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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