May 12, 2008

The Bargaining Process

The formal bargaining process generally begins when the union presents its proposals at the negotiating table, at a time and place agreed to by both sides. The process the union goes through to figure out what proposals to present usually includes looking at:

* What the workforce?s experience has shown is ?broken? in the old contract, and what therefore needs to get ?fixed? in the new one.

* How to balance the needs and expectations of various groups of employees represented by the union, which will sometimes be quite different or even in conflict.

* What the union itself needs so it can function as an effective advocate for its members.

* The reality of what?s happening in other workplaces, or in society generally. (For example, is inflation so high that it?s reasonable to expect substantial raises?)

May 5, 2008

How Dues Amounts Are Determined

Sometimes dues are set at a flat dollar amount. If your union uses this approach, then you and all your co-workers pay the identical amount in dues, regardless of the fact that your earnings may vary by quite a bit. Rather than setting dues at a dollar amount, some unions establish dues as a percentage of salary. When this method is used, everyone in the bargaining unit pays dues based on the same percentage. Your union may use a variation, with the amount of union dues determined by brackets of earnings.

April 28, 2008

Practical Aspects of Membership

You Get to Participate in Decision Making. Paying union dues is your ticket to having a say in what the union does. Around contract bargaining time, only dues-paying members of the union are eligible to participate in making many critical decisions. No membership, no say in the process. No membership, no right to vote on the outcome. You Send a Message. A strong, voluntary union membership gets the message across to the employer that the individual employees are standing behind their leaders, so that when a union official addresses the employer, it’s understood that one voice speaks for many. Everything Costs Something. The ultimate strength of the union lies in the determination and participation of its members. But it’s also true that it takes money for an organization to translate good intentions into concrete actions. Everyone needs to pitch in financially to make the union strong.

April 21, 2008

Unions Work Together

The American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is an umbrella organization of 56 American unions, representing some 10 million workers. Just as businesses band together in chambers of commerce, through the AFL-CIO most American unions at the national level are able to work together on a wide range of common concerns. Below the national level, too, your union probably has connections with other unions or with other organizations with compatible goals. On a geographical basis, as well, unions often have ongoing organizational relationships. For example, the AFL-CIO has state federations and central labor councils, which are networks of the different unions that represent employees in a particular city, county or larger geographical area. Another labor federation, Change to Win, is comprised of seven unions representing six million workers.