Start a Union with the RWDSU - Union 101 — Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU)

Organizing a union is how workers band together to demand and enforce improvements to their working conditions, which they wouldn’t be able to achieve alone. Together, with a union, you can seek to address issues such as low wages, scheduling, lack of safety and more.

Together, we’re organizing for OUR future!

Steps to forming a union at your workplace…

STEP 1: FORM AN ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (OC)

Building a successful union requires you to organize a structure with your coworkers that can navigate collective decision making about what you want to fight for and how. An ideal organizing committee should be developed mindfully to be representative of the collective identity and needs of the workplace. This is important not only because you want to make sure that decisions made by the OC reflect the will of the broader workforce but also because any excluded groups will be less likely to stand in solidarity with their coworkers in the future and are more likely to be swayed by management’s propaganda. The size of an organizing committee will vary but a good rule of thumb is to aim for at least 10-20% of a total workforce to play a consistent role.

STEP 2: SIGN A UNION AUTHORIZATION CARD

If the majority of your co-workers sign union cards, the company can voluntarily recognize the union and move to the next step. This is rare, and more often than not: the cards’ main function is to indicate to the National Labor Relations Board that workers want to hold a vote on unionization. While only 30% of workers need to sign a card to legally file for an election, moving forward with such a low amount of support is never a good idea. You want to build to a supermajority of support and union organizers will train you on the process to getting there.

STEP 3: UNION AUTHORIZATION VOTE

Unless a company voluntarily recognizes the union, a secret ballot election will be held at your workplace. This vote is supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. If a simple majority votes for unionization, the company is then legally obligated to negotiate in good faith with the union over issues pertaining to wages, benefits, and working conditions. Elections are typically held about a month after filing. Once you are represented by a union, the company enters a period called “Status Quo.” This means that they can no longer make unilateral changes to issues pertaining to wages, hours, and working conditions without negotiating with the union. For example, if the company wanted to cut an employee discount, they would have to get permission from the union to do so.

STEP 4: NEGOTIATIONS

You and your co-workers will survey your workplace to identify and prioritize key issues in the facility. Then, you choose some of your co-workers to be representatives and form the Bargaining Committee. The Bargaining Committee, along with union staff, sit down at the negotiating table with the company to make proposals to address the issues you and your co-workers have at work. The purpose of the negotiation process is for both parties to agree on a fair and equitable contract.

STEP 5: CONTRACT VOTE

Once the company and the Bargaining Committee agree on a proposed contract, all the workers covered by the contract will get to vote on whether or not to ratify it. If a majority votes to approve the contract, then and only then do the provisions in the union contract take effect.

STEP 6: UNION!

The company must adhere to the contract and cannot modify the contract as it is written without renegotiating with the union. The company must abide by what was negotiated in the union contract, it is a legally binding document. Once the contract is voted on and goes into effect, you and your co-workers are officially union members! Only then do you begin paying union dues. The dues are used to cover the costs of union offices, lawyers and union representation.