International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Of all the words in our name, “brotherhood” is by far the most important. It may sound corny, but unionists believe there is more to being a union member than just paying dues. It is a matter of caring for fellow members and considering their welfare to be as important as your own.

While the spirit of brotherhood seems to be rare in this world of big business, big government and even big unions, Local 18 believes it is as important as ever. That’s why our Business Representatives, your Business Representatives, routinely work up to 60 or 70 hours per week. That is why our Shop Stewards give up evenings with their families to do union business.

Creating the spirit of brotherhood in a large organization is, however, a difficult task. With a staff of 250 Stewards and over 7,800 members, Local 18 sometimes looks more like the “Bureaucracy” of Electrical Workers than the Brotherhood. Sometimes the press of business prevents your phone call to the union hall from being returned the same day. The union newspaper may not carry news about your coworkers frequently enough.

These problems may dim the flame of brotherhood, but they don’t extinguish it. When a union member addresses a fellow member as “Brother . . .” or “Sister . . .”, it is spoken sincerely.