Why do union members band together

Everyone wants better wages, benefits, and work environments that support social and economic mobility. Unions have proven to be essential to that progress. Here are two sample VPSA messages to consider when talking about unions :. VALUE: Our country is strongest when all of us have the opportunity to work for decent wages under fair and safe conditions. Protecting that opportunity benefits working people, families, communities, and our national economy.

Our economy is unbalanced, with too much power and control by the wealthiest corporations. Unions are the best way for working people to come together and balance the power of corporations, bargaining collectively for fair pay and safe conditions for everyone. They foster economic security and mobility, and strengthen our economy. ACTION: Join us in calling for a just outcome [in this case or legislation], and for strengthening the right of working people to organize and sustain unions to re-balance our economy.

This banding together leads to greater and more equal opportunity for everyone in the workplace. Again and again, unions have advocated for all workers while demanding that people of color and women have an equal shot and freedom from harassment at work. Legislation could make it much harder for people working in the public sector to sustain the unions that protect equal opportunity. Policymakers should strengthen the right to organize as an important civil rights protection.

Ask your organization, your school, your city or town to issue a public statement of support for the right to organize strong unions. Use our interactive Value, Problem, Solution, Action VPSA message building tool to create a message that will energize your base and expand your constituencies.

Talking about the Importance of Unions and Economic Security. Similar Resources: Messaging Memo. Share Share. Themes to Highlight: 1.

Values to uplift include: Community: The strength of our nation springs from the unity of our diverse people.

We are all in it together as Americans and as human beings. When we care about the progress of all members of our society, opportunity is no longer just about personal success but also about our success as a people.

The term interstate commerce has been interpreted broadly over the years and basically includes any employer whose business involves more than one state. Today, this number stands at The NLRB has two basic functions: 1 overseeing employees decision making process of whether to be represented by a labor organization and; 2 prosecuting NLRA violations.

Although many workers are covered by the NLRA, there are several important exceptions. The following groups are exempt or not included :. This Act, also known as the Labor Management Relations Act LMRA , was passed in an effort to limit the power of unions over employees and added a list of prohibited actions by unions, or " unfair labor practices ," to the NLRA, which had previously only prohibited unfair labor practices committed by employers. Specifically, it was passed to address problems like restraining or coercing rights of employees when exercising their rights; discriminating against an employee because of member status in a union; refusing to bargain in good faith; encouraging employees to stop work to force special union matters; and charging excessive fees to both employees and employers.

For more information on unfair labor practices, please see our retaliation for union activity page for additional information. The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act or LMDRA, was passed to impose a code of conduct upon unions, union officers, members, employers and management consultants so that all actors would behave fairly.

Essentially, it regulates labor unions internal affairs. Yes, there may be laws in some states governing unions. The NLRA has specific provisions that allow the states to pass laws regarding specific areas of the law dealing with unions. For example, the NLRA allows states to pass "right to work" laws or " open shop " laws, which means you have the right to work without joining a union or paying union dues.

In addition, state laws govern public sector unions. To begin representing employees, a union must first make an application with the NLRB asking to be the representative of a particular bargaining unit. Typically, the employer will protest that description and want it to be narrowed - if a compromise cannot be reached, then the NLRB, using its discretion and reasonable interpretation of the NLRA, decides who is included.

A union "local" is a locally-based group of organized employees holding a charter from a national or international labor organization. A local may be confined to union members in a particular geographic area or company, or it may cover multiple contracts with various employers in the same business sector.

They are often numbered to distinguish each local from each other. Locals have their own governing bodies which represent the interests of the national or international union but are able to organize regular meetings and be responsible to their constituents. Within the local governing body is usually an executive board elected to look over the interests of the union, control finances including union dues, and manage interactions between workers and employers. Local branches may also affiliate with a local trades council or district council, an organization of local unions involved in all aspects of a particular trade or industry in a particular geographic area.

An example of this is a local building trades organization comprised of many union locals. Most unions have a paid staff that operates and runs the union. This staff is paid by the dues you pay as members of the union.

Each union varies in size, so amount of staff will also vary. Frequently, there will also be member volunteers - so your co-workers and fellow union members may decide to volunteer their time to assist in the efforts of the union. There is a fee associated with being a member of a union. Union dues are what you pay to help support the unions' operating costs, which include union support staff, field staff, legal costs, negotiation costs, arbitrator's fees, and other related costs.

Many unions also use dues to create strike funds, and to support union organizing and political activity. Although there is no law that specifically designates the amount, the fee must be reasonable.

Dues structures vary widely from union to union based on needs. Some unions charge a fixed monthly rate while others charge of a percentage of members paychecks. In addition, many unions charge an initiation fee when an individual first joins. The NLRA provides that "any employee who is a member of and adheres to established and traditional tenets Workers whose religious beliefs don't allow them to pay dues are entitled to alternative arrangement, allowing them to be exempt from paying dues.

However, these individuals may be required to make a contribution in the same amount to a nonreligious organization or a non-labor organization, and still may be required to pay reasonable costs for grievance claims on their behalf if handled by the union.

Whether or not you must join the union to work at a particular job depends on what type of "shop" is present in your workplace.

The type of shop that exists within a union bargaining unit will generally be included in the contract between the union and the employer. There are four typical kinds of shops in unionized workplaces, which are:. A "closed shop" requires its employees to be union members as a condition to being hired for a position covered by the bargaining unit and does not allow the employer to hire anyone not willing to join the union. The most extreme example of the closed shop is the hiring hall, where employers are required to recruit union members from the hiring hall, and cannot hire employees directly.

The Taft-Hartley Act made a closed shop illegal in With a "union shop," an employee is not required to join a union in order to be hired, but must join the union within a certain period of time after starting work, generally within thirty 30 days of starting work. You should realize that although you may not be "officially" required to join the union, you may suffer a cold shoulder from other union members and officials.

If you are part of an "agency shop," you are required to pay union dues and fees, but you are not required to have an actual membership in the union. So you can choose not to be an official member of the union, but you still have to pay dues as though you are a member.

The dues you pay, however, only cover the costs of activities related to collective bargaining, contract administration and grievance adjustment, and not other items such as organizing and political activity. If you object to your dues being spent on a particular purpose, you have the right to object until it is determined whether the money being spent is used for activity related to representing you in bargaining with the employer.

Under a US Supreme Court decision known as "Beck," unions cannot force non-members to pay a full agency fee if any portion is used to pay the costs of union political activities. As a result, unions may be required to calculate that percent of their total budget allocated to political activities, and refund that portion of your agency fee which may be very small.

If you pay agency fees, the union, in return, must represent you in negotiations with the employer, as in an open shop bargaining unit.

However, the union's duties end there - if you are not an official member then you do not receive the broader protections, such as disciplinary processes, included in union contracts. This arrangement is legal as long as your state has not passed a "right to work" law. Most examples of these types of shops are public sector unions including teachers unions.

If you are in a "right to work" state, you may be part of an "open shop," where the unit represents the entire bargaining unit regardless of whether or not all employees are members of the union. Right to work laws guarantee that no person can be compelled to join or not join a union, or pay dues. Generally, most open shops are in right to work states where employees are not required to join a union and pay dues, but the union is still charged with fair and equal representation of all members of the bargaining unit - not just the union members.

There are two types of elections associated with unions. There is an initial election to determine if the majority of employees in a bargaining unit want to be represented or discontinue representation by a union or whether or not to switch their union affiliation. Once the initial election establishes the union's presence in a particular workplace, then the union is supposed to be run democratically, where majority rules - so there will be elections and voting to choose officers and make decisions.

For more information about democratic principles and unions, see the Association for Union Democracy. In short - yes, but it must be careful. The company has the right to express its opinions.

However, the NLRA has rules that somewhat limit that freedom - companies cannot violate their employees' right to unionize if they so choose. It is often a fine line between expressing a policy preference for no unions, which is permitted, and telling employees they cannot unionize, which is illegal. If the company goes too far to discourage its employees from joining a union, it will violate the NLRA and may have to account for its actions to the NLRB.

Companies that do not want unions in their workplace often go to great lengths to discourage union activity, hiring "unionbusters," professional consultants or lawyers who specialize in advising employers on how to thwart union organizing drives or how to decertify unions. Unionbusters usually self-identify as "union avoidance firms," "management consultants," or "labor consultants. For more information, see the Jobs with Justice page " Unionbusters A committee of our co-workers — chosen by us — sits down and hammers out an agreement known as a "union contract" on every issue of concern to our bargaining unit.

The union bargaining committee represents the united strength of all union members. The majority of members must then vote to approve or "ratify" a tentative agreement reached at the bargaining table before it can become adopted as a contract. After the rights of public employees to collectively bargain for a middle-class life came under attack in , working people in all kinds of jobs as well as students, community supporters, faith leaders and others united to defend this basic right.

The United States has long lagged behind other industrialized nations in collective bargaining coverage for public- and private-sector workers. Yet the right to collectively bargain is essential so that working men and women have the strength to improve their living standards, provide for their families and build a strong middle class. A strike is just one tactic available to workers to pressure their employer, and is a tactic of last resort.

The decision to strike is made locally by you and your fellow workers. Members always make the decision whether or not they should strike. In most cases, a strong, well-organized local will not have to strike.

Every major faith tradition embraced by working families includes in its teachings the call for fair treatment of working people. From Jeremiah's "Woe to him The commitment to workplace justice is a natural and historic common ground for the religious community and the union movement. You work in public service because you care about your community. We can do more for our neighbors, our families, and each other if we speak with one voice. When we organize as a union, we gain the strength to make real change.