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Why Have a Union? WHY HAVE A UNION? Why should I join and support a union? That’s a fair question from any prospective member. The answer is simple: Dignity. The union is your guarantee that the employer will treat you with the dignity and respect you deserve as an individual. What does that mean to the average person? It means that your employer can’t change your hours without you having a say in it. It means that promotions will be granted on the basis of your ability to do the work, not how cozy you are with your supervisor. It means dealing with your employer as an equal. Dignity means that if you are accused of wrong doing, you’ll get a fair hearing. The union grievance procedure guarantees that a proper investigation will be made of the charges and that you will protected by the rights set forth in your memorandum of understanding. And, if discipline is warranted by the evidence, it will be imposed in a fair and even-handed manner. Dignity means that if the employer gives you an incomplete or specious answer to a question about your rights or benefits, you can double-check by asking someone who works for you. Most of all, dignity is being able to provide yourself and your family with a decent living without sacrificing your health or self-respect. 1 Some people think unions are a thing of the past and are no longer necessary. While it is true that some of the worst employment practices have been eliminated, many remain and others would return if unions weren’t around to oppose them and to protect rights already won. Joining the union is the best way to insure that your rights and benefits are protected. But simply joining the union is not enough. It takes an active membership to make sure that progress continues. Active members are the real strength of the union. Without an active and unified membership supporting them, union leaders would be powerless to protect employee rights and progress would be impossible. The following pages describe what you need to know to be an active member. They explain how the union works so that you can learn how to make it work for you. Also described are the union benefits all members are entitled to. After reading this booklet you’ll know how union members working together are GETTING AHEAD WITH LOCAL 18. UNIONISM AND INDIVIDUALISM Collective action is the key to Local 18’s success in protecting individual dignity. It is also the cornerstone of union philosophy. Unionists believe that the best way to advance the long-run interests of the individual is to advance the collective interests of the group. The best justification for this philosophy was given by a former Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Charles Evans Hughes. In one of his judicial opinions he stated that unions 2 “were organized out of the necessities of the situation . that a single employee was helpless in dealing with an employer . that a union was essential to give laborers an opportunity to deal on equality with their employers.” All individuals benefit from the improved wages and working conditions that the union negotiates, and the union is at its strongest when every individual supports it. The best atmosphere for progress is one where all employees are union members. When this is the case the union can get the best possible settlement at the bargaining table and all members will share equally in the cost of obtaining that settlement. When each individual pays his or her fair share, the union can protect each individual more effectively. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING When a group of employees bands together to negotiate with the employer, they are engaged in collective bargaining. Collective bargaining is really just democracy in the workplace. A union committee representing employees meets with management to jointly decide what the wages and working conditions will be. The union committee is a team of union members and full-time union staff representatives. Before meeting with the employer, the committee gets together with the other employees and decides what to seek in negotiations. Proposals for contract changes are taken directly from the suggestions of members attending union meetings. So if you think the contract needs improvement, speak up at your union meeting 3 and your voice will be heard! It is the committee’s job to listen, to learn what the members want, and do its best to get it. After bargaining proposals are made, meetings with the employer begin. Rarely is the result of negotiations exactly what either side wanted when they began. Collective bargaining is a matter of give and take, with labor and management gradually moving closer together. When the union committee and management reach tentative agreement on a package, the committee takes the proposed settlement back to you for a vote. If a majority doesn’t approve it, the committee will go back to the bargaining table. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING The benefits and protections won by the union are formalized in a labor agreement which is signed by both sides. This memorandum of understanding is your “bill of rights” in the workplace. It is negotiated by your representatives and ratified by a vote of the membership. The MOU describes your benefits and spells out your rights. It protects you against arbitrary actions by the employer, who can’t enforce any rules that conflict with the MOU. Each employee receives a copy of the MOU from Labor Relations or a Shop Steward. If you’re like most people, you’ll try to read it carefully and thoroughly, but give up before you’re halfway through. There’s just too much to read and understand. Don’t worry. To everyone reading it the first time, the 4 MOU is like a Physics textbook: it’s dry and complicated. The experiences we have on the job, where we can apply the various provisions to real-life situations, are what give the MOU life and meaning. For example, check the schedule of wage rates to see if your classification and wage rate are correct. When you work overtime for the first time, check the overtime section. Before a holiday comes, read the part concerning holidays. The MOU won’t seem so boring if you read it using this method. If you have questions, ask a Steward or your Business Representative. They are ready and willing to discuss these matters with you and help take care of your interests. GRIEVANCES The MOU can be thought of as the law of your shop just like the U.S. Constitution is the law of the land. And, like civil law, the contract provides a process (called a grievance procedure) for you to use when you think the MOU has been violated and you’ve been wronged. Even the best MOU is worthless unless it is enforced. Employers often try to ignore the MOU, saving time or money at your expense. It is the duty of every union member to enforce the contract using the grievance procedure. If you don’t protect your rights, you will lose them. A grievance can be filed over any dispute or disagreement arising between an employee and management concerning the interpretation or application of the MOU and/or rules and regulations governing personnel practices or working 5 conditions applicable to employees covered by the MOU. For example, was your paycheck short? Were you disciplined unfairly? Are you being asked to work with unsafe equipment? These are all possible complaints that can be pursued through the grievance procedure. When you have a problem like this and management won’t solve it, see your Steward. The Steward will investigate your complaint to get all the facts. If you have a valid complaint, the Steward will try to get your supervisor to correct the problem. If your supervisor doesn’t cooperate, the Steward will bring in the Union Business Representative, who is a full- time professional grievance handler. The “Rep” investigates the case further and tries to resolve it with higher levels of management. Eventually the two sides decide whether management was right or wrong. If agreement can’t be reached, the case may be decided by an arbitrator, who is a neutral “judge” knowledgeable in labor matters. The outcome of each case is determined by an interpretation of the MOU. Usually it’s a simple matter of applying the MOU to the fact; sometimes, however, the MOU language isn’t clear, and the grievance is settled by a compromise. In other cases, a legitimate problem can’t be resolved because the MOU language doesn’t cover the issue. When this happens, the union tries to correct the situation by negotiating stronger MOU language in the next round of negotiations. Regardless of the outcome, the union insures that each individual receives a fair hearing. 6 JOINT LABOR/MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES The Joint Labor/Management Committees (JLMCs) started with the formation of the Joint Resolution Board (JRB), a product of our 1996 negotiations with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). The JRB consists of top DWP management and the leadership of Local 18. All JLMCs ultimately report to the Joint Resolution Board. Some of these main committees have subcommittees that deal with specific issues within the jurisdiction of the main committee. The subcommittees are generally made up of members of the main committee and others with expertise in the issues that are being dealt with by the subcommittee. Subcommittees may stay together on an ongoing basis or disband after the issue at hand has been resolved.
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