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What is a union?
A union is a group
of employees who join together within a company to bargain
collectively for better wages, stronger benefits and safer
working conditions.
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What do unions do?
A union’s primary
objective is to secure good contracts for its members and
to enforce the provisions of that contract. The union also
administers some of the contract's important benefits
directly. Often these include health plans, pensions and
labor/management partnerships and trusts. See
The Contract.
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How do
you organize with the Teamsters?
Employees who want
to join the Teamsters sign a “union authorization card.”
When a majority of employees sign cards, they are
forwarded, in most cases, to the
National
Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB then schedules
and conducts a secret ballot election. In some cases, when
a majority of workers sign cards the company will
recognize the union.
When the union is certified, the company is required by
law to bargain over wages, benefits and working
conditions. The laws governing public sector and the
airline industry are different. See
Getting Started
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If I sign an authorization do I have to vote yes in the
election? What if I change my mind?
The Teamsters are
committed to organizing workers that want Teamster
representation. Organizing is not about holding a vote; it
is about gaining a voice in the workplace.
When the NLRB
conducts a union election it's a secret ballot. No one has
any right to know how you voted.
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How does the union work out problems with management?
Through the
grievance procedure. The contract spells out what the
grievance procedures are and explains how conflicts are to
be resolved.
When management engages in unfair conduct or violates a a
provision of the contract there are steps spelled out in
the contract to resolve the problem. First, talk with your
supervisor. When he or she refuses to do anything about
it, go to your Teamster shop steward for help. The steward
sits down with you and management and tries to talk about
the issue. If it can't be resolved at this meeting, a
business agent from the union approaches the company to
discuss the issue. If the problem still cannot be resolved
to everyone's satisfaction, the business agent appeals to
upper management. If this step fails, both parties bring
in a neutral arbitrator to hear evidence and order a final
resolution of the problem.
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What
are shop stewards and business agents?
A shop steward is
one of your co-workers, who acts as an agent of the union
in the workplace. The union membership and the Teamster
local union determines procedures for electing shop
stewards and negotiates how many stewards are in each job
location, shift and department. The steward's job is to
make sure your company lives up to your contract. When
there is a problem with management and you need union
help, your first stop should be a visit with your shop
steward.
A business agent is an official of your local union who
handles any problems the shop steward cannot.
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What is a
“bargaining unit”?
A bargaining unit
is made up of all the employees who are eligible to vote
for and be in the union.
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Who negotiates your
contract?
The Teamsters and
the company each choose their own negotiators. The
company's team is usually comprised of lawyers, local
management and upper management officials. The union team
usually consists of bargaining unit employees and expert
union negotiators.
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What
kind of say do I get in the contract?
Before contract
talks start, the union asks you what you'd like to see in
a contract. Usually the union sends out a survey to all a
bargaining unit's members. Once the contract has been
negotiated it's submitted to you and your co-workers for
ratification. If a majority doesn't approve of the
contract, your negotiating team goes back to the drawing
board.
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How long do contracts
last?
Usually 3 to 5
years.
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What
are union dues? What are they used for?
Union dues are the
money you pay to the union to help pay for support staff,
legal costs, negotiation costs, arbitrator's fees, etc.
See
Facts
About Dues.
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What’s a “local”?
The Teamsters have
a structure that includes a national body, intermediaries,
and local unions. Most decisions are made at the state and
local union level. Your local union is Teamsters
Local 682.
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So what does
the “International” do?
The
International's responsibilities include; lobbying
Congress for laws that benefit workers, sending help to
locals that need it and coordinating national organizing
efforts.
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How democratic are
unions?
The whole process
is open and democratic. You decide if you want to sign an
authorization card. You decide whether to vote "yes" on
joining the union. You decide which co-workers you want on
your negotiating team. You decide what to tell your
negotiators you want in a contract. You vote on the
contract once it's negotiated. You vote on who will be
your shop steward. You vote on who will be the officers of
your local.
*SOURCE:
Teamsters International Brotherhood of Teamsters
http://org.teamster.org/faqs.htm
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