By Ray Oei
Summary
Unions are non-profit organizations of workers who rally together for their interests. This is done through a system called collective bargaining.
Unions: It's something that you may have heard about occasionally. You may have stumbled upon the concept when looking at the labor movement in the US through news reports and stories. On the other hand, you may also have no idea what a union is. Considering this, I wish to take the liberty to explain to you in this short guide: what are unions?
So, first and foremost: how are unions formed in the first place? When a group of workers plans to start a union, they must first find a union representing them. Then, when all the paperwork has been completed, cards will be handed out to the workers, which they can sign if they support an election for the union. If more than 30% of the workers sign the card, an election will occur ("Conduct Elections"). However, before the election, employers can choose to recognize the union, allowing workers to unionize without a vote ("Conduct Elections"). If the employer refuses, the union will need a majority vote in the election to be certified ("How to Start"). The ballots will be private, and anyone in a management position is barred from voting ("How to Start" 1:21). After the vote, negotiations for a union contract will be held if the union is certified.
Now, the answer to the question: what are unions?
Unions are non-profit organizations of workers who rally together for their interests. This is done through a system called collective bargaining (Radcliffe).
Picture this: You feel underpaid, and your employer refuses to give you a raise. In this situation, there is not much you can do. You know that it would be fruitless to ask again, and attempting to strike would not work, as you are alone.
Now picture if every worker in your company got together with you to demand higher wages for everyone. In this new scenario, there will probably be a higher chance for your employer to accept your conditions as they do not want to risk the entire company striking.
Through collective strength, unions can pressure employers into creating favorable deals for the employees in the union.
Now picture if every worker in your company got together with you to demand higher wages for everyone.
Collective bargaining, however, isn't done spontaneously by union members on a whim. Instead, union representatives will negotiate with the employers on the member's behalf to draft a contract ("What Is a Contract?"). Contract bargaining works like this: When a union is certified or a union contract expires, a new contract will be negotiated. Before a negotiation, the union may first try to identify the issues the members face to figure out what they should bargain for ("What Is a Contract?"). After that, negotiations will take place. As stated before, representatives from the union will be the actual ones that are doing the negotiations. When an agreement is finally reached, a "ratification" vote among the union members will be hosted ("What Is a Contract?"). If the majority agrees, the contract is passed. If not, the contract will be revised.
However, if tensions rise, and no agreements are made, union workers may strike to pressure the employers into accepting their demands (The Investopedia Team). Employers can also force the workers to not work by ceasing the company's operations to pressure them on their own demands (Kenton). Strikes, however, are rare, with only 80 thousand workers involved in major work stoppages in 2021 ("Major Work"). Please note that unions represent 15.8 million workers during the same year ("Union Members").
If tensions rise and no agreements are made, union workers may strike to pressure the employers into accepting their demands.
Another exciting thing about unions is that they can elect their officers. The election process goes like this: first, candidates are nominated by any member in good standing. Members in good standing are full members who have not left, been suspended, or expelled from the union (OLMS). Then, the candidates start to campaign for an election. Finally, all the members in good standing get to vote in a secret ballot (OLMS). Officers in the union have many responsibilities that separate them from regular members. To note some of the duties: union officers are responsible for managing the funds and finances of the union for its benefit ("Union Member"). They are also responsible for filing the initial information report and the annual financial statements.
Finally, unions might also participate in lobbying to advance their interests. According to Open Secretes, unions have spent $48.56M on lobbying (Annual Lobbying). It must be said that the money used in union lobbying is mainly sourced from donations to the union and rarely from union dues ("Can Union"). Because of this, unions are often involved in political activities. A historical example of this can be seen with the 8-hour workday policy, which was instated due to union lobbying efforts ("Union lobbies"). A more current model would be the Democrat's $3.5 trillion budget resolution in 2021. Many unions were advent supporters of the bill, going on to create a $7 million advertising campaign for the bill, which was done to pressure Democrats to vote for the bill (Mullins and Mann).
Unions might also participate in lobbying to advance their interests... A historical example of this can be seen with the 8-hour workday policy, which was instated due to union lobbying efforts.
Despite not being a well-mentioned topic, Unions are still an essential part of our world today. From all of this, you may now better understand the role unions play with workers and politics, which will hopefully serve you well in the future.
Works Cited
Annual Lobbying on Labor. OpenSecrets, Accessed 2 July 2022.
"Can Union Dues Be Used for Political Purposes?" The Weinstein Law Group, PLLC, www.twlglawfirm.com/new-york-construction-accident-lawyer/can-union-dues-be-used-for-political-purposes/#wrap. Accessed 2 July 2022.
"Conduct Elections." National Labor Relations Board, Accessed 1 July 2022.
"How to Start a Union." United Food and Commercial Workers, Accessed 6 July 2022.
"How to Start a Union | by UFCW." YouTube, uploaded by UFCW International, 1 Oct. 2021, Accessed 6 July 2022.
The Investopedia Team. "Official Strike." Investopedia, Dotdash Meredith publishing family, Accessed 2 July 2022.
"Major Work Stoppages in 2021." Bureau of Labor Statistics, 23 Feb. 2022, Accessed 7 July 2022.
Mullins, Brody, and Ted Mann. "Unions Spend Big to Push Democrats' $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan." House Committee on Education and Labor, 1 Oct. 2021, edlabor.house.gov/media/news/unions-spend-big-to-push-democrats-35-trillion-spending-plan. Accessed 9 July 2022.
OLMS. "Electing Union Officers." United States Department of Labor, Accessed 1 July 2022.
Radcliffe, Brent. "Unions: How Do They Help Workers?" Investopedia, Dotdash Meredith publishing family, www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/09/unions-workers.asp#citation-13. Accessed 30 June 2022.
"Union lobbies Congress to mandate an eight-hour workday, Aug. 20, 1866." Politico, Axel Springer SE, www.politico.com/story/2018/08/20/union-lobbies-congress-to-mandate-an-eight-hour-workday-aug-20-1866-778579#:~:text=Twitter-,Union%20lobbies%20Congress%20to%20mandate%20an%20eight%2Dhour%20workday%2C%20Aug,20%2C%201866&text=On%20this%20day%20in%201866,Congress%20to%20enact%20labor%20reforms. Accessed 8 July 2022.
"Union Member Rights and Officer Responsibilities." FindLaw, Accessed 7 July 2022.
"Union Members — 2021." Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 Jan. 2022, Accessed 7 July 2022.
"What Is a Contract?" United Food and Commercial Workers, www.ufcw.org/resources/how-negotiations-work/#:~:text=A%20union%20contract%20is%20a,the%20value%20of%20contracts%20here). Accessed 2 July 2022.