Hello! Below, we’ve gathered a few of our more frequently asked questions — take a look, and see if your questions are addressed here. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, try contacting us directly!
What is a union?
A union is a group of workers who decide to take action collectively to win their demands. With a union, we will be able to sit down with management as equals and collectively bargain a union contract.
What is a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)?
A collective bargaining agreement, or CBA, is the contract that you negotiate with your employer. This agreement is a legally binding document that can address any issues related to wages, hours, and working conditions. The policies affecting your working conditions outlined in the agreement cannot be changed without bargaining with the us first.
What are my rights?
The right to organize a union is protected by law. Under sections 7 and 8a under the National Labor Relations Act:
| IT IS YOUR RIGHT TO | IT IS ILLEGAL FOR HUDSON LEGAL TO |
|---|---|
| Participate in and speak out in favor of the union | Fire, discipline or discriminate against in any way |
| Talk with your coworkers about the union | Ask you about your support or participation in the union |
| Distribute union literature, both written and electronic | Threaten loss of privileges or benefits as a result of forming a union |
| Wear union t-shirts, buttons, etc | Make promises to employees if they oppose the union |
| Sign a union card | Close or threaten to close your shop |
Keep in mind that while the law states that it is illegal to ask you your opinion about the union, there is no law that stops our employer from telling us their opinion about the union or misleading you. No employer, including ours, wants to pay higher wages or give up an ounce of control. Most employers hire professional union busters to stop workers from organizing a union. Time after time, UE has seen these union busters use the same dirty tricks to fool workers about the union.
How much are dues?
In UE, the dues are only 2.5 hrs a month if you are full time. So if you make 10 dollars an hour, then dues are 25 dollars a month. You won’t pay a dime in dues until you have a union contract that you agree to that puts more money in your pockets. The security that a union contract guarantees is more than worth the dues. A good portion of the dues will stay with us, in our own union for us to run our own affairs.
Do we have the right union? We are not electricians!
UE is known as the Union for Everyone. We chose UE because they invest a lot of resources to empower workers to organize. In UE “the members run this union”. We will have our own local and we will run our own affairs with assistance from UE staff.
What makes UE different is their independence and dedication to member run unionism. That doesn’t mean UE don’t have the support of the other unions in the labor movement. In fact, UE is regarded as the model of honest democratic, strong unionism by many leaders in the AFL-CIO. UE is radical in the sense that UE is a union that believes that working people have rights.
UE does not give money to politicians and instead invests that money where it matters, supporting UE members and organizing new workers to join the union.
Why form a union now?
We have gone too long without affordable healthcare and regular raises. We should have a voice in the decisions that impact us. The only way we get that voice is by forming a union and negotiating over our wages, hours, and working conditions so that we can have conditions that will help retain and hire more people to share the workload. Without a union, things will continue to stay the same as it is now. We know that by being united, we can win and everything that we have done this year highlights that.
We were able to win small gains to our health insurance, equipment stipends, employer matching for donations made to social justice organization… imagine what more we could win with a strong union! Join the union today, it only takes 60s to join.
What do you gain by not joining?