Way to go!
Bringing in a union gives you a real chance at improving your work life.
Average wages and benefits run higher for workers with union contracts, and a
contract makes your job more secure:
you can no longer be fired "at will". The contract's rules apply to
everyone equally, so they can help make the workplace fairer. A union gives you
something you never get otherwise: a chance for you and your co-workers to sit
down across the table from your boss and have your say on issues that affect
your life in a big way
But getting from here to union takes some doing. Each organizing drive is
different, but you always need to take some basic steps.
See if anyone cares
First you need to quietly feel out your co-workers' level of interest. Are
people distressed, disgusted, pissed off, ready to make changes?
No need to make lots of noise at this stage-in fact, the longer you can work on
the drive without your employer knowing, the better. It gives him less time to
prepare.
See if anyone cares enough to do something
You'll need to pull together an organizing committee. Members of the committee
spend time talking to co-workers, on and off the job. They circulate union cards
and help put flyers together, meet frequently with union staff and each other.
No drive can succeed without a solid core of people willing to put in some
serious hours.
Contact an ILWU organizer and set up a meeting between him or her and your organizing committee.
Put together as much information as you can.
Learn about your co-workers.
* Get information on all the locations and shifts people work (if applicable)
* Put together as complete a phone list as you can
* Find out whether many workers belong to specific ethnic and/or cultural groups. Will you need to think about finding people who can "talk union" in different languages and translate written materials?
Learn about the company.
* Where else does it operate?
* Who are its main customers?
* Do its owners or managers have community or political connections?
* If you work in a warehouse, where do goods come from? Where are they shipped to?
Identify issues to talk to co-workers about
What do people most want to change at work? What are concrete issues you can address in a first union contract? The organizer can help you sort this out. You need to move people so they'll support the drive and get involved, but you don't want to make promises you can't keep. That will cause problems later.
Talk to your co-workers and get union cards signed
A "union authorization card" says you'd like the union to help you get a contract. Signing doesn't bind you to anything and the card stays confidential. Your boss can't see it.
Cards are the basic measure of interest in a union. If you can't get well over half of your co-workers to sign cards, you have little chance of getting the union in.
Talk with the organizer about your rights during a union drive, and prepare to defend them.
The
Federal National Labor Relations Act sets out the rules for employer and
union behavior. The NLRA protects organizing activity. For example, it says
management can't discriminate against workers for union support. But the act
also sets some limits, such as restrictions on when you can discuss the drive.
You're free to talk union during breaks or before or after work, but not during
work time.
Management frequently flouts these rules in an attempt to intimidate people and
discourage organizing. Keep careful notes of any violations of your rights, and
tell the organizer right away.
These violations, called "unfair labor practices," can play an
important role in your drive You can respond through the legal system by filing
charges with the National
Labor Relations Board, the body that enforces NLRA. And you can respond with
direct action, letting your boss know you're serious about organizing and he
can't mess with you.
Learn about common anti-union ploys by employers.
Almost all employers mount anti-union campaigns. They seem to work from the same
playbook, hire the same consultants, tell the same lies and play the same
tricks. Looking at other campaigns can give you a good idea of what to expect in
yours.
Use the information you gathered about the company to broaden
your base of support.
Opportunities for doing this will vary greatly from company to company. In
general, you want to let your boss know he's being watched, and any dirty tricks
he plays will be noted by his customers, his associates in the community and his
political allies. Sometimes you can exert real pressure.
Media attention, when you can get it, can also be useful.
Keep talking to your co-workers and getting cards signed until you
have cards from well over half the people.
Then you're ready to turn interest and support into real union representation.
You can do this in two ways: you can ask the employer to recognize the union, or
go through an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board
Voluntary recognition. Voluntary recognition is faster, easier and
fairer. It spares you the aggravation of an anti-union campaign.
You just go to the employer (with your union rep) and say, "We have
majority support and want you to recognize the union." Even if the employer
agrees, your claim must be verified for the union to be legal. Usually this is
done by a "third-party card check". A person agreed on by the union
and the employer counts the cards and determines that the union has a majority
If so, it wins recognition.
NLRB election. Most often employers won't go for
recognition, and insist on an NLRB-supervised election. This gives them a chance
to mount their anti-union blitz and tie up the election in legal red tape.
If you go to an election, you and the employer will first have to agree on who
will be represented. The NLRB has "unit determination hearings" to
figure this out. Once you agree on the unit, you set a date for the election,
usually about five weeks later.
You can expect a dramatic increase in anti-union nonsense from the employer
during the period leading up to the election. During this period it's especially
important to keep up direct communications with your co-workers. You may also
want to ask the union's help in putting out a newsletter to hand out and mail to
people so you can keep your points firmly in front of them. You may need to
respond to employer misinformation, but mainly you want to keep people focused
on your organizing issues-why you need a union.
Be sure everyone knows how the election will work, understands that it's a
secret ballot and knows where and when they can vote.
If necessary, plan "get out the vote' for election day. Be especially sure
that anyone who's a sure yes" vote can get to the polling place.
When you win the election, enjoy your accomplishment and stay mobilized!
Winning a contract takes as much organization as getting recognition.
Labor Donated