Union Organizing Explanations

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Union organizing refers to how trade unions recruit, operate, and advance the interests of workers who are its members. It means taking steps that lead to the formation, working, and growth of trade unions for the good of workers.
The starting point of union organization at the work place is when one person or a small group starts discussion on workplace issues. External union leaders are contacted who in turn help form an organizing committee. Leaders are identified and all major departments and shifts are included in the organizing committee. The committee identifies the issues in the workplace. These issues are used to create a program of demands at the workplace. Further, a strategy for union election campaign is developed (1). The issues at the workplace are highlighted in the union election campaign. The demands for improvement are stressed on. The issues program is highlighted in the workplace through organizing campaign activities. The next important step in organizing the union is to ask co-workers to join the union program by signing membership cards. The objective is to sign up a sizable majority. The card campaign is normally done quickly so that a large number of cards are collected before the employer initiates a campaign to prevent the formation of a union. The signed cards are required to request the labor board to hold an election. The signed cards are evidence that a sizeable number of employees want a union to be formed. Also, the signed cards serve the legal purpose of petitioning the labor board. It is critical that after the petition is made the union campaign is continued and if necessary intensified. The momentum must continue during the period the labor board takes to find out who is eligible to vote and when to schedule the election. The campaign must stress on the necessity of voting for the formation of a union. When the board conducts the elections and wins it the employer must recognize and bargain with the union. The collective agreement is formed, agreed to, and signed by the employer and the union. There are three requirements for successful formation of a union. First, the organizing committee must be strong, well represented, and should have representation from all departments/functions. Second, the issues program must be well developed, must address the needs of the employees, and should cover most issues of direct concern to the employees. Third, there should be strong plan to counter the employer's anti-union campaign. Once the union is recognized, the union bargains with the employer on the issues it has raised during the union forming campaign. These issues must be reflected in the union contract (2). The union contract must cover everything from wages to how disputes should be handled. The union contract must have the contents of issues it has raised with the employees and at the same time must have standard clauses that protect the interests of the members of the union.
Union Organizing is done by a group of workers who organize a union to gain a voice in their workplace through their strength, impact wages, work hours, employee benefits, workplace health and safety and other work related issues. The right to form a union is protected by the National Labor Relations Act 1935. Union Organizing brings several tangible benefits to its members. These include higher wages. Statistics have shown that unionized workers typically earn higher wages than un-unionized workers. The employees come together and decide what pay is appropriate for the jobs they do and the services they provide (3). The union communicates these to the employer in an organized way. Union Organizing leads to higher job security for the members. The agreement has terms of terminations. An employee can be terminated for just cause only if it satisfies the terms of terminations. The union representatives negotiates with the management if there is a dispute and this helps increase the job security of employees. Union Organizing brings the employees together as a cohesive group. The labor unions come together through a union and speak collectively. This has far higher credibility than single employees talking to supervisors or managers. In fact, if individuals talk to supervisors or managers verbal abuse follows and the issue is set aside. Union Organizing leads to higher benefits including health benefits and retirement benefits for the employees. If a union is not organized, health and retirement benefits are entirely left to the employer (4). This leads to lower benefits for employees.

Union Organizing is also helpful to the employer. Collective bargaining helps set productivity standards and the members of the union comply with those standards. This increases the productivity of the employee. Union Organizing also brings important benefits to the employer. The employer finds that the union simplifies the negotiation process. The employer simply has to negotiate with the labor union. It ...