“The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is committed to improving the lives of North America’s electrical workers and their families. With more than 725,000 members, the IBEW is among the world’s strongest labor organizations, representing workers in a range of skilled occupations in a wide variety of fields, including utility, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, government, and railroad. Formed in 1891, we have earned our reputation as the oldest, largest, and most professional electrical union in the world.”

• To organize all workers in the United States and Canada, including all those in public utilities and electrical manufacturing, into local unions
• To promote reasonable methods of work
• To cultivate feelings of friendship among those in our industry
• To settle all disputes between employers and employees by arbitration (if possible)
• To assist each other in sickness or distress
• To secure employment
• To reduce the hours of daily labor
• To secure adequate pay for our work
• To seek a higher standard of living
• To seek security for the individual
• In the interest of a higher standard of citizenship and by  legal and proper means, the IBEW will seek to elevate the moral, intellectual, and social conditions  of our members, their families and dependents

Improving the Lives of Working Families

A labor union or trade union is an organized group of workers who unite to make decisions about conditions affecting their work. Labor unions strive to bring economic justice to the workplace and social justice to our nation. 

Union Membership Gives Strength in Numbers

All workers benefit from unions because unions set pay standards and workplace protections. Union members — workers like you — benefit most from the union’s collective bargaining power to negotiate with employers on their behalf. This basic right gives you as a union member more power than if you tried to negotiate as an individual. 

More benefits of union membership.

• Union employees make an average of 30% more than non-union workers.
• 96% of union workers have job-related health coverage versus 69% of non-union workers.
• Union workers are more likely to have guaranteed pensions than non-union employees.

Unions help protect employees from unjust dismissal through collective bargaining agreements (CBA). Because of this, most union employees cannot be fired without “just cause.” This is unlike many nonunion workers who are considered “at-will” employees and can be fired at any time for almost any reason.

Union members also benefit from having the collective power to go on strike. A strike is when a group of workers stops working either in protest of labor conditions or as a bargaining tool during labor/management negotiations.

Unions are Good for America and all Americans

Unions are associated with higher productivity, lower employee turnover, improved workplace communication, and a better-trained workforce.

There is a substantial amount of academic literature on the following benefits of unions and unionization to employers and the economy:

• Economic growth
• Productivity
• Competitiveness
• Product or service delivery and quality
• Training
• Turnover
• Solvency of the firm
• Workplace health and safety
• Economic development

Collective Bargaining – Collective bargaining occurs when a group of people, such as the workforce at a company, band together to increase its negotiating power. For instance, a single worker might feel that a certain new safety measure should be implemented in his factory, but he might have limited power to get the company to install the new measure. If the entire workforce is made aware of the need for the new measure and bands together to pressure the company to install it, there is a much greater chance that the company will comply. Labor unions band workers together, allowing the voices of individual workers to be heard and possibly made into a goal of the union. Unionized workers typically elect representatives to bring concerns to the union’s attention. Collective Bargaining makes sure changes are negotiated rather than imposed.t

One of the top benefits of being a union worker is that you enjoy a better wage as compared to your non-union counterparts.
“Economic research shows that unionized workers typically receive higher wages than otherwise comparable non-union workers. This “union wage advantage” is greatest for people who would otherwise be lower-paid workers. This group notably includes workers with less formal education and skills, younger and less experienced workers, and women and workers of color who experience discrimination in the job market.” The Broadbent Institute Union workers are also more likely to enjoy consistent pay raises on a regular basis. With a non-union job, the employer can set the wage without any formal bargaining process or input from the employees.