Their president and vice-president made the same salary as a chief butcher, their business agent made the same as a journeyman meatcutter, and so on. Also, the Meatcutters officers went on the same strike pay as members. The Electrical Workers have a provision in their constitution that no officer may have a salary higher than that of their highest-paid member. Unions need leaders, but they don't need a hierarchy or an elite. Democracy, to me, only starts with elections.
Democracy also requires openness and responsiveness from officers.
It requires a desire to explain proposed actions to the members and then to solicit the members' opinions. Democracy requires open meetings and actively keeping the lines of communication humming in both directions. You can tell a tremendous amount from attending a union meeting. There should be a lot of information exchanged. Union newspapers are also very revealing.