5 Steps to Forming a Union
Start by finding one or two co-workers that you trust who may be interested in organizing a union in your workplace. Share your issues. Are these specific to the workplace? Are the issues systemic in the industry? Have you tried other means of addressing these issues in the past that haven’t been successful? Do you have a vision of how your workplace could be improved or different?
Before proceeding too far, connect with a union organizer who can walk you through the process and help strategize next steps. You can get connected by emailing us.
When you’ve connected with an organizer, it’s time to form an Organizing Committee that will build a timeline for connecting with each individual of the projected CBU.
The Organizing Committee should be as representative as possible of the entire Collective Bargaining Unit.
The plan developed by the Organizing Committee is undertaken by talking to co-workers that will be in the proposed CBU to make sure everyone has an opportunity to be involved. Co-workers are asked to “show interest” by filling out union cards to show support for having a union.
To prepare for going “public”, it’s important to organize your message and its eventual distribution through press, politicians, institutions, & social media.
Public support is a powerful tool once you are public. It can inspire co-workers and put pressure on Management to not be anti-worker and to respect workers’ rights to organize.
Once majority support is reached, the employer can be approached to voluntarily recognize the union through a “card check” process that verifies the majority status. Alternatively, the union can request the National Labor Relations Board to hold a secret ballot election.
If an election is necessary, it is completely anonymous. Voting takes places via a secret ballot. Management is only allowed to see the yes/no results in numbers.
At the same time, speaking with a unified voice as a large group prevents management from pressuring you on how to vote and builds a strong union in preparation for negotiations.
After the union is certified, you and your co-workers will negotiate a legally binding contract with your employer that puts in writing all terms of your employment related to wages, hours, and working conditions. Following the completion of negotiations, you vote to approve the contract.
The union will provide support for issues related to legal, accounting, negotiating, and other necessary areas of expertise to build a strong contract.
By law, the bargaining committee is allowed access to information that pertains to wages, hours, and working conditions. This ensures informed proposals can be made that can benefit the workers and ensures the success of the business.
Contract negotiation typically happens every 3 years, but can range between 1-5 years.
