As Union members, we bargain collectively (as a group) with our employers over wages, benefits, and rights.
We have the best chance of receiving better wages, benefits and fair treatment in the workplace by bargaining collectively as a Union. Most of us have very limited bargaining power as one person, but as a group, we are strong. And, with a good negotiated contract, we have legal protections we would not have otherwise.
Under the "employment at will" doctrine, the cornerstone of American employment law, in general terms, unless we belong to a protected group, our employer has the right to discipline or terminate us, with impunity (freedom), for any reason -- even a bad one -- or for no reason at all.
With a Collective Bargaining Agreement, we have rights that we can enforce. Management must have "just cause" for any disciplinary action taken against a Union employee.
An IBEW 46 Collective Bargaining Agreement is a contract between the employer and the employees (us). It sets the wages, terms, benefits, and working conditions and provides an orderly plan for settlement of complaints or grievances. IBEW 46 contracts are alike in principle but they vary among units and worksites to suit both local conditions and the desires of the employees.
Our Union is made up the people who belong to it…we are all working in a common industry and need to stick together to ensure good standards for the electrical industry as a whole.
Our Union is a democratic organization where being a member means having a voice and an avenue to make positive change for workers and their families. In addition to creating equality within the worker/employer relationship, our members, through our Union, are often assisting organizations that help those most vulnerable and in need. There are so many ways in which our Union is supporting the quality of working people’s lives in some obvious, and some more subtle ways, but it takes our members' voice and involvement to help steer our efforts and goals toward the issues we most are passionate about.
We need active Union members who are building powerful collective bodies and minds. We need workers who claim our Union as a positive and influential organization in their lives and their communities — and commit to fixing it when it doesn’t work the way it should. We need OUR UNION — healthy, strong, and ready to win!