The Union Process

Why Unions Work

Strength in numbers - your labor is your leverage. Unions enable workers to come together and use that leverage as a powerful, collective voice.
Unions are diverse & democratic - labor is uniquely situated to play a transformative role through its ability to mobilize across social, racial, and economic groups; model democratic norms; and confront entrenched power. Unions are democratically organized and have led struggles at every level of government and in workplaces to defend and expand the rights of all working people.
The labor movement is organized - despite the many challenges of recent years, almost 16 million American workers belong to unions, making American labor one of the largest and most organized grassroots movements in the US. More unionize everyday thanks to the hard work of workers and staff organizers across the country.

Unions Improve Pay and Working Conditions for All Workers, Especially Workers of Color

The union advantage is even greater for people of color, women, immigrants, and others who have confronted workplace discrimination. A union contract is a potent weapon against unequal pay and structural racism because it establishes fair and transparent systems for hiring and firing, wages, and more.

Black, Latino, and women workers are paid 26%, 39.2%, and 23.8% more, respectively, when they belong to a union. Union contracts pay women and men the same for doing the same job. You cannot be fired for your sexual orientation or gender identity under a union contract.

Union Facts: The Value of Collective Voice - AFL-CIO

How do we get a union contract?

Work with a union organizer to start strategizing on how to approach our coworkers.
Form an organizing committee (OC): a leadership team of workers that collaborate with NYSUT organizers to move the campaign forward.
Have 1 on 1 conversations with our coworkers to build rapport, understand their workplace issues, and move them toward support for unionizing.
Reach supermajority (75%) support among coworkers for unionizing.
Collect signatures on union authorization cards and file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board.
VOTE! If the union wins 50% + 1 of votes cast, our employer must bargain in good faith over our working conditions.
Maintain an engaged and active union to win our first contract and more!

The Union Process

How do we get a union contract?

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