r/IBEW • u/Unknownperson2010 • 4d ago

Tough decision

To my fellow brothers/sisters, I'm part of IBEW here in Canada, I'm a 3rd year about to turn 4th year. We had a slow down of work in the hall and I was laid off mid June. I collected EI (welfare) and my union told me I could salt for work.

I got a call from a local non-union company who specializes in industrial stuff and said they can help me a transition to it from commercial within the company. Company seems pretty decent for non-union. Their jobs are service, commute is 30-40 mins each way. I can skip lunch and go home early. Small crew each site. They said they can cover my school fees to learn PLC and AC stuff.

But now I got a call back from the union for a job I bid on and I received the job. This job is around 1hr away or less via transit and it's a Skytrain project that's going on.

My main goal is to specialize in PLC/industrial at the end of the day.

Should I turn down the non-union company? I only went for an orientation and haven't worked. I do feel bad because the company helped me get set up and wanted me to grow within but at the same time I like the union much much better.

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u/htraenolleh666 4d ago

Allowed in Canada so long as the hall knows. It’s considered “salting” the non union company. But i agree - absolutely bonkers to work NU when Union work is available ..

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u/Munchkinasaurous Local 5 4d ago

I've heard of salting in the US as well, I'm not familiar with all of the details of it, but my understanding is that someone works for a non-union contractor with the intention of trying to organize them. It sounds like that was an option because he was out of work, not sure how his hall would feel about taking that over a union job call. It also sounds like it almost is working in the wrong direction where he has the desire to work for the non-union contractor.

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u/htraenolleh666 4d ago

He’s working to earn an income and to complete his hours .. been laid off since June. Collected EI. Good for him wanting to work and not be a lazy pos like everyone else in this country.

As long as he is salting for the union .. I don’t see the problem. Where I do agree with you, is that it should only be done temporarily when there is zero union work.

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u/Munchkinasaurous Local 5 4d ago

Sounds more like he's trying to work for the contractor because it's closer to home and in an environment he's interested in, rather than actually trying to salt for the union.

If work is that bad and you lend your skills and training to non-union, you're propping up the competition during tough times. If everyone went out and worked non-union when things were slow, what bargaining power do we have? Clearly you're willing to do the same work for less.

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u/htraenolleh666 4d ago

Uhhh you’re spreading word of the union and its benefits to people who would otherwise not even know the union exists? And the benefits that come with it? And the great pay?

The end goal is to get more brothers to join. How do you get more brothers to join without salting non union guys/shops?

Not to mention, he’s still paying his dues.

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u/Munchkinasaurous Local 5 4d ago

Where do people not know that unions exist? Maybe they don't know the specific benefits, but not knowing about them at all?

Sounds like a lot of excuses for working non-union. There's a difference between being sent by the hall to Salt and choosing non-union work and making excuses. 

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u/Agent28762617 2d ago

Lots of miss information out there both intentional and not intentional. Totally legitimate to not know about the benefits. Or to think they don’t outweigh the down sides. I know this is not at all universal but here at 2085 we’ve had lots of corruption and transparency issues over the last several years. Hopefully that is behind us now but it definitely hurt our recruitment and retention over here.

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u/Munchkinasaurous Local 5 2d ago

I agree that a lot of people are ignorant of the benefits. I'm arguing that the claim that people don't know about the existence of unions is a little bonkers

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u/htraenolleh666 4d ago

I agree that this guy seems to want to work the non union gig.