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Common Questions about Organizing a Union
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Can I be fired or disciplined for starting or supporting an effort to organize a union?
Section 8(a) of the National Labor Relations Act protects the right to form a union, but you must be willing to stand up for your beliefs. It is illegal for a
company to fire or discipline an employee for union activity. When employers break the law, Teamsters Local 688 does everything in its power to bring them to justice. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
What does signing a union authorization card mean? Is it confidential?
Signing a Teamsters Local 688 authorization card means you want union
representation in your workplace. Your signature does not require you to pay dues, assessments or fees. It is simply a way to gauge support and
ensure enough workers are committed to forming a union. In a Local 688 organizing campaign, only the following individuals will know you signed an
authorization card: union organizer(s), rank-and-file organizing committee members and National Labor Relations Board representative. Management
has no legal right to know if you or any other co-workers signed cards. In fact, it is illegal for them to interrogate workers about union activity. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
What is the organizing committee?
The organizing committee is the foundation and strength of a union organizing campaign. Organizing committee members are workers like you
who are willing to put in the extra time to build a union: i.e., organizing meetings, distributing and developing literature and talking to co-workers. In
most campaigns, at least 10 percent of the total work force belongs to the organizing committee. Your Teamster Local 688 organizer provides support,
expertise and leadership, but the organizing committee implements and carries out the campaign. The Committee is the first step in building a union. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
How long does it take to organize a union?
Most campaigns take three to six months, but Local 688 has led campaigns that have not fit within that timeframe. There is no "standard" campaign
length because it depends upon workers' support for a union and management's approach to the campaign. The key is that forming a union means more than signing a card. It takes a real commitment to make a
difference in the workplace. More Questions and Answers |
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What is the campaign like?
Not all campaigns are the same, but most are tough. Management
sometimes hires anti-union consultants who develop and implement systematic campaigns to beat down workers' attempts to organize. It often
costs more for companies to hire these high-priced consultants than it does to negotiate a fair collective bargaining agreement. Consultants train
management to fight union campaigns with a variety of tactics, including leaflets, letters, videos, captive audience meetings, temporary workplace
improvements, visits from upper management, etc. The key to a company campaign is delay. The company usually has at least six weeks from the
date workers file for an election until election day, which gives them time to change the hearts and minds of workers who want to form a union. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
Why are most companies adamantly against employees forming unions?
It is an issue of control. Money and benefits generally have little to do with
businesses' strong stance against unions. Without a union, management has all the control--ranging from hours, pay, benefits, safety, treatment, overtime, hours, etc. With a union, the playing field is level and
management must answer employees' concerns. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
Who runs the union? Aren't union officers a bunch of outsiders?
You are the Union. In fact, Local 688 members elect local officers every three years and International officers every five years. Officers and staff
come from the diverse industries that Local 688 represents: manufacturing, warehousing, delivery, route driving, office/clerical, etc. You can still work
directly with management when you have a problem. The difference is that a union provides employees with a stronger, collective voice to address unresolved problems. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
I heard most unions are corrupt, especially the Teamsters.
Teamster leaders come from jobs just like yours. Most of these leaders are decent, hardworking individuals who are interested in helping and improving
members' lives. Yes, there have been examples of dishonest officials who broke the law or ethical codes and those individuals have been barred from the union. Businesses and government organizations face the same
challenges. Also, IBT General President James P. Hoffa has developed an ethical code for the union, RISE
, that will provide the union a direct hand in ensuring local officials do the right thing for members.
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People I trust said the company will close if employees form a union.
It is against the law for a company to close or move because workers
choose union representation. In addition, a financially healthy company will remain open and a struggling company might close, but the decision has
nothing to do with union representation. It is plain economics; union and non-union companies close all the time. Important factors are the industry, economic environment and financial situation, not union status. More Questions and Answers |
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Co-workers said there is a good chance we will be forced to strike.
Management talks about strikes as a scare tactic to defeat your effort to form a union, but the truth is only you can vote to strike and 99 percent of Local 688 contracts are settled without a strike. Local 688 staff
representatives negotiate nearly 200 contracts every three to five years without a work stoppage, but only strikes make the news. Also, the IBT is
the largest union in the world at 1.4 million members. It only makes statistical sense that we have more strikes than smaller unions. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
My friend is in a union, yet he makes less and has less benefits than
I. Why do I need one?
Every union, contract and company is different. Your contract depends upon
many variables: company financial health, industry economic environment, union strength and member priorities. For example, members might choose
to focus on health care improvements versus wage increases. The idea of a union is to achieve a contract that addresses your specific issues.More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
What is the grievance procedure everyone talks about? Can I still
handle problems on my own?
A grievance procedure is the foundation of a union contract. If you have a
problem at work, you can still deal directly with the supervisor. If you are not satisfied with the supervisor's response and believe a contract violation
exists, a grievance procedure provides legal recourse to present your case. A grievance procedure is the key tool in holding management accountable
to contract terms. A grievance procedure often has the following steps:
Step 1: Discuss the problem with immediate supervisor.
Step 2: Discuss the problem with steward and file a grievance that states
the violation.
Step 3: The grievant's case is presented to a two-person board where company and union representatives, who were not involved in the alleged infraction, attempt to come to a decision.
Step 4: The union and the company agree to an impartial arbitrator to decide the case.
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What is the "union security clause" in Local 688 contracts? I heard the only purpose of this clause is to build the union's treasury, not
represent members.
Local 688 negotiates a union security clause in its agreements to protect
members from free riders who get benefits of a union without joining or paying dues. Since Federal law requires unions to represent free riders,
Local 688 negotiates a union security clause to ensure everyone pays their fair share. As a result, Local 688 has the unity to ensure members are represented to the fullest extent possible. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
Is the company forced to negotiate a contract after we vote to form a
union? Can management refuse to negotiate?
Federal law requires the company to negotiate in "good faith," but it is not
required to agree to all union proposals. There is one thing a Union can guarantee: when workers form a union they have more bargaining power and
a stronger voice than they do as individuals. Newly-formed unions do not bargain from scratch. Regardless of what the company says during the campaign, it only makes sense for both parties to bargain based on the
current level of wages and benefits. In addition, union members have the ultimate protection...they vote to accept or not accept the contract offer. No one is going to support a contract that reduces wages and benefits.
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Who decides what we get in the contract?
It's your contract.You elect a negotiating committee comprised of
co-workers and have a meeting to develop proposals for the first contract. Proposals include wages, benefits, vacation, grievance procedure, working
conditions, etc. In fact, we encourage organizing committees to begin thinking about what they would like to see in their first contract during the
campaign. Your elected negotiating committee and business representative begin negotiating with the company after the election. Members can vote to accept or reject the company's final offer.
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What about union dues and assessments? Can you be fined for missing meetings? How much is the initiation fee?
Union dues are two and one half times your hourly rate, with a minimum of $20 per month. If you make $12 per hour, your dues would be $30 per month. No one pays dues until you have a negotiated contract that has
been approved by a majority of workers. Local 688 members also pay a $1 per month assessment to a strike fund for Local 688 members. Local 688 members vote on dues and assessments and no one can be fined for
missing membership meetings. The one-time initiation fee during an organizing campaign is only five dollars and workers hired after the contract
is ratified will pay an inititation fee based on their hourly rate. Again, no one pays a dime until you have a negotiated contract that has been approved by a majority of workers. More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
Who does Local 688 represent?
Does my job "fit" in the Teamsters Union?
Teamsters represent workers in nearly every industry, occupation and
classification. Based in St. Louis and one of the largest unions in the IBT, Local 688 has represented workers throughout Eastern Missouri for the last
60 years. Nearly 10,000 Local 688 members work in manufacturing, route delivery, warehousing, food service, entertainment and office/clerical for
companies that include United Parcel Service, Central States Coca-Cola, Schnucks, Pepsi-America and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.More Questions and Answers | Back to Top
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Who should I contact to learn more about organizing?
Call Steve Johnson
at (314)658-5730 to learn more about organizing. Your questions will be kept confidential.
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