WCE represents engineers (civil, electrical/mechanical, chemical, traffic, air quality, fire protection, and telecommunications), but also architects, land surveyors, landscape architects, environmental planners and scientists, geologists and hydrogeologists, planners, plans examiners, engineering technicians and mosquito/vector control employees.
The original by-laws of WCE provide that membership is to be open to:
“persons practicing engineering who hold a formal degree in engineering or such equivalent training or certification as the Board of Trustees feels qualifies them to be classified as an engineer,” as well as such “special classes” of “professional persons” that the Board of Trustees deem to be eligible for membership “in the best interests of the Council.”
WCE was formed in response to the passage of the Meyers-Milias-Brown Act (the MMBA) by the California legislature in 1969. Significantly for the founders of WCE, the MMBA allowed for representation of professionals separately from representation of non-professionals. It allowed groups of professionals to band together to bargain and process grievances without having to join a traditional “union.”
Currently, in addition to engineers, WCE represents other “professional persons” employed in the public sector. Similar groups who work for public employers in the State of California are welcome to contact WCE if they are interested in seeking representation or information.