Today, IBEW Local 46 has once again made organizing its number one priority. We want to bring into our ranks all employees currently working in the electrical industry. As a result of our newly energized efforts to organize all electricians, we have been able to negotiate some of the largest wage and benefit increases nationwide.
If you are currently working in the electrical industry and would like to improve your wages and working conditions, please call the Main Office at 253-395-6500 and ask to speak with an Organizer.
Below are articles about your right to work, the NLRB, and the benefit of Union membership.
Or read the IBEW Journal article on the benefits of being organized here.
The Right To Work . . .
"RIGHT-TO-WORK" VS. FREE BARGAINING
BACKGROUND-- Washington is among the 28 states that have no "Right-to-Work" law.
These laws ban collectively bargained union-security agreements that require workers to pay for union representation. In other words, in "Right-to-Work" states, workers cannot negotiate contract provisions insisting all employees covered under that contract join the union (referred to as a "union shop.")
According to a 1977 U.S. Supreme Court decision: "A union shop arrangement has been thought to distribute fairly the cost of these (representative) activities among those who benefit, and it counteracts the incentive that employees might otherwise have to become ‘free riders’ — to refuse to contribute to the union while obtaining benefits of union representation that necessarily accrue to all employees."
The idea is that everyone benefits from the contract and its protections, so everyone should pay their fair share of the costs of union representation.
What Is the NLRB?
The National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1935 to administer the National Labor Relations Act, the primary law governing relations between unions and employers in the private sector. The statute guarantees the right of employees to organize and to bargain collectively with their employers or to refrain from all such activity. Generally applying to all employers involved in interstate commerce--other than airlines, railroads, agriculture, and government--the Act implements the national labor policy of assuring free choice and encouraging collective bargaining as a means of maintaining industrial peace. Through the years, Congress has amended the Act and the Board and courts have developed a body of law drawn from the statute.
Having a voice in your workplace.
One of the best aspects of being an IBEW member. Check out what you're losing by not being a Union electrician.
Being Unrepresented. What it can mean to you.
Read the list of general advantages enjoyed by employees working under IBEW contracts as opposed to employees working in unrepresented jobs.
IBEW Local 46 ~ 19802 62nd Ave S, Kent, WA 98032 ~ Phone: 253-395-6500 ~ (Toll free) 1-866-651-4600
