The 1908 split that nearly destroyed the IBEW is called which of the following?

The 1908 split that nearly destroyed the IBEW is called which of the following?

• A. Adams-White
• B. Johnson-Smith
• C. Reid-Murphy
• D. Carter-Wheeler

Answer: (C)

This question tests knowledge of a major internal conflict in the IBEW’s history. In 1908 a power struggle within the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers erupted between two factions led by Reid and Murphy. Their clashes over leadership, direction, and control of the union fractured local lodges, expelled opponents, and almost destroyed the union from within. The crisis was severe enough that it required intervention and reforms to reunify the organization, and historians remember it as the Reid-Murphy split. The other pairings aren’t the commonly cited name for this particular crisis, so the Reid-Murphy label is the correct historical reference.

This question tests knowledge of a major internal conflict in the IBEW’s history. In 1908 a power struggle within the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers erupted between two factions led by Reid and Murphy. Their clashes over leadership, direction, and control of the union fractured local lodges, expelled opponents, and almost destroyed the union from within. The crisis was severe enough that it required intervention and reforms to reunify the organization, and historians remember it as the Reid-Murphy split. The other pairings aren’t the commonly cited name for this particular crisis, so the Reid-Murphy label is the correct historical reference.