In today's political and economic climate, now more than ever workers need to join together. A union can help create a more level playing field with your employer. Instead of one person telling management that wages should be fair, health and safety regulations should be followed and employees deserve good health care benefits, a union helps you speak together, in one voice. And that chorus of voices has more power than one lone voice. A union is the vehicle workers can use to help bring the chorus together.
 

    CWA's Organizing Goal Is Not Simply To Win Elections Winning elections assures the union and employees of their legal right to enter into negotiations with the employer. That's all. CWA's organizing goal is to build a strong organization to better enable employees to negotiate good contracts and increase their standard of living and quality of life. With a union, workers can get together and create a positive vision for their workplace.

                     How to Organize a Union Where You Work
 

       Interested in organizing a union in your workplace? A union is simply a majority of employees who join together to better their work lives.

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) you have the legal right to form a union in your workplace. The NLRA says:

Section 7: "Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representation of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining . . . ."
 

Section 8(a): "It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer. .  . to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7. . . ."

                                      Getting Started

     To get a union started, the first thing you need to do is talk to your co-workers. Do they share the same concerns you have? Or, do they have other issues? Is there a common theme to these concerns such as lack of respect and dignity; lack of a voice in the workplace; unfair treatment; and/or wages and benefits lower than other people working in the same industry?

 

                   Workers Create Their Own Organization
 

  Our experience tells us that it's best when workers organize themselves if they are to create a viable organization in their workplace. CWA organizers and staff can help. But it's the workers who must join together and build their organization. After talking with your co-workers to find out their issues, you can call CWA to talk with a union organizer. He or she will set up a meeting with you and some of your co-workers. Together, you will create a plan for a organizing a union in your workplace.

 

                         A Typical Organizing Campaign
 

The campaign will consist of talking with co-workers about the union, asking them to sign a petition of support. When there is a strong majority of support (65% of employees have signed the petition of support), the union will file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Usually, the NLRB will then meet with the union and the employer to establish the criteria for employees who will be eligible to vote in the union election. The NLRB sets a date for a secret ballot election.

 

                                     What You Can Do
 

Under Section 7 of the NLRA, you have the legal right to:

1. Attend meetings to discuss joining a union.
 

2. Read, distribute, and discuss union literature (as long as you do this in non-work areas   during non-work times, such as during breaks or lunch hours).
 

3. Wear union buttons, t-shirts, stickers, hats, or other items on the job.
 

4. Sign a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union.
 

5. Sign petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working

    conditions, and other job issues.
 

6. Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions, or to file       grievances.
 

                                     Bargaining A Contract
 

After the union's election victory is officially certified by the NLRB,

your employer is legally required to negotiate in "good faith" with the union on a written contract covering wages, hours, and other working conditions.

                                          Public Workers
 

Some public workers do not have the right to bargain collectively. However, they do have the right to form a union and work together to lobby for better wages and working conditions. Contact CWA to find out the laws in your state.