As the new Business Manager for District Council 46, Bruno Mandic is no stranger to union trade workers. He’s worked as a tradesperson for years, and steadily built a reputation for giving back to the organization and members. Now, he’s focused on cultivating an era of openness, transparency and connection for the benefit of his fellow trades professionals in and around Ontario.
Here are some of his important mandates:
- Quality training: Having worked for many years as a professional tradesperson, Mandic knows the value of training for workers within the trade union. He also recognizes that it must be of the highest quality. As Business Manager, he’s planning to make it a priority to ensure that members of the IUPAT get the training they deserve to help them on the job.
- Competitive wages: Every union worker deserves competitive wages for the job he or she performs. This means making certain that contractors understand what they are expected to pay union tradespeople. It’s a matter of matching the job to the wage in line with economic realities and inflation.
- Contractor/Union relationships: The better the relations between contractors and union, the better the relationship between contractors and workers. Mandic has set out to have discussions with contractors and foster this kind of open forum.
- Member interaction: Open door policies are essential to build a union membership base that feels it is being “heard” from collective and individual perspectives. Does this take time? Absolutely. However, it’s well worth the hours of open door discussions to get to a point of understanding and better relations.
How can members be a part of Mandic’s vision? Essentially, they need to participate on all levels as part of the union for trade workers. It’s not necessary for every worker to take on a leadership role locally or at the IUPAT, but it is important for union members to show up for their meetings. This helps representatives relay information to the IUPAT on behalf of union brothers and sisters.
Over time, the IUPAT is expecting to build its base due to the increasing need for tradespeople across multiple industries, and serving contractors representing various verticals. Will you be a part of this exciting time?
