I personally am not union. And, I am not sure if Local 46 is the same as Local 48, but they are probably similar. They all fall under IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers).

Not all electricians are union. But, I don't know how apprenticeship works outside of a union.

I think for electricians, if you need a job, you get your name on the list at the union hall. First person on the list gets placed at a job site, then they continue going down the list.

My partner hasn't been on the list since the 1990s, as there has been steady work for Journeyman Electricians and he has been working at the same company for about 15 years.

Yes, the union helps to place you. And, the benefits are awesome.

There is low-voltage, residential, commercial and lineman. They are all different. My partner, as a journeyman, can do commercial and residential. Commercial just means that he is not working residential. He does electrical maintenance for a large corporation. If Corporate America needs a TV installed, they schedule the job for both low-voltage and commercial electricians. This is probably required by either their organization or the union, because as a journeyman, he can do low voltage.

My nephew recently went to lineman school/training in Idaho. I don't know much about it, but I know that linemen work with high voltage.