During the Union meeting of October 13th, one of the Executive Board Members, Frank Piccioli brought an article to the attention of those in attendance. Written by Mike Elk, the article pointed out that the tactics that are being used to intimidate those who support the passing of health care legislation very closely resemble those used by union-busters nationwide. He writes:
Free and fair elections don’t exist in the workplace in America because of the intimidation and lies that employers use against their workers. Studies have shown that 60 percent of workers want to join a union if they were able to but only 8 percent of private sector employees are members of unions
In making his point he cites several important factoids about the tactics that organizations will use to discourage Union membership.
Bosses and union busting consultants rely on threats to intimidate and coerce people. In 57% of all union drives they threaten to close factories, but only closes them 2% of the time. Indeed, they do fire workers in about 34% of all union drives just to intimidate the rest of the works.
As we move forward with our negotiations for the next MOU term, it is important to understand that there are still Unit III employees who are not Union members because of tactics similar to those pointed out in his article. And while the threats may not be as overt as those cited by Elk, it is important to note two things:
One, they still exist. And two, they are illegal.
The Local 2960 is ramping up its effort to enroll as many Unit III employees as we can for the upcoming MOU period. We urge you to attend of of the many Meet and Greet meetings that we will be conducting in the various workplaces. Bring your questions and concerns. If you have been the victim of these kind of imtimidation or mis-information tactics, please let us know.
From a different article, Elk points out how the simple act of joining a Union creates a stronger sense of community with your fellow employees.
“… union members refer to themselves as “brothers and sisters” during union rallies… because of the bond of solidarity that is formed during the intense harassment and firing of workers leading up to union certification elections.”
If you would like more information about becoming a Union member please contact the Local 2960 office or a steward in your department.
Related Links:
- Teabaggers Are To Congresspeople What Union-Busters Are To Workers, by Mike Elk
- Give Me a Union, Not a Wheelchair: The Case for EFCA, by Mike Elk
- Democrats Taste Union Busting at their Town Hall Meetings – Will they Learn its Lessons? by Chris Townsend
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