L.A.’s Transit Future Runs Straight Through IBEW 11

Local 11 Brothers and Sisters Laying the Foundation for a New Transportation Future at Metro Purple Line Wilshire/La Brea Station

L.A.’s Metro Purple Line – part of L.A.’s “Twenty-Eight by 2028” initiative to complete 28 major transportation infrastructure projects ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics – will soon usher in a new transportation era and transform how the city moves.

The $9 billion-dollar, state-of the art Purple Line will offer Angelenos a “life-changing” transit option – enabling riders to travel between downtown and Westwood in under 25 minutes – lessen traffic, and help reduce smog. The Purple Line, which starts in downtown L.A. and will extend nine miles to Westwood, has been in the works since 2014.

Phase One is a $2.8 billion project that runs nearly four miles under Wilshire Blvd. from Wilshire and Western Avenue to La Cienega Blvd. Fifteen IBEW 11 members have been working for the past four years building out the Wilshire/La Brea Station.

It has been a herculean effort, with thousands of construction workers across all crafts boring complex tunnels and building out thousands of miles of conduit through unrelenting cement. The project includes train controls and signals, communications, traction power supply and distribution, and fare collection systems.

For Local 11 members building out the Wilshire/La Brea station, precision has been their watchword since day one. Tunnel jobs are unlike other construction and call for tighter specs because the work is encased in concrete. For many apprentices and veteran wiremen, the experience in the tunnels has been a first.

Devlon Lambkins, superintendent on the job, took IBEW 11 Business Manager Joël Barton on a tour of the station where he has worked for the last four of the five years the station has been under construction. Lambkins estimates the job will take another one to two years to complete.

“The first year we embedded the track grounding. The second year we worked on the interior wall work and did the pouring in place. The third year we were doing the deck work for the slabs. By the fourth year, we were doing the interior walls,” Lambkins said.

Deadline Pressure

Supervisors feel the pressure to meet delivery schedules, but they have to balance those pressures with being exact – no mistakes. Karlitheus Nelson has been a foreman on the job for over two years. This is his first tunnel job, and it has unique challenges.

“It’s a fight every day to keep everyone motivated and on schedule. It takes a lot of determination, but I love it. It’s very challenging,” Nelson said.

Nelson, an L.A. resident, is looking forward to the day once the Purple Line is completed when his “kids won’t have to drive, and it will free up traffic and gridlock on the streets of LA.”

He’s also grateful for the opportunities the union has given him and his crew.

“I have two of the best women apprentices on this job,” Nelson said. “There’s a lot of opportunities for women in the field – it’s a great career. I’d definitely encourage my own daughters to join IBEW. Great benefits, great retirement. You can’t beat it.”

Natalie Cervantes, a 4th year apprentice, agrees. “I love this job. It’s gotten me buff,” she laughs. “I’m learning a lot – to troubleshoot, to fix pipe in confined spaces, how to run rebar, climb walls, and the list goes on.”

For Cervantes joining the union was lifechanging. The mother of five children, she said she only previously dreamed of being able to support her family. Now she can.

“Two of my kids wear glasses. Thanks to our benefits, I can afford them now,” she said.

For Christian Ortega, an Inside Wireman for the past nine years, Metro work is nothing new. While he’s been on the Purple Line project for less than a year, his Metro experience spans other aspects of the massive MTA project.

“These Metro projects are great jobs for everyone,” Ortega said. “Not only is the city creating good jobs for many of us, it’s also getting people from point A to B more efficiently. That’s great for our community and for our ecosystem.”

Ortega said PLAs are responsible for the good job he now holds.

“Thanks to PLAs, this is an all-union job that requires apprentices and local hire. Our apprentices are lucky to be working on these kinds of jobs. They’re getting a set of life skills.”

Ortega himself is a product of local hire.

“I’m from this community, in this zip code. It’s been great for me and my family. I was able to buy a house in the last year because of PLAs. Plus, I have great health benefits. Before I was working union, I had to pay hundreds of dollars for healthcare for my children. One of my daughters has asthma and wears glasses. Now, it costs me $5 on our plan.”

Ortega said he is most grateful for the impact this project will have on his family’s quality of life. “As a parent, I know the job I’m working on is helping reduce smog and clean up the environment. We’re all looking forward to developing clean energy technology like the Purple Line and making a better future for my children.”