Posted: 8/5/2009 11:05:09 PM EDT
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So I have been hired for a job that works great with my school schedule. After passing all my classes, and getting licenced I am now permanent. I guess with the recent changes in what I believe to be an "Open Ballot" system where confidentality is no longer respected, I am being asked to sign in a Union into this workplace.
Personal feelings aside, anyone who questions my right to information on this union to include: Financial Disclosures, Contract Proposals, Dues Schedules, etc. does not merit my vote. I have also overheard several people talking about how these union reps have come to peoples homes UNINVITED to ask why they have not voted yet. Needless to say, I am new, and need all the help I can get from those that are experienced there, but am afraid that if I vote with my values that I will be setting myself up to fail at this job since I "may" not be able to count on anyone for help. I guess I am easily intimidated and just need some good advise. Has anyone else gone through this? It's my opinion that the pay is on par with the work, and it works well for me with school. Any advice? |
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Currently, there is still a secret ballot as part of the union organizing process. Democrats in congress are trying to kill this provision under the Employee "Free Choice" Act, which will mandate a union should 50 percent of employees, plus one, signs union cards. This will ultimately subject non-union employees to threats, intimidation, coercion and harassment by organizing officials and co-workers. After all, if the person asking you to sign a card is also the one who will be the shop steward, what good would it do to "vote your conscience" and not sign a card if you will not be on the work roles once that union is voted in. Worse, EFCA will also place a federal arbitrator in charge of placing a contract in place for the workers that is binding. That means the federal watchdog agency in charge of union organizing will write the contracts. Imagine what this will do for productivity and the price of goods and services.
Regardless, as it stands right now, the National Labor Relations Board still administers those elections once the requisite number of cards have been signed, collected and presented to the NLRB by the union. If your workplace is already represented by organized labor, then what you're being asked to sign is a card authorizing them to represent you - -and for you to pay monthly dues for the privilege of that representation. If this is the case, you have no recourse. If this is a union-organizing effort, stand your ground on this one. You'll want to modify this statement to fit your needs, but when it comes to defending against unions, you need to "be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." They will. These guys are in business to make your business less efficient, relationships at the work more contemptuous and working conditions downright difficult. The goal is simple, to have as many dues payers as possible taking as long as possible to produce a product or service in order to justify more workers and more union work rules and thus collect more union dues. This is why unions have gone from representing more than 40 percent of American workers after WWII to what is now acknowledged to be six or seven percent and falling. Take their card, but don't sign it. Get a voice recorder that you can hide in a shirt pocket and turn on with a single button. When these organizers come to talk to you, whether at work or at home, record what they say. Alaska is a one-party state, which means you can record a conversation, whether in person or on the phone, if one of the two or more parties agrees. One of those parties can be the person recording. If you get threats, if you get harassed, keep good records (date, time, people involved, potential witnesses, etc.) and present that information to the National Labor Relations Board. It might help to discuss this ahead of time with your company's human resources group. They'll have the knowledge of exactly how to do this and exactly how to present it to the NLRB. This is serious business. You don't want to be caught in the middle, you don't want to be left behind, but you also don't want to be steamrollered by a well-greased machine that wants your dues. |
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If this is a union-organizing effort, stand your ground on this one. You'll want to modify this statement to fit your needs, but when it comes to defending against unions, you need to "be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet." They will.
Thanks Joe, see, they are not currently represented, so these cards are to bring in the Union I guess. So I'll be polite, professional and have a plan to kill everyone. I will stand by my guns though on wanting their financial disclosures, proposed dues schedules, and sample contracts and payscales. That way if I dont vote, and they ask why, I can say, they never got the information to me and I do not make un-informed decisions. Think that will fly? ETA, are they allowed to come to my home un-invited? |
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Ken, that will fly, but I'd love to get an IM telling me which union and which company. Some do it by the books, but others are led by sneaky bastards with low scruples.
Have your recorder ready, maybe even have Mrs. Camo Ken ready with a camcorder, to catch the guys when they come to your house. They can show up at your door, but it's just like any other door-to-door salesman (and the union organizer is a salesman), you don't have to buy. If they push back and get belligerent, they're now in deep dark territory. I'd listen to him, ask the questions, stick to your guns, take the card from him, ask for the info before you sign because this is something you haven't experienced before and want to be sure you do the right thing and want to be sure you weigh all the information from both sides before making a decision. Have the recorder going so that you have a record in case there is anything that smells like harassment, intimidation, coercion, threats (this is like a broken record, but I've seen it all), etc. Once the union gets 60 percent of those cards signed, the true ugliness will begin. Your company cannot threaten, interrogate, promise anything or spy on you (TIPS). The same does not go for the union organizers. Don't sign the card, and your name goes on their list. They already have a couple of organizers from within the company. They can either be known to the rest of the employees or not. Those people will usually end up being your shop steward. You know, the ones who will be making work assignments, deciding on shifts and hours, vacation schedules, etc. TIPS. The good thing is that, once the cards are signed and a bargaining unit established, both the company and the union have a set time period during which either can talk to the employees. The union will call these 'captive meetings' and act with indignity and outrage that the company would dare do this. The smart employee will realize that this will be the only time during the campaign when the company can listen to the employees' grievances, address issues and present their side of the argument. The smart employee will use this information and exchange of ideas to their advantage. The union organizers are under no such rules. They can (and do) promise you 'union scale,' better wages, better benefits, etc. The truth here is that they can promise nothing, but frequently promise everything by pointing to other contracts that they have been able to bargain. Bottom line is that when negotiations begin, these newly-covered employees will start at ZERO EVERYTHING and bargain up from there. After the secret ballot election has been completed (and overseen by the NLRB), expect a ruling from the NLRB within a specific time period. I forget the timeframe. In Alaska, it's amazing how quickly the union reps find out about the results before the company and the proposed bargaining unit members learn of the results. If the union loses (and they do more often than not in Alaska), then the union will file multiple Unfair Labor Practices against the company. This will effectively stretch out the results for several more months while the NLRB looks at the accusations, then hands it off to the Seattle region to investigate and rule upon, whereupon they may force another election. All the while, the union-fired angst continues at your company. Expect vandalism. Expect threats. Expect friendships to quickly be flushed down the toilet. Expect violence. You'd be surprised how often this happens from your supposed 'friends' at the job site. Worse, for companies that are already barely hanging onto market share or supply contracts during this shaky economy may find themselves out of business within a year or so of signing a new contract. We've all seen the stories where nervous employees listen to the sales presentation by their local union on how they're going to save jobs and bring back prosperity (hear that, Vinny Beltrami) and how American was great when American was Union –– only to lose their jobs and the company out of business within six months after voting in a union. Unions are not in place to ensure market share or employee productivity or keeping COGS low or reigning in expenses. They are there to get union members who pay union dues so the organizers and union leaders can be paid a salary. You're walking barefoot on a beautifully manicured lawn on a clear summer night after after 100 dogs have been there for the day. Be careful, you might or might not step in something, but if you do, it's going to be really sticky and really stinky. |
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My worry was basically that I would be labeled a "non supporter" and get sold out on something on the first instance. Personally, I dont like unions, especially the particular one that they are trying to get on board. Now things are just rampant w/ all the union swag being passed around, and people being asked, "Why are'nt you wearing your shirt or hat?"...
My mother is from Cuba, after speaking with her, she said it reminded her of Havana during the revolution. |