Organizing Campaign
is conducted by a union
to persuade employees to choose the union as their
legal representative
Factors Affecting Employee Support for a Union
- Personal Factors
- Workplace Factors
- Economic Factors
- Societal Factors
- -> tailor to address and build on those influences
- ->why workers reject union
Workers must first decide whether a union is an asset
- invite a union to undertake organizing campaign
3. each individual worker = must decide whether to cast formal vote in favour of union representation
Personal Factors
- parent’s view: (+) / active participants in unions = (+) attitudes
- –>active participants = had more stronger + direct influence
-socioeconomic status: members of ethnic minorities & low income / low status worker = (+); worker loyalty bc unions address issues associated w/ race, gender, benefits, salary, etc.
(+) attitude toward unions = do not auto. translate active support
Factors (Pro-Union Attitude) actually vote in favour
- must feel he/she lacks any individual ability to influence / change unsatisfactory working conditions –> feel that a union is the mechanism by which change can be achieved
- will not support if lacks instrumentality
- or feel that they can make change without the union’s assistance
Instrumentality (catalyst)
that is a union = an effective means to achieve what individual employee want but cannot achieve on their own
–>can still motivate to support union as long as the employees perceive that the union = can cause the desired change –> even if in reality it cannot
Important component of instrumentality (significant in the success / failure of vote)
involves the employee’s perception of the specific union involved in the organizing campaign
Perception of the specific union and self-identity
-if they can relate/connect to the union’s image or what they are trying to represent
Workplace Factors
The most common reason for employee interest in unionizing is dissatisfaction with workplace conditions
Unionization may be perceived as a way to address:
- Dissatisfaction with compensation (determines whether d exists)
- Management ignoring workplace issues
–> Union-related attitudes of co-workers may also
be influential
–>Structure of workplace and type of work may
also have an effect
Absolute terms
the actual amount of pay & benefits
Relative terms
how one’s pay & benefits compare with those of others in the organization or workers in similar positions on other organizations
Management ignoring workplace issues
- Refusal to correct problems brought to its attention
- problems w/ administration in general
- inadequate benefits
- lack of opportunity for promotion
- perceived unfairness of workplace policies / procedures
- job security concerns
**Major cause of dissatisfaction in the workplace
lack of opportunity for worker participation & cooperation w/ management in decision-making
–>instrumentality determines if dissatisfaction = active support.
Union-related attitudes of co-workers may also
be influential
co-workers (+) attitudes more likely to support
- -> the managers & supervisor’s attitudes did not affect whether the individual employees supported the union
- —–> if it was perceived that management = might actually retaliate against employees if they supported a union (demoting or firing) –> subject were more likely, NOT LESS –> likely to support a union
Economic Factors
–>Workers’ pay levels
–>Unemployment rate
–>Inflation rate
–> many feel that a union = shields them from the effect of an unstable labour market –> by increasing job security
INCREASED SUPPORT BASICALLY.
Societal Factors
- Attitudes and perceptions about unions
- –> half; (+) / (-) attitude towards unions
- (+) but personally distrust their power
-Whether labour legislation facilitates or hinders
union certification
Steps in the Organizing Campaign
A successful campaign results in the union being able
to request recognition as the bargaining agent
for the employees
–> Employees may decide to form own union
–>Employees may want to join an existing union
–>Union may contact dissatisfied workers and
suggest unionization
Bargaining Agent
means that the union is legally recognized as the sole representative of employees in that particular workplace
–> as a bargaining agent, the union acts on behalf of the employees in bargaining conditions & terms of work w/ the employer –> and in administrating the collective agreement that results in the bargaining
The Information Meeting
The first formal step: interested employees meet with a union representative off site and after hours
–> may be preceded by smaller informal gatherings
–> Identities of employees interested in unionization
and the meeting location are usually kept secret from employer and from pro-employer workers
The Organizing Committee
If those at the information meeting feel an organizing campaign could be successful (it might result in certification) –> an organizing committee will be created
- -> usually consist of employees rather than professional organizations
- “credible” –> workplace issues
- familiar to potential union members
- better knowledge of workplace issues occurring
–> Committee members will contact other employees
seeking a formal indication of support for the union
–> Support can be shown by signing a membership card
or by paying a small amount of money to the union; or a petition.
Unfair labour practices
A constant concern through the campaign
–> Actions by union or employer that make potential union members act differently than they would
have otherwise
- -> concern bc of their potential to influence the vote for or against the union
- —-> in which outcome of certification vote might not reflect employees’ actual desires
–> Labour relations law generally bans unfair
labour practices
Factors Affecting the Success of an Organizing Campaign
- *strongest influence on success: rank & file strategies – personal contact w/ members (telephone calls, house calls, small group meetings, and the presence of a representative organizing committee
- -> combination of strategies»_space;>
–> Unions must identify what is important to workers
and address those concerns while attempting to organize
– > Campaign is also affected by the amount of control workers have over the campaign and amount of worker participation in campaign activities
–> Employer’s response to organizing campaign can
also affect its success or failure
Application for Certification
When the organizing committee believes it has sufficient membership support, the union files an application for certification with the appropriate labour relations board
This form has three major components:
- An indication of sufficient membership support
- A description of the desired bargaining unit (the group of employees that will be represented in collective bargaining with the employer)
- Who the employer is and who the union is
Sufficient Membership Support
a certification application must be accompanied by an indiction of a sufficient level of support from the employees in the proposed bargaining unit
–> The required level of support varies from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction
–>The labour board may certify the union without
the ‘required’ level of support if the employer has engaged in an unfair labour practice
–> In some jurisdictions, if the support exceeds the required level, there may be automatic certification for the union
–> The Board will also consider the timeliness of the application—how long the union has taken to get
the required support
