Posted on GoHereBro.com | For IBEW Travelers
Book 2 is the traveler out-of-work list at the hall you are visiting. Book 1 is that local's own members. Referral almost always works Book 1 first. If work is left, Book 2 moves. That is why a hall can show hundreds of open calls and still leave you sitting, and why another hall with a short Book 2 can put you to work the same week.
There is no single national sign-in app. Each local writes its own referral rules: travel-letter age, paper versus emailed dues receipts, day-book windows, and monthly re-sign. The live books and calls on the map and Hot Spots tell you where it is even worth calling.
TL;DR
Call the destination hall first and ask three things: are you taking Book 2, what documents, and what hours. Then have your home local send a current travel letter / letter of introduction from the business manager.
- Typical packet: photo ID, current paid dues receipt, travel letter, ticket number. Save every termination slip; you do not always need one to sign. Some halls want the letter emailed by the home hall, not carried in your truck.
- Sign during that local's window. Local 26 deletes day-book entries outside 7:30-8:30 a.m. Eastern. Local 613 stops referrals at 2:30 p.m. Local 640 says first sign is in person.
- Re-sign every month or you fall off. Windows differ: Local 26 is the 1st-25th; several locals use the 10th-16th.
- License, OSHA, drug test, and badges are on the call, not on the yellow ticket. Read the Colorado electrician license guide if that is the destination. For Arizona, there is no statewide JW card.
- Sign as many Book 2s as you want while you are out of work. The minute you take a call, phone every other hall and come off. Home Book 1 stays. On a short call you may also stay on the hall you are working out of. Come off the rest.
Book 1 versus Book 2
| List | Who is on it | What it means on a busy board |
|---|---|---|
| Book 1 | Members of that local, plus some locals' classified books for CWs, apprentices, or teledata | Called first |
| Book 2 | Traveling IBEW journeymen from other locals | Called if Book 1 does not fill the call |
| Day book / available-for-work | Daily sign some locals use on top of the monthly book | Miss the window, miss the call |
On 20 Sep 2026, Local 613 Atlanta posted Book 1 at 902 and Book 2 at 36, and wrote that calls were going through Book 2 every day. That combination, short traveler book plus work, is the signal. A long Book 2 under a quiet outlook is a camping trip.
GoHereBro's cards show Book 1, Book 2, open calls, and JW scale when the hall publishes them. Some locals leave books blank on the public site. Treat a blank as "call the hall," not as empty.
The packet, assembled at home
Do this before you burn leave or a tank of fuel.
- Ask your home hall for a travel letter / letter of introduction signed by the business manager. Locals disagree on age: Local 26 wants it dated within one year; Local 11 wants an original with a raised seal dated within six months. Get a fresh one. Carry it.
- Pay dues through the current month and print the receipt. Carry that receipt. Local 613 requires a paper copy with a raised seal and will not take a photo, email, or fax. Local 11 will take a letter and receipt emailed or faxed by the home hall. Local 640 wants the dues receipt in your hand at an in-person first sign.
- Photo ID or driver's license, and your ticket number. Halls will ask for both.
- Save every termination slip. You do not always need one to sign Book 2. Keep them anyway; some halls will ask if you already took a call there.
- Whatever that hall's registration form is. Local 26 wants the available-to-work form and every file in one submission to [email protected].
- Licenses and cards the jurisdiction actually uses. California General Cert at Local 11 dispatch. Colorado JW at Local 68. Georgia contractor rules at Local 613. Arizona has no statewide JW; see the TSMC / Local 640 guide.
Ask dispatch for the local agreement, wage and benefit package, tool list, referral procedure, and hiring requirements when you sign. Work that agreement. Book 1 is only for the local on your ticket.
Road rules
Follow these at every hall, not only the four below. You are a guest. Your home local's name is on you.
Books and calls
- You may sign Book 2 at as many halls as you want while you are out of work.
- The minute you take a call, phone every other hall and come off their books. Home Book 1 stays. On a short call you may stay on the book of the hall you are working out of, plus home Book 1. Come off the rest. If a hall says you can leave your name on during short work, still come off. Sitting on a book while you are drawing a check jumps people who are actually waiting.
- Do not take a transfer on a specific job call. Take the referral you were sent on.
- Do not take a furlough if you mean to travel. Furlough is still employed. You cannot sign any out-of-work list.
- Do not take a foreman, steward, or other supervision job unless Book 1 hands have already been asked and none are available.
On the job
- Stay out of that local's politics.
- Give the contractor eight hours of journeyman work for eight hours of pay. Do not start before start time, work through lunch, do another trade's work, or bring tools that are not on the tool list. Do not cross a picket.
- When the job ends, take a reduction in force when you can. Do not quit just to jump. Help older hands on the site.
- If a contractor meeting could lead to discipline, stop. Ask for a steward or officer before you talk, and before any search or test of you or your gear.
- If you are in town, show up: meetings, pickets, organizing. Do not take side work that competes with that local.
How four busy halls actually run it
These are documented hall rules, not a universal IBEW form. Always re-read the local's page the week you travel.
Local 26 (Lanham, D.C. / Northern Virginia)
Traveler page: ID, dues receipt, travel letter within one year, termination slip if needed, completed form, all at once. Day book 7:30-8:30 a.m. Eastern weekdays only; entries outside that window are deleted. Be reachable 8:30-11:00 a.m. Monthly re-sign the 1st through the 25th. Phone 301-459-2900. Full housing and commute notes are in the Local 26 traveler guide.
Local 613 (Atlanta)
Job board: Book 1 call-out 8:30 a.m., Book 2 next if work remains, no referrals after 2:30 p.m. Book 2 needs a current travel letter from the business manager and a paper raised-seal dues receipt. Hall 404-523-8107. See the Local 613 Atlanta guide.
Local 640 (Phoenix)
Book status: signing the books must be in person; re-sign is online. Travelers bring current dues receipt, letter of introduction, and copies of certifications. The homepage tells traveling members to be registered in ERTS. Hall 5808 N 7th Street, 602-264-4506. On a recent public book-status scrape Inside Book 1 was 32 and Inside Book 2 was 6; confirm live.
Local 11 (Los Angeles, for the rule set)
Travelers page: new travelers sign Book 2 weekdays 1:30-3:30 p.m. Original travel letter with raised seal dated within six months, yellow dues receipt paid through the current month, government ID. Home hall may email or fax the letter and receipt to [email protected]. You can sign Book 2 without the California General Cert, but you provide it at dispatch. Local 11 is 100 percent state certified.
Local 291 (Boise)
Micron work is the analog for a long industrial traveler call. Re-sign on Local 291 is the 10th-16th. Idaho wants a JW license; that is a different paper chase than Georgia or Arizona.
Order of operations that does not strand you
- Scout live calls and books on GoHereBro. Rank halls where Book 2 is short and calls are real.
- Phone the destination dispatch. Ask if they are taking travelers this week, license, first-sign method, and re-sign. Ask for the agreement, tool list, and hiring requirements.
- Get the travel letter issued. Do not reuse a six-month-old PDF if that hall wants 90 days.
- You have to be out of work to sign. Do not sit on Book 2, or any out-of-work list, while you are on a contractor's payroll. Do not take a furlough so you can "keep the job" and still sign books.
- Be reachable in their call window. A missed call is a missed referral.
- Read the entire call before you accept: hours, drug test, badge delay, per diem, short call versus indefinite. Do not take a transfer. Do not take a foreman or steward job unless Book 1 was offered it first.
- When you take the call, phone every other hall you signed and ask to come off their Book 2. Home Book 1 stays. On a short call you may stay on the hall you are working out of. Come off the rest, even if dispatch says short-term names can sit.
Portability is not Book 2. Local 26's traveler page describes a traveling contractor bringing a limited number of already-on-payroll hands who have been with that contractor at least two weeks. That is a different door. Do not confuse it with signing the out-of-work list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is IBEW Book 2?
It is the traveler out-of-work list at a local that is not your home local. Book 1 is that local's members and is referred first.
Do I need a travel letter?
Yes at every hall documented here. The letter comes from your home business manager. Age, seal, and whether the home hall must email it are local rules. Carry it with a current dues receipt and know your ticket number.
Can I email a photo of my dues receipt?
Sometimes. Local 11 will take a home-hall email or fax. Local 613 will not. Ask. Carry a paper copy either way.
Do I need a termination slip?
Not always. Save every one you get. Some halls ask if you already took a call there.
How often do I re-sign?
Every month, on that hall's calendar. Miss it and you lose your place.
Can I be on Book 2 at two locals?
Yes. While you are out of work there is no limit on how many out-of-work books you can sign. You cannot be on any books if you are currently employed. When you take a call, phone each hall and come off. Home Book 1 stays. On a short call you may also stay on the hall you are working out of. Come off the rest.
Can I leave my name on other books during a short call?
No. Come off every book except the hall you are working out of and your home Book 1. A hall that says short-term names can sit is still asking you to jump people who are waiting with no paycheck.
Can I take a foreman or steward job as a traveler?
Not until Book 1 has been offered that job and nobody took it.
Can I take a transfer?
No. Work the call you were referred to.
What do I say if the contractor wants a meeting that could get me in trouble?
Stop the meeting. Ask for a steward or union officer. Do not consent to a search or test until you have talked to them. That is your Weingarten right.
Does Book 2 replace a state license?
No. The ticket gets you on the list. The state or city credential named on the call is separate.
Should I quit my job before I have a referral?
You cannot sign Book 2, or stay on it, while you are employed. Get off the payroll first, then sign. Do not take a furlough as a workaround. When a Book 2 call puts you back to work, call the other halls and come off their books. Home Book 1 can stay.
Where do I see live Book 1 and Book 2 numbers?
On each local page GoHereBro tracks, when the hall publishes them. The cards at the top of this article are four examples, not a national ranking.
Official Sources
- IBEW Local 26 traveler registration
- IBEW Local 613 job board / Book 2 rules
- IBEW Local 640 book status
- IBEW Local 11 travelers
- IBEW Local 776 dispatch procedures: example of 10th-16th re-sign and home-hall travel letters
- IBEW Local 84 book procedures: another 10th-16th example
Last verified 21 Sep 2026. Referral rules are local. Read the destination hall's current page and call dispatch before you travel.
