{"id":3687,"date":"2023-06-06T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=3687"},"modified":"2023-06-12T20:47:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T20:47:26","slug":"fair-contracts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/fair-contracts","title":{"rendered":"Unions Fight For That: Fair Contracts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Labor unions help workers in a number of different ways, from lobbying for the passage of pro-worker legislation to supporting workers\u2019 rights to participate in concerted activities. But they make their greatest impact through collective bargaining. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collective bargaining is how \u201cworking people, through their unions, negotiate contracts with their employers to determine their terms of employment,\u201d the AFL-CIO<\/a> writes. These contracts cover all aspects of work, including compensation, leave, schedules, benefits, discipline, safety, and many others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Union negotiators ensure those contracts are comprehensive, fair, and meet the expectations of the workers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Negotiation Committee Represents the Will of the Workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The union\u2019s negotiation committee plays a crucial role in collective bargaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe contract is tailor-designed by and for the employees, with the help of union lawyers and professionals,\u201d explains the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 812<\/a>. So, before collective bargaining begins, the negotiating committee has to know exactly what the workers they represent want to achieve in the final contract. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To that end, union leaders will poll members about which issues they want addressed during negotiations. From these surveys, \u201ctop issues are identified and help form the basis of the union\u2019s bargaining proposal to the employer,\u201d notes the United Automobile Workers (UAW)<\/a>. Those proposals get negotiated until the parties reach an agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how can a union\u2019s members be sure the negotiating committee is honestly and accurately representing their interests? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one, negotiators are members of the unit, and the contract directly affects them, too. This gives them the incentive to fight for the best contract possible, no matter how difficult management makes it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee will also give regular updates so members have accurate information about what is happening during negotiations so there are no surprises when an agreement is concluded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the members of the committee may be the face of negotiations, all members are involved. Collaboration is critical to securing fair contracts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 2023, members of American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1303-85 won a hard-fought contract for employees at the Russell Library in Middletown, Connecticut. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Council 4 staff representative Emily Demicco<\/a> attributed that success to everyone\u2019s ability to work together. \u201cThe team not only showed real unity at the table but worked in partnership with the broader membership to develop shared priorities for negotiations,\u201d Demicco said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir success in achieving a fair contract is a testament to the power of collaboration among co-workers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"office<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Unions Prepare for Employers\u2019 Attempts to Stall Negotiations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The last thing most employers want is for a new union to secure a favorable contract for workers. That\u2019s why many will delay and draw out contract negotiations<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDelay is a frequent and effective tool used by employers in first contract bargaining, because the longer the negotiations drag on, the more turnover, fear, and frustration will work to undermine union support,\u201d explains Kate Bronfenbrenner<\/a>, director of labor education research and a senior lecturer at Cornell\u2019s ILR School. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Starbucks, for example. After a wave of hundreds of election victories<\/a> in 2022, \u201conly three unionized stores have actually begun contract negotiations [as of October 2022] and it is unclear when the stores will be settling,\u201d writes Leila Bunker<\/a> at The Spectator, Seattle University\u2019s student newspaper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because the company is doing everything it can to demoralize workers enough so they give up on the effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The negotiating committee is union members\u2019 first line of defense against employer delay tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the job of the negotiating committee to remain steadfast in negotiating a contract. When members become frustrated by a lack of progress or start growing fearful of company retaliation, committee members can report back what the employer is doing to avoid negotiations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s where a comprehensive communication platform like UnionTrack\u00ae ENGAGE\u00ae<\/a> can be particularly useful. Not only can union leaders poll members about issues important to them, but they can also use the tool to share real-time updates and gather immediate feedback from all members about negotiations. This helps ensure the end result are fair contracts that works for everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images by: gorodenkoff\/\u00a9123RF.com, lacheev\/\u00a9123RF.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Labor unions help workers in a number of different ways, from lobbying for the passage of pro-worker legislation to supporting workers\u2019 rights to participate in concerted activities. But they make their greatest impact through collective bargaining.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3688,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uniontrack-blog"],"yoast_head":"\r\nUnions Fight For That: Fair Contracts - UnionTrack\u00ae<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unions serve members in many different ways, the most important of which is negotiating fair contracts on behalf of workers.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/fair-contracts\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unions Fight For That: Fair Contracts - 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