The first step towards the union organizing process is to form an all-inclusive organizing committee. The group selected and trusted with the leadership process needs to be reflective of all the major departments and shifts in the company and portray a racial, gender, and ethnic diversity (Markowitz, 2015). The task force placed in-charge has to be conversant with democratic principles and rank-and-file control (“Five Basic Steps”). Also, the basic information regarding the workplace of the company has to be gathered, including job titles and descriptions, employer information and the employee information (“Five Basic Steps”). The members of the organizing committee should be willing to help their colleagues understand the rules of the union while diluting the anti-union sentiments among the employees.

The second step in the process is adopting an issues program. This stage involves articulation of the statement of demands which the workers hope will be addressed by the management of the factory (Markowitz, 2015). For example, at the organization where I am currently attached, the core of the problems workers have is systematic labor violations such as poor conditions and low wages. The committee entrusted with leading the union of workers is required to formulate a campaign for making workers’ grievances addressed (“Five Basic Steps”). Overall, the second stage is mainly concerned with formulating a plan for highlighting the statement of problems facing various workers.

The third step involves signing the majority union cards by the members of the workforce. The primary objective is to gain a sizeable majority of the workforce supporting the union by signing the membership cards and then holding an election as soon as it is practical  (Seaquist, 2015). The cards containing appended signatures are a requirement to petition the nationalunion board to register the union (Markowitz, 2015). At this juncture, the board determines the eligibility of voters and schedules an election. The verification of the eligible members to vote is a process which takes less than seven days in the United States (“Five Basic Steps”). It is imperative that the officials of the union still engage in active sensitization campaigns as they wait for the conclusion of a verification campaign and subsequent election. If the union wins, the law demands that the employer has to negotiate with the union regarding fulfilling the demands of the workforce at the factory (Markowitz, 2015). To adequately address the salient issues at the workplace, the union leaders have to be adept to fighting the anti-union campaigns instigated by the employer.

The last step is securing a contract with the employer which covers the demands of the employees. The main goal of a union is to ensure that  employee concerns are addressed in a timely manner (Markowitz, 2015). Also, the union is responsible for mobilizing and rallying the workers to pressure the employer to meet their demands (“Five Basic Steps”). Obtaining the union contract, which is the document that legally binds the employer to honor the wages, conditions, and welfare of employees is the principal undertaking of organizing the union (Seaquist, 2015). The process requires an elaborate and determined plan by leaders of the groups to overcome any hurdles in securing favorable terms for the workers.

The Union to Help Organize and Reason for Selecting It

The preferred union to help organize is the AFL-CIO. The main reason is the distinguished record the union has of fighting for the rights of workers both in private and public organization in the country (AFL-CIO, 2019). Also, the sheer magnitude of its size is also ideal to force the manufacturing plant to compel the organization I work for to make the necessary adjustments in plants located foreign countries such as France and China where the organization enjoys presence. The AFL-CIO is committed to assisting employees everywhere to negotiate and enforce a contract with the employer, which is the primary motivation behind the willingness to organize (AFL-CIO, 2019). The principles upon which the union is anchored upon are ideal for what we intend to do as a group of workers, hence the reason I would choose it to help organize.

Responsibilities of the Workers

Workers need to assist the union fight for their common interests neglected by the management. To effectively do this, they have to engage in activities which support the union in its efforts such as participating in go-slows to try and pressurize the employer to act on their demands (Seaquist, 2015). Further, workers should be willing to exercise their right to vote and make contributions to help the union undertake its activities. Additionally, the workers of an organization should be ready to educate themselves on possible tactics used by the management to derail their efforts to unionize (Markowitz, 2015). The workers need to be united in their quest to force the management to address their needs in a timely and prompt fashion.

What Unions can do to Help Labor

Selecting the AFL-CIO to help in the organization process is expected to help the labor force engage in a constructive dialogue with the management regarding the general conditions of work. The union could, therefore, support the workforce in achieving its principal objectives by following up on the agreement signed between union officials and the workers’ representatives. Additionally, unions assist the labor force to negotiate for better retirement benefits through collective bargaining and promote an equal and respectful work environment (Seaquist, 2015). By acting as a bargaining agent for the workers in an organization, unions help employees in their clamor for better terms of service other than the ones offered by the employers (AFL-CIO, 2019). The unions further protect their employees from possible abuses by the employers by investigating violations is such as workplace discrimination and safety rules (AFL-CIO, 2019). The significant role played by unions in a workplace environment, therefore, makes employees attached to a private or public company better off in a union rather than being out of one.

What Management can Legally Say and Do When They Learn an Organization Movement isin Progress

From the perspective of a non-unionized organization, staying union free is better concerning reducing the pressures which come from unions demanding better pay and working conditions. The labor law in the United States gives the employees a right to join the unions of their choice. The Taft-Hartley Act and the National Labor Relations Act prohibit employers from prohibiting employees to join certain unions (Business Management Daily, 2019). However, there are specific measures an employer may undertake when they learn of the efforts to unionize. For instance, employers would choose to scrutinize the working conditions in which they subject their workers and improve them. When employees are dissatisfied, the workplace ultimately becomes a fertile breeding ground for unionization campaigns (Business Management Daily, 2019). The employer would also solicit views of workers towards the management in a bid to measure their levels of satisfaction (Business Management Daily, 2019). The administration can conduct a workplace audit to determine the levels of employee satisfaction, their various concerns about the health and safety of the employees, and their views on management responses. Conducting a thorough analysis of the general conditions at the workplace will dilute the chances of unions finding a recruitment destination.

What can be Done to Help the Workers Overseas Organize?

Recent adverse economic and political trends have pushed various American trade unions to form global alliances with other workers overseas. At a time when the power of unions has receded, forging cooperation ties with workers that are stationed abroad is instrumental in helping unions gain leverage when negotiating with employers (Evans, 2013). To achieve a strong bargaining power in foreign countries like France and China, a stable home base is necessary to provide leverage for the unions when bargaining. Workers abroad can, therefore, be assisted achieve better working conditions when the unions in the United States solicit solid home support.

Influence of the Global Nature of the Organization to Collective Bargaining

The global nature of an organization influences the bargaining process to a certain extent. For example, T-Mobile, a German-owned telecommunications firm, operating in the United States adopted anti-union policies popular with other companies in the U.S. despite the respect of unions the firm has in Germany (Uchitelle, 2010). Unions in the United States, particularly the Communications Workers of America, have tried to force the German owners to give as much breadth to local unions as they do in their native country, or at least remain neutral in union matters. CWA officials have used several tactics including talking to workers of the firm in the country to understand their problems, then using the information to force the German owners to listen to their demands (Uchitelle, 2010). Overall, the global standing of an organization influences the bargaining process given the need for the multinational to protect its reputation.

References

AFL-CIO. (2019). The Rights of American Workers. AFL-CIO. Retrieved from: https://aflcio.org/what-unions-do.

Business Management Daily. (2019). Unions under spotlight: What employers can and cannot do. H.R. Specialist. Retrieved from: https://www.thehrspecialist.com/14099/unions-in-the-spotlight-what-employers-can-and-cant-do.

Markowitz, L. (2015). Worker activism after successful union organizing. Routledge.

Seaquist, G. (2015). Employee and labor relations: A practical guide. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.

“The Five Basic Steps to Organizing a Union.” (n.d). Retrieved from:https://www.ueunion.org/org_steps.html.

Uchitelle, L. (2010). Globalization, Union Style. The American Prospect. Retrieved from: https://prospect.org/article/globalization-union-style

 
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