What is a Union?
- What is a Union?
- How do you form a union?
- What does a Union Do?
- What's a Grievance Procedure?
- What's a Shop Steward?
Contracts
- Who negotiates the contract?
- What kind of say do I get in the contract?
- How long do contracts last?
- Isn't the IWW opposed to Contracts?
Organizing a Union
- What's a Bargaining Unit?
- Are authorization cards binding?
- Are authorization cards the same thing as membership cards?
- What are union dues used for?
- What's a "union shop"?
- How democratic are unions?
- What if I have more questions?
A union is a group of employees in which a majority decide to bargain collectively to try to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. They can do this independently or with the help of an established labor organization. For more information, please see our What is a Union? page.
In the unites States, there are at least four different ways to organize a union in your workplace. They include:
- Winning a simple majority of pro-union votes in a secret election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board;
- Convincing the employer to voluntarily recognize the union as the sole bargaining agent of all wage workers in ths workplace (or appropriate bargaining unit), if a simple majority of workers authorize the union to represent them;
- Striking for Recognition. and convincing the employer to recognize the union; or
- Convincing your fellow workers in the workplace to act as a union, using direct action and solidarity to win better working conditions without legal representation. This is sometimes called "minority unionism", because such tactics are often used if the union does not secure majority support from the workforce initially.
The strategy you choose is up to you and your fellow workers and will likely depend on the conditions in your workplace. See Recognition Strategies for more details.
One objective of a union is to secure a contract which spells out the wages, benefits and working conditions for employees. Once a contract is signed by the employer and ratified by the employees, the union then exists to help any employee who wants such help to smooth over problems with management. This is done through the grievance procedure. However unions are much more than this. Unions provide mutual aid for their workers and often take leading roles in community struggles.
The grievance procedure is a procedure spelled out in u union contract that explains how any conflicts between employees and management is to be resolved. Basically it works as follows: Let's say you've been written up for something and you feel it isn't fair. You talk with your managers but they refuse to do anything about it. You then go to your shop steward (see below) to get help. The steward sits down with you and management and tries to resolve the issue. If it can't be resolved at this meeting, a union representative may come to the store to talk with management. If they still cannot resolve the problem to everyone's satisfaction, the business agent will appeal to upper management. If this step fails, the union can bring in a neutral arbitrator who will issue a final decision on the matter. Not all grievance procedures are alike; they vary from union to union and shop to shop. The grievance procedure you set up will depend on how and what you negotiate (in) your union contract.
What's a shop steward and a business agent?
A shop steward is simply a coworker that is elected by you to make sure that the contract isn't violated. In addition, s/he is the person to contact when an employee has a problem with management and wants union help. A business agent is an official of the union that handles any problems the shop steward cannot. The great majority of problems are solved by the steward on the shop floor. Since the IWW is an all volunteer union, the "business agent" is simply a volunteer elected from a local branch.
The company and the union put teams together. The company's team is usually comprised of lawyers, local management and upper management officials. The union team usually consists of bargaining unit (see below) employees, lawyers, and union negotiators. The negotiating team may consist of any workers in the shop that you elect, as well as any union representatives that you request.
What kind of say do I get in the contract?
The IWW is a rank & file. democratically controlled union. You, the workers in the shop have the final authority on any decisions regarding the contract. A small, elected team of volunteers (plus one or two volunteers from the union if needed and / or desired by the workers in the shop) will carry out the day-to-day work of negotiating a contract. You could be on the negotiating team, but at the very least you get to vote on the contract. If a majority doesn't approve of the contract, the negotiating team has to go back to the drawing board.
Generally, most contracts last from 1 - 5 years, with a large percentage of those falling into the 2 - 3 year range. A few contracts are longer. The length of the contract depends on the needs of the workers in the shop, balanced with the whims of the bosses. Unions might favor a long contract if the conditions mandated by it are favorable to the workers. Bosses tend to favor longer contracts, especially if they can force the union to accept less-than ideal working conditions. A strong union can usually avoid settling for a long, weak contract. Generally, it is not a good idea for a union contract to last longer than three years, because conditions can change very rapidly in that period of time. Some contracts contain "openers" clauses, that allow the union or management to open the contract for renegotiation during the life of the contract if certain conditions are met.
Isn't the IWW Opposed to Contracts?
Throughout most of our history, the IWW publicly opposed contracts in the United States and Canada for the following reasons:
- Contracts were often not honored by the employers (until the National Labor Relations Act made unions "legal" in the US;
- Many IWW members were itinerant workers, moving from job-to-job. The IWW fought for universal job improvements by industry, not individual boss;
- A contract represents a temporary truce in the class war (most of which is waged by the boss class against the working class)
- Employers often used contracts to prevent workers from taking direct action (by refusing to sign contracts without a "no-strike" pledge).
These are still excellent reasons to be skeptical of even the best union contract. The IWW still maintains that the strongest "contract" is the notion that workers can abolish the wage system today if they all refuse to work for the boss, and that direct action gets the goods. However, we also realize that in the short term, signing a contract sometimes makes that long term goal easier. Even in the early days of the IWW, the union agreed to an occasional contract. Therefore, the IWW believes that each workplace must decise for themselves what strategy is best for them.
What's this "bargaining unit" thing I've heard about?
The bargaining unit defines which employees are eligible to vote for and be in the union. Excluded by federal law are managers and security guards. (But security guards can have their own union contract).
Hey, if I sign a union authorization card, does that mean I have to vote yes in the election? What if I change my mind?
You can vote any way you like in the election whether or not you signed a card. It's secret ballot so no one, neither management nor anyone else, will ever know how you voted.
What's the difference between an authorization card and a union membership card?
An authorization card merely indicates that you authorize the union to represent you should it become the legal bargaining agent for your workplace. If you choose to join the IWW, you will be given a membership card, which indicates you are a member of our organization with all the rights and privileges of membership. Most unions require that you work in a union shop for a short period of time (usually three months) before you can join a union. Or, you are not allowed to join the union until you successfully organize a new shop. The IWW will not require that you or your co-workers join the union until you have successfully organized your workplace, but you or or co-workers may join the union any time you like.
What are union dues? What are they used for?
Union dues are the money you pay to the union to help pay for operating expenses, including production of organizing materials. IWW dues are the lowest of just about any union, ranging from $6 to $18 in US dollars. Rates vary for other nations (based on local economic conditions). Additionally, initiation fees, which can often be exorbitant in other unions (sometimes as much as $1000), are the same as one-month's IWW dues. And, unlike other unions, the IWW uses all of its dues on organizing and minimal operating expenses.
The IWW doesn't allow massive PAC contributions to political parties, six-figure salaries for fat-cat union bosses, and expensive conventions and perks for union officials (who are all elected by the membership and answer to the rank & file).
This means that all employees in the bargaining unit (see above) must be part of the union. It's a standard part of most contracts. It enables the union to bargain from a stronger position, which benefits all employees. In some states, especially in the southern USA, "union shops" are illegal. This is a tool the boss uses to undermine union solidarity in so-called "right-to-work" states.
It depends on the union. Some unions are not democratic at all, others preach democratic values, but don't allow (or at least discourage) rank & file control. Still others try to turn rank & file militancy on and off like a water faucet when contract negotiations begin and end.
The IWW is the most democratic union in the world. No other union allows members to vote regardless of their status or skills level. No other union places strict restrictions on the powers of its elected officials. As long as you pay your IWW union dues, you will be allowed to vote on any issue that affects you, your workplace, your branch, your industry, or the entire union.
What if I have more questions?
Feel free to ask around. Ask both pro-union folk and management. Both would love to answer your questions. Stop by a unionized store (ask a pro-union person to get you a list or ask a union organizer where such a store is) and talk to the employees there. See what they think of their union. If you know another IWW member, ask them what they think of the IWW. If you don't know any union members, you may contact us with questions. We will do your best to answer them.
Some of these questions are taken from "How to Organize a Union" by Shannon Matthews, as featured on the unofficial ILWU site. We recommend you visit that site for more information.
