sentenced to Six Years in Prison" (July 11, 2024), justice.gov.
4. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Pardon Attorney, "Clemency Grants by President Donald J. Trump (2025-Present)," September 3, 2026 entry, justice.gov/pardon.
5. IBEW Local 98, "Our Mission" and "Training," ibew98.org.