We appreciate your visiting our new website and hope it will meet your expectations. The content of the website is dependent on the membership of the Local voicing your ideas and opinions. Please feel free to let me know what you want to see and what you expect from it.
Robert Jackson, Financial Secretary/Webmaster
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Your Legal Rights
You have the legal right under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act
to join or support a union and to:
1. Attend meetings to discuss joining a union.
2. Read, distribute and discuss union literature (as long as you do this in
non-work areas during non-work times, such as during breaks or lunch hours.)
3. Wear union buttons, T-shirts, stickers, hats or other items on the job.
4. Sigh a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union.
5. Sigh petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working conditions
and other job issues.
6. Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions
or to file grievances.
Union Elections
To establish a union in a workplace, a majority of employees must express support
for the union.
In most situations, the employees prove majority support through election conducted
by the National Labor Relations Board.
"Good Faith" Bargaining
After the union's election victory is officially certified by the National Labor
Relations Board (NLRB), your employer is legally required to negotiate in "good
faith" with the union on a written contract covering wages, hours and other
working conditions.
Protection From Employer Action
Under Section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act, your employer cannot legally
punish or discriminate against any worker because of union activity.
For example, your employer cannot legally do the following:
• Threaten to or actually fire, lay-off, discipline, harass, transfer
or reassign employees because they support the union.
• Favor employees who don't support the union over those who do in promotions,
job assignments, wages, hours, enforcement of rules or any other working condition.
• Shut down the work site or take away any benefits or privileges employees
already enjoy in order to discourage union activity.
• Promise employees a pay increase, promotion, benefit or special favor
if they oppose the union.
Enforcing Your Rights
Some employers try to prevent the workers from joining a union.
The best way to encourage your employer to recognize your union and negotiate
a fair contract is to build a strong organization where you work.
If your employer violates the law, the union can help you file "unfair
labor practice" charges with the NLRB.
The Labor Board has the power—backed up by the federal courts—to
order an employer to stop interfering with employee rights, to provide back
pay and to reverse any action taken against workers for union activity.
You can help protect your legal rights by:
• Keeping written notes of any incidents in which company officials or
supervisors threaten, harass or punish workers because of union activity.
• Immediately reporting any such incidents to your organizing committee
and the union staff.
Your notes don't have to be worded a certain way, but you should include what
was said or done, who was involved, where and when it happened and the names
of any witnesses.