How do I get started?
You have the federal and state right to unionize with your coworkers.
A labor union is formed when enough workers sign and file union cards. which triggers a recognition filing with the Employment Relations Board (ERB), or an election through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If your workplace is a private sector non-profit agency or company, it will be routed through the NLRB, culminating in a confidential, on-site election.
Organizing begins as a two-step process:
Eligible staff meet and work together outside of work hours to build consensus and sign authorization cards
A majority of eligible staff vote YES to approve forming a union
You will be prepared in advance with your AFSCME Organizer to approach next steps and meet any unexpected challenges.
Steps to build your union:
Begin collecting authorization cards
Work with your AFSCME Organizer to coordinate organizing committee meetings outside of work hours, using in person communication, personal emails, or phone numbers (NOT work phone/email!)
Assess your coworker’s support for unionizing - your AFSCME Organizer will help you review the assessment process and the consolidated list of which staff qualified for inclusion in the union.
Listen to your coworkers. List and refine the issues that are driving the organizing process.
Collect authorization cards signed by your coworkers.
Your employer never sees who signed a card.
2. Talk to your coworkers about joining
Before your union can be recognized, you need a majority of support from all eligible staff across locations and departments. Make an effective plan to talk to your coworkers and encourage them to be a part of your union.
Once the majority of employees sign cards, the completed cards will be sent to the National Labor Relations Board to be verified. Authorization cards cannot be recognized until you have a majority of support.
The better your plan, the faster you can reach a majority and be recognized as an AFSCME unionized workplace.
3. Set priorities in negotiations
Once employees successfully organize to join AFSCME, bargaining surveys will be distributed to staff to figure out what issues are most important. Employees will also elect a representative bargaining team to ensure that their needs are met and communicated throughout the contract process.
When your cards have been verified by the NLRB, you can bargain for a contract with your employer. A contract is a legally binding document that guarantees job standards in writing, whether it is to establish new policies in reaction to your current conditions or to preserve and protect things that you want to maintain at your workplace.
4. Bargain your first contract!
Negotiations between the unionized workers and your employer will then be under way.
Your bargaining team will be assigned an AFSCME representative who understands the process, laws, and of bargaining to advise them.
Management will have their own bargaining team, and a lawyer to advise them. Both sides will meet to bargain over each section of the contract.
Once both sides have agreed on a draft of the contract, it goes back to the union-eligible employees, who can vote to ratify it.
Once the contract is ratified, congratulations! You have your first contract!
The sooner you can reach a majority, file for recognition, and win, the sooner you can be at the bargaining table and create a sustainable union that represents both your coworkers, your clients, and the standards of care that you work to maintain.
It's important to keep your eyes open for retaliatory and unlawful activity when doing all of this. It is illegal for an employer to interfere with your union effort or try to influence your decision to support it. The employer can only provide facts or tell you what they think IF you ask. Remember S.P.I.T. -- employers CANNOT spy, threaten, intimidate, or promise you things in an effort to suppress you and your coworkers from organizing your union.
Document and report any possible violations to your AFSCME Organizer as you work with them throughout the organizing process.
Reminder: creating a union requires a lot of hard work!
Organizing a union takes a lot of effort, most of it on top of your regular work schedule. You are organizing to form YOUR union in your workplace, and therefore most of the on-the-ground organizing is done by YOU and your coworkers. An important part of organizing early on is to consider what coworkers will be able to do this in a timely, confidential, and coordinated manner, all while remaining open to bringing in others to help share the workload as things build momentum.
Organizers at AFSCME act as mentors and guide you through the process. They are often available to meet with your organizing team during evenings or weekends if that is what works best for the team. Their job is to provide you with all of the resources and information you need to create an organizing committee that can operate quietly, efficiently, and effectively.