I've never heard of an individual union member negotiating a higher individual wage or benefits than what's negotiated by the union. My cursory google search results say the same. Do you have examples of this?
Probably not but neither the article nor comment are about industrial unions? Many of the tech sector unions lack the alleged rigidity of industrial CBAs.
The union in question is for retail employees, not tech employees (even though they sell tech products). They are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an industrial union.
The name of the union organizing workers does not imply much about the contract negotiated on behalf of a bargaining unit. The United Steelworkers have organized google IT subcontractors. (That said I wouldn't expect a ton of compensation flexibility in retail CBAs, but I'm not an expert there either.)
It's extremely common. I'm afraid I don't have time to dig one up, but if you click around here for a while you'll find many contracts in manufacturing that specify minimums per job title.
The entire point of being in a union is for collective bargaining power. What incentive would an employer have to bargain with individuals directly, only to then get raked over the coals by the union for everyone else too?
Treating you special is a liability for the employer when dealing with unions.
When you joined a union you stopped being an individual and you became part of the collective union. That's what you signed up for... and these are the consequences of that decision.
