HOW TO FORM A UNION WHERE YOU WORK

WORKING PEOPLE IN ALL WALKS OF LIFE JOIN TOGETHER TO GAIN A VOICE AT WORK. UNION MEMBERS HAVE A SAY ABOUT PAY, BENEFITS, WORKING CONDITIONS AND HOW THEIR JOBS GET DONE-AND HAVING THAT SAY GIVES THEM A “UNION ADVANTAGE.”

 

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A UNION AT YOUR JOB, FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW TO FORM ONE. TODAY, MORE PEOPLE ARE TAKING THE STEPS TO FORM UNIONS ON THE JOB THAN AT ANY TIME IN RECENT HISTORY. YOU CAN BE ONE OF THEM! 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…encourage 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 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.

 

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 a 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, call the local union, or central labor council in your community.

 

HERE ARE SOME PLACES TO LOOK FOR HELP IN ORGANIZING ELECTRICAL SHOPS:

 

 

IBEW LOCAL 265, 6200 S. 14^TH LINCOLN, NE. 68512, PHONE (402) 423-4497

IBEW LOCAL 22, 8946 “L” ST. OMAHA, NE. 68127, PHONE (402) 331-8147

www.ibew.org

www.ibew265.org