How to Form a Union Where You Work
Here are three steps that will get you started.
STEP ONE: Know Your Rights
It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to…encourag[e] the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and [to] protect…the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection.
—National Labor Relations Act
Federal and state laws guarantee the right to form unions! Eligible employees have the right to express their views on unions, to talk with their co-workers about their interest in forming a union, to wear union buttons, to attend union meetings and in many other ways to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association.*
Despite these laws, many employers strongly resist their employees’ efforts to gain a voice at work through unionization. So, before you start talking union where you work, get in touch with a union that will help you organize.
*Supervisors and a few other kinds of employees customarily are excluded from coverage. For more information, see specific laws covering your position or contact a union organizer as described below.
STEP TWO: Find Out Which Union is Right for You
To form a union on the job, you need the backup and hands-on help from the union you are seeking to join. If you don’t already know which union is most able to help you, find out more about the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO by visiting their websites. Many of these websites enable you to contact the right person there directly to help you form a union.
In communities across the country, the AFL-CIO has local and state councils where unions come together to work toward common goals. To find out about union activity in your community, visit the website of your state federation of labor or central labor council, or check local directory assistance for this phone listing. Staff members at these offices can put you in touch with a local union that is right for you.
STEP THREE: Get in Touch with a Union Organizer
Union organizers assist employees in forming unions on the job to give them the same opportunity for dignity and respect, good wages and decent working conditions that union members already have. To get in touch with a union organizer, complete the attached form. The completed form will be forwarded automatically to an organizer at the union you choose. It will not be transmitted or disclosed otherwise.
source: AFL-CIO
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In: On The Job Advice · Tagged with: Afl Cio, Collective Bargaining, Constitutional Rights, Eligible Employees, Forming A Union, Freedom Of Association, Freedom Of Speech, Full Freedom, Labor Relations Act, Local Directory, National Labor Relations, National Labor Relations Act, Self Organization, State Councils, State Federation, Three Steps, Union Buttons, Union Meetings, Union Organizer, Unionization
