I know of no IBEW Locals that are run like protection rackets, but my experience is limited to the IBEW 3rd District that encompasses New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The 3rd is the largest district in the IBEW.
Unions are always under assault in the US, sometimes more so than other times. In today’s environment, the current administration is beholden to the huge corporations And safety regs are under constant assault particularly those regs that impact the employers production, or so the employer says. Should this trend continue, we are heading to the place where the employer sends you home in a box without consequence. the National Labor Relations Board is made up of Presidential appointees, the current board is no friend to labor.
To say unions portion out work is an over simplification. Construction locals supply workers to employers on an as needed basis. Locals use lists to send workers to the jobs, it’s a bit more complicated than that but that’s basically how it works. Workers employed by a single employer do not “shape up “ at a hall, but are hired directly by the employer then join the union after they are hired. The union represents the worker in all aspects of working conditions, contractual obligations, hours of labor, and wages. That is the case with most “Utility company” lineman, that’s what I was, I belong to the IBEW but my local is not a construction local. Similar with the auto workers, UAW workers are hired by Ford or GM or Chrysler then join the union.