The fundamental principle of the Alliance is the complete autonomy of its local sections. The locals have absolute liberty to amen, to abrogate or to promulgate their statutes and rules, within the scope of the statutes and rules of the Alliance. Furthermore, the locals have all the latitude in the negotiations of their work contracts, which do not require in any way any the sanction of any type of Canadian or American direction. There is no model of internal control or type of contract imposed by the Alliance. It is the members of each local section that determine via their internal general assembly, their mode of functioning and who accept or refuse the contract propositions that their negotiation committee presents them with.

The Alliance firmly believes that the workers of diverse trades where it is present are best suited than anyone to determine their needs and their priorities, as well as the form of representative association that is most capable to meet their needs.

The Alliance has no other fundamental principles other than those stated in its Statutes: the unity of action, the belonging to a union movement, and above all, the autonomy of local unions that guarantees to each local section full latitude to establish its admission criteria, to define its internal policy and to negotiate the salaries and work conditions of its members.

The supreme instance of IATSE is its triennial congress, which brings together the delegates of all the local sections and of all the departments from all four corners of North America. It is then that we modify or reaffirm its politics, that we formulate plans for the future and that its statutes and rules are updated. It is also the occasion to elect new leaders that will be in position for the following two years. The Alliance defrays, and even has a fund especially designed for this end, the traveling and lodging costs of the delegates at the congress.

In between congresses, the management of the Alliance is assumed by its general executive Council that is made up of the international President, the General secretary-treasurer and eleven Vice-presidents (of which at least one must be a member of a Canadian local section and reside in Canada). The Council meets at least twice a year.

The administration of current affairs of the Alliance is given to the International President, who has personnel at the core of which we find the assistants to the President as well as the international representatives that work around the United States and Canada to assist and support the local sections’ efforts.

The finances and moneys of the organization are under the surveillance of three elected fiduciaries that effect trimonthly verifications. The Alliance also maintains a professional defense fund to which the local sections ca recur to in order to defray certain legal fees, to support recruitment and unionization campaigns or to put inn place professional formation programs. The dues of Canadian local sections and their members are, in their entirety, deposited or invested in Canada and serve exclusively to defray the expenses of the Alliance in Canada.