Benefits Of Being A Union Contractor
Let Us Help Your Business
When you associate and partner with IBEW 424 doesn’t mean you will lose control of your business, it means that you will have the additional support of many highly qualified people to assist you in growing and developing your business. Your business is your business, and we want nothing more than for you to be successful.
As a Union Contractor you will sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement that was mutually negotiated between the Electrical Contractors Association of Alberta and Local 424. Negotiations provide continued commitment by management and labor to provide the best product at a reasonable cost. The wage and benefit structure not only takes into consideration what it takes to compete, but also what it takes to assure a stable workforce. If the signatory contractor can’t compete, we as a union wouldn’t survive, we are a partnership. Our Health and Welfare plan, for example, is self-insured and provides excellent coverage at a very reasonable cost. We also have an excellent defined Pension Plan. Both you and your office employees can participate under certain conditions.
One of our strongest selling points is our member pool. Often, the difference between making a profit and suffering a loss is having the right manpower to get the job done. You’ll work closely with the representatives of the IBEW Local 424 to make sure that the personnel you need are available when you need them and to draw on a network of other Union offices for out of province projects. Most importantly is that IBEW Local 424 will offer help if you need it. Perhaps you are bidding a job in a different province, you need an unusual skill set for an employee, may have business issues to resolve or any other “out of normal” situation; we are here to help. Ultimately the more successful our contractors are, the more successful our team is, and it’s really that simple.
AS A NON SIGNITORY CONTRACTOR YOU MAY HAVE TO:
HIRE AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
What about going through employment agencies? Did you know that if you hire someone through one of these trade agencies and that worker gets hurt, your worker’s compensation insurance may not cover them and leave you open to a third-party lawsuit? Electrical work requires a level of expertise that employment agencies can’t provide.
SPEND MONEY ON HELP WANTED ADVERTISING
Newspaper ads attract, at best, semi skilled workers who tell you in the office they can do it all, but in the field, more often than not, it’s proven otherwise.
MUST INTERVIEW EACH PROSPECTIVE EMPLOYEE
No more wasted man-hours chasing and interviewing new workers. No “trying them out for a week or two”.
HIRE EMPLOYEES WITH LITTLE OR NOEXPERIENCE
You may not get the most highly skilled or experienced tradesman. Your decision should be based on value and getting the best employees for the dollars spent.
NEGOTIATE WITH EACH EMPLOYEE INDIVIDUALLY ON WAGES
Not knowing their skill level and previous experience you may find the worker, demanding more money than they are worth.
PURCHASE HEALTH COVERAGE AS A SMALL GROUP
Premium’s for small group coverage on an average cost you more and provide minimal coverage at best.
PURCHASE A RETIREMENT PLAN WITH NO GUARANTEE ON RETURNS
Set-up, renewal, and management fees for small group Pension plans dilute the future values and they come with no guarantees and minimal returns.
AS AN IBEW 424 CONTRACTOR YOU:
HAVE A FLEXABLE WORKFORCE- MANPOWER WHEN NEEDED
Saving you money on labour costs as members are available when you need them, for as long as you need them, even in areas where you don’t usually do business. When you are done, their employment concludes or you can move them to another job. This provides greater flexibility to bid any type of project, IBEW members are familiar with all types of electrical work.
KNOW THAT YOU WILL RECEIVE QUALIFIED ELECTRICIANS
IBEW members have to be the best trained, most highly skilled and productive craftsman available anywhere. That means no rework. That means on-time and on-budget. That means no unskilled hands. Meaning improved control of your company’s future with higher productivity and greater profits.
HAVE A WORKFORCE THAT IS DEDICATED TO SAFETY AND THE INDUSTRY
Local 424 stresses the connection between safety and profitability and has a focused workforce that sees a safe, drug-free worksite as a priority. Every IBEW member puts safety first every time, which means you save on Workers compensation costs, downtime costs, and absenteeism costs while maintaining profitability.
WORK UNDER A CONTRACT THAT HAS SET WAGES
Which gives you a lower turnover rate, as most of our members are it for a career and not just a job.
PARTICIPATE IN A JOINTLY ADMINISTRATED HEALTH CARE PLAN AND PENSION PLAN THAT COVERS ALL MEMBERS
This is a one-stop solution to your employee’s healthcare and pension plans. Your company would have no benefits administration costs. The package benefit contributions for your employees are administered by Local 424. Your employees would enjoy excellent health and wellness coverage, pension, R.R.S.P. and you don’t have to do any of the work.
UNION CONSTRUCTION WORKERS ARE GOOD FOR PRODUCTIVITY
The average unionized establishment recorded productivity levels are 16 percent higher than non organized employees. There is a simple reason for this fact, the union workforce is better trained, higher skilled, and of course our contractors are held to a higher standard so they maintain safety policies that are second to none in the industry A safer workforce has certainly the moral and ethical rewards of knowing your employees are going home to their families safe every night but it also has bonus rewards for your bottom line. Higher productivity means higher profits for you.
SUPERVISION
Jobs are lost and companies destroyed by lack of proper supervision. How long does it take you to develop a good foremen or superintendent? How much money does it cost you along the way? One of the most common reasons companies like yours become signatory contractors is that they want to grow? We can provide qualified supervision If you could add two foreman and crews next year, how much would that add to your bottom line?
MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
This program offers financial assistance on selected projects as well as improved marketing and expansion options. Most of our signatory contractors are members of the Alberta Electrical Contractors Association which in turn offers substantial discounts on liability and other insurance’s including bonding: management related training and the ability to network with other quality electrical contractors and industry professionals.
CODE OF EXCELLENCE
Every member of IBEW 424 has been trained in the code of excellence. The principals are;
Give “eight for eight”, which means to be where you should be on the job performing your assigned tasks.
Give an honest day’s work.
Use the proper tools for the job.
Be a safe employee and point out unsafe conditions to others.
Be a drug and alcohol-free worker.
Be an Ambassador for our industry; make sure our customer would want to hire you again.
Listen to and carry out work assignments in a timely fashion.
Use material in an appropriate manner, thus eliminating waste.
Treat employer’s tools as well as you would treat your own.
Respect the steward and supervision.
Through the quality of your work, show that you are the most-productive, highest-skilled and best trained electrician the customer could employ.
Have a sense of pride in your craftsmanship.
Have a positive attitude about your work on and off the job.
Honor the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you are a stable contractor looking to hire the best, we are your team. We will work hand in hand with you to make sure you are as successful as you can be. If you are new into the Union type of work environment Local 424 can help you out.
PAYROLL
In Local 424 as inmost Unions, certain pay standards are established. You as the contractor will be given a schedule of rates for apprentice’s right through to General Foreman. Rates are negotiated on a per contract basis and you of course can have a say on the rates. This relives you of the burden to negotiate different rates for every individual employee. The contract is a minimum of course and you as the contractor can always go above if you chose. In Local 424 our team are all trained in all aspects of the trade. And with such a universal workforce, it is logical that Local 424 maintains universal rate across the board.
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION
As the industry changes to meet the needs of the marketplace, it’s essential that both contractors and union members learn new techniques and technology. Ongoing professional education and training classes are provided to keep you current with what you’ll need to know about code changes, new technologies, new regulations and other essential information.
COORDINATED ADVERTISING AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
We also participate in numerous charitable community projects throughout the year, providing services and material to promote our contractors and members, and to help our neighbors. Every contractor in this industry has gone into business to make money and to grow. Partnering with Local 424 can assist you in doing just that.
So where do you go from here? While a web page can be helpful in getting some points across, the reality is that most electrical contractors have specific concerns and needs. The only way to address these issues is on an individual basis, one-on-one. Local 424 has a no commitment, no obligation policy that allows a contractor to hear first hand what the IBEW has to offer. Then, and only then, do you make the decision if the IBEW is right for your company. No contractor is considered too large or too small. We have shops ranging from one man to 100+ men working under our agreements The first step, however is yours. There are no costs to join the Union as a contractor, the member pays union dues. Our signatory contractors agree; it is simply a matter of greater value for the money.
Why not find out what the IBEW can do for you and your business?
Manpower should be a business decision, where the manpower comes from should be of no consequence.
For further information or to arrange a meeting contact the membership development team at 780-462-5076.
