What is a union?
A Union is an association of workers formed to improve and protect working conditions through collective bargaining. The Union negotiates wages, hours of work, job security and other working conditions for members. The Union of Northern Workers represents over 4,000 members with twenty-six different collective agreements. We are a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The Alliance is a large national public sector Union made up of 18 smaller components. It provides services to the UNW.
• What is a Union? A. A Union is a group of workers who are united together to have a collective voice in obtaining workplace goals. “In unity there is strength.” • Who runs a union? The company says “the union” is a bunch of outsiders, a third party. A. YOU run your union. YOU elect your officers. YOU decide what proposals your negotiating committee will bargain for. YOU vote to accept or reject your contract with the company. YOU, THE WORKERS, ARE THE UNION. • How much are dues and will I have to pay an initiation fee? A. Dues have been established by the membership at not more than 1.25% of your base monthly salary plus $8.00 per capita (which goes to the international IBEW Office.) There are no initiation fees and you will not be expected to pay dues until you have a signed contract with the Edison Company. • Will the union make us go on strike? A. No one can force you to go out on strike. There can only be a strike if the majority of workers vote to do so. In the IBEW strikes are
A union is a group of workers who form an organization to gain: • Respect on the job, • Better wages and benefits, • More flexibility for work and family needs, • A counterbalance to the unchecked power of employers, and • A voice in improving the quality of their products and services. How do people form a union? When workers decide they want to come together to improve their jobs, they work with a union to help them form their own local chapter. Once a majority of workers shows they want a union, sometimes employers honor the workers’ choice. Often, the workers must ask the government to hold an election. If the workers win their union, they negotiate a contract with the employer that spells out each party’s rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Does the law protect workers joining unions? It’s supposed to—but too often it doesn’t. Under the law, employers are not allowed to discriminate against or fire workers for choosing to join a union. For example, it’s illegal for emplo
Unions are organizations that workers so they can have a voice on the job to improve their lives, their families and their communities. Basic rights that we take for granted today, such as the 40-hour work week or the minimum wage, would have never been possible without unions. UT students and UT workers— working together Over our history, PSA has worked jointly with a number of ally organizations. However, no relationship is more important than our partnership with the United Campus Workers – Communications Workers of America Local 3865 (UCW-CWA), UT’s staff union. UT workers first formed their union in the Spring semester of 2000, and PSA members were there when it happened. We were also there in 2002 when the then-independent UCW affilitated with the Communications Workers of America (CWA), a 700,000-member nationwide organization. And, just this past year, we were there yet again when UCW-CWA established a chapter at UT-Chattanooga. Having an organized union presence has been incre
Labor unions are made up of working people working together to solve problems, build stronger workplaces and give working families a real voice. Unions give workers a voice on the job about safety, security, pay, benefits—and about the best ways to get the work done. Union workers earn 30 percent more each week than nonunion workers and are much more likely to have health and pension benefits. Unions give working people a voice in government. They represent working families before lawmakers, and make sure politicians never forget that working families voted them into office.
