Arbitration: A way of
settling disputes by calling in a neutral party
whose decision is final and binding.
Authorization Cards: A union
card filled out by workers during a representation
campaign. The card usually specifies the union as
a collective bargaining agent of the employees and
must be dated and signed. Union agents keep this
information in strict confidence until the union
has established its own percentage required proceeding
the campaign. The NLRB will accept 30% of the employees’ signatures
on cards or petitions as the "showing of interest"
required to conduct an election. Once the union percentage
is reach the NLRB conducts a card check and sets
up the election to take place on the employers’
property. Again, the authorization cards are kept
in strict confidence and the employer will NEVER
see the cards.
Bargaining Agent: Union
designated by a government agency, such as the National
Labor Relations Board, or recognized voluntarily
by the employer, as the exclusive representative
of all employees in the bargaining unit for purposes
of collective bargaining.
Bargaining Unit: A group
of workers who bargain collectively with the employer.
The unit may include all the workers in a single
plant or in a number of plants, or it may include
only the workers in a single craft or department.
Final unit is determined by the NLRB, or agreed to
jointly by the union and the employer.
Business Agent: An elected
or appointed representative of the union.
Captive Audience Meeting: A
national recognized term for meetings of workers
called by management, on company time and property.
The purpose of these meetings is to try to persuade
workers to vote against union representation.
Card Check: Procedure whereby
signed authorization cards are checked by a neutral
party against a list of employees in a prospective
bargaining unit to determine if the union has a majority
status. The employer may recognize the union on the
basis of this check without the necessity of a formal
election. The employer NEVER sees these cards.
Collective Bargaining: A
process which workers, through their bargaining committee,
deal as a group to determine wages, hours, and other
conditions of employment. Normally, the result of
collective bargaining is a written contract, which
covers all workers in the bargaining unit.
Concerted Activity: The
rights, protected by the National Labor Relations
Act, of two or more employees to act in concert to
effect their wages, hours of work, or working conditions,
to form , join, or assist labor organizers.
Constitution and Bylaws: Legal
documents governing the administration of local and
international unions. Adopted by union conventions
or by membership vote, these rules generally cover
elections and duties of officers, conventions, committees,
and dues.
Contract: A contract is
a written agreement reached through collective bargaining
which sets forth wages, hours, and other conditions
of employment. The contract normally is for a term
as short as one year and as long as three, but can
be longer. At the end of such a term, a new contract
is negotiated.
Excelsior List: The list
of names and addresses of employees eligible to vote
in a union election. The employer provides it to
the union within ten days after the election date
has been set or agreed upon at the NLRB. Disputes
as to the eligibility of those on the list are settled
by the NLRB.
Fees, Fines, and Assessments: Sometimes
authorized by the Constitution or Bylaws, and a vote
of the membership. These payments are in fact extremely
rare.
Grievance: A dispute or
difference arising between the employer and one or
more employees.
Grievance Procedure: A systematic
approach to handling workplace problems. The procedure
is negotiated into collective bargaining agreements.
Housevisits, Homecalls, and
Housecalls: Terms used to describe visits by
union staff, volunteers, or organizing committee
to the homes of workers they are attempting to
organize.
Jurisdiction: The specific
industry, craft, and/or geographical area which a
local union is chartered to organize or represent.
L-M Reports: The annual
financial statement of income and expenses, including
the salaries of union officers and staff. Unions
are required by law to file with the Labor Management
(LM) Division of the U. S, Department of Labor.
Lockout: A denial of employment
by the employer for the purpose of forcing the workers
to settle on his terms.
National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB): Agency created by the National Labor
Relations Act, 1935, and continued through subsequent
amendment, whose functions are to define the appropriate
bargaining units, to hold elections, to determine
whether a majority of workers want to be represented
by a specific union or no union, to certify unions
to represent employees, to interpret and apply
the Act’s provisions prohibiting certain employer
and union unfair practices, and otherwise to administer
the provisions of the Act.
Officers: Elected representatives
of the union such as president, vice president, secretary/treasurer,
recording secretary, and trustees.
Organizer (Union Organizer): Employee
of a union or federation (usually paid but sometimes
a volunteer) whose duties include recruiting new
members for the union, assisting in forming unions
in non-union companies, leading campaigns for recognition,
etc.
Organizing Committee: The
employees in a non-union shop who are designated
to represent their coworkers during the representation
campaign. Organizing committee members, among other
things, usually sign up their coworkers on authorization
cards or petitions, hand out leaflets, attend meetings,
and visit workers at home in support of the union
effort.
Picketing: A group of workers
publicly protesting against an employer. Usually
done during a strike in locations where support can
be shown from community members,
Piece Work: Pay buy the
number of units completed. The theory is that the
faster you work, the more you will get paid. Many
workers have learned that if they exceed a certain
quota, the piece rate will be lowered.
Rank and File: The members
of a union.
Ratification: Formal approval
of a newly negotiated agreement by a vote of the
union members affected.
Recognition: When the employer
agrees to recognize the union as the bargaining agent
for employees.
Representation Election (Election): Election
conducted to determine by a majority vote of the
employees in an appropriate unit (see Bargaining
Unit) which, if any, union is desired as their representative.
These elections are usually conducted by the National
Labor Relations Board.
Scab: A universally accepted
derogatory term used for a person who refuses to
respect a strike and crosses a picket line in order
to work at the place that is on strike. You cannot
be sued for declaring such a person a scab.
Seniority: Generally based
on a workers length of service with the employer.
Seniority is often used to determine promotions,
recall, and transfers.
Servicing: The day-to-day
enforcement of a union contract by the union and
its agents.
Shop Steward: A worker,
typically elected, who officially represents other
workers on the job, enforces the contract and helps
settle grievances.
Slowdown: A reduction of
output without an actual strike in order to force
a concession from the employer.
Speed-Up and Stretch Out: An
increase in the amount of work an employee is expected
to do without an increase in pay. The speed of the
machines may be increased (speed-up) or the worker
may be required to tend to a greater number of machines
(stretch-out)
Stipulation by Consent Agreement
(stip): An agreement between the employer and
the union, sanctioned by the NLRB, which establishes
the terms of the election and scope of the bargaining
unit.
Strike: Temporary stoppage
of work by a group of employees to express a grievance,
enforce a demand for changes in the conditions of
employment, obtain recognition, or resolve a dispute
with management.
Unfair Labor Practice: Action
by either an employer or union which violates the
provisions of national and state labor relations
acts, such as refusal to bargain in good faith.
Union Dues: Monthly or weekly
payments by members to their unions. The amount is
set by either the constitution or bylaws, and is
subject to revision by the membership. These regular
payments are based on fixed amounts or upon the individual
members’ hourly rate.
Union Label or Bug: A stamp
or tag on a product or card in a store or shop to
show that the work is done by union labor.
Union Local: Group of organized
employees holding a charter from a national or international
labor organization. A local may be confined to union
members in one company or one specified locality,
or it may cover multiple contracts with various employers.
Volunteer Organizing Committee
(V.O.C.): Term sometimes used to describe union
members who volunteer for the union during organizing
campaigns. Volunteers may donate their time and/or
be compensated for lost wages while they assist
the campaign by visiting workers at their homes,
leafleting, and attending meetings.
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