{"id":2837,"date":"2022-01-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-25T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=2837"},"modified":"2022-02-21T21:14:32","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T21:14:32","slug":"digital-tools-organizing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/digital-tools-organizing","title":{"rendered":"Communication Is Key for Union Drives: Digital Tools Make Organizing Easier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ken Green
CEO & Founder
UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you have quietly built up support for unionization in your workplace, it\u2019s time to move to the more public phases of the campaign, the first of which is the union drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you embark on this part of the journey, it\u2019s important to understand what this step is and what it is not, along with the obstacles you\u2019re up against and how to overcome them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Union Drive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The union drive is the part of the organization process during which organizers need to build majority support among coworkers for forming a union and get pro-union employees to sign authorization cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a critical step because if the employer doesn\u2019t voluntarily recognize the union, the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA<\/a>) requires an election through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to certify the union as the representative of the workers during collective bargaining. Winning that election will require a majority of eligible employees to vote in favor of union representation. But in order to conduct the election, the NLRA dictates that 30 percent of employees must sign union cards or a petition in favor of forming a union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why there\u2019s a union drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The end goal of the union drive is to secure the 30 percent of signed cards needed to conduct the election. However, it\u2019s possible that employees will change their minds when it comes time to vote, so Kris LaGrange<\/a>, a consultant at labor-focused communications firm UCOMM Communications, urges organizers to aim for signatures from the majority of the workforce to compensate for any lost votes during the election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep in mind that a majority doesn\u2019t equate to a victory if the employer doesn\u2019t recognize the union. It simply means that you have enough coworkers willing to sign petitions or authorization cards to publicly announce their intent to vote for unionization so the election can be held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gather Signatures Electronically<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When organizers are confident they have the support of at least 30 percent (but ideally a majority) of employees to join a union, they then start the process of collecting the signatures needed to make an official request for a union election with the NLRB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authorization cards serve two purposes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. They designate the union as the workers\u2019 representative in collective bargaining.<\/li>
  2. They authorize the union to petition the NLRB for an election.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The information gleaned from the cards consists of basic identifying information and a pledge that authorizes the union to bargain on behalf of that employee, as shown on an example card from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2222<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Traditionally, organizing committee members would have to distribute paper copies of authorization cards for coworkers to sign. That changed in 2015 when the NLRB adopted a rule \u2014 NLRB MEMORANDUM GC 15-08<\/a> \u2014 allowing unions to collect electronic signatures on cards within certain guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This was a win for unions and workers because it allows organizers to move more quickly through this step of the process and gives them access to more employees. The rule has been especially helpful for organizers at workplaces in which workers have become more dispersed with the expansion of remote work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Unions that choose to collect signatures electronically must adhere to these guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n