Contact Us

President
Dennis Csillag

Vice-President
Robert Buchanan

Secretary
Joshua Case

Treasurer
Eddie Ray

Shop Stewards
Frank Castillo Jr
Corinne Green
Diane Wilson
Tony Velez

Calendar

August 23
Executive Board Meeting

September 20
Executive Board Meeting

October 18
Executive Board Meeting

November 22
Executive Board Meeting

Organize Your Workplace. Live Better; Work Union.

In today's political and economic climate, now more than ever workers need to join together. A union is simply a majority of employees who join together to better their work lives. A union can help create a more level playing field with your employer. Instead of one person telling management that wages should be fair, health and safety regulations should be followed and employees deserve good health care benefits, a union helps you speak together, in one voice. And that chorus of voices has more power than one lone voice. A union is the vehicle workers can use to help bring the chorus together.

Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) you have the legal right to form a union in your workplace. The NLRA says:

Section 7: "Employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representation of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining . . . ."

Section 8(a): "It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer . . . to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7. . . ."

Interested In Getting A Real Voice In Your Workplace?

If you are, then NABET-CWA can help you and your co-workers build the majority support that you will need to organize your union. Getting union representation is the best way to gain the working conditions that you and your co-workers deserve. With a union, you have the legal right to bargain over your pay, benefits, employment security, health and safety, and retirement, etc. A union also gives you the ability to negotiate over company policies that affect promotions, layoffs, and many other aspects of your job.

Having a union and the right to bargain collectively with your employer is not some old-fashioned idea that’s time has come and gone. Top executives of every major corporation negotiate their own compensation, retirement and severance packages with the companies for which they work. Through NABET-CWA, you and your co-workers will have the same ability to improve your working conditions.

Who We Are

NABET-CWA is part of the Communications Workers of America. CWA represents more than 700,000 men and women in both the private and public sectors of the economy – in telecommunications and information technology; media and publishing; health care, higher education, law enforcement and public service; in the airlines and in manufacturing. CWA members are covered by over 2,000 collective bargaining agreements.

A Typical Organizing Campaign

The campaign will consist of talking with co-workers about the union and asking them to sign a card of support. The cards are kept strictly confidential. When there is a strong majority of support (65% of employees have signed), the union will file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Usually, the NLRB will then meet with the union and the employer to establish the criteria for employees who will be eligible to vote in the union election. The NLRB sets a date for a secret ballot election.

What You Have The Right To Do

Under Section 7 of the NLRA, you have the legal right to:

1. Attend meetings to discuss joining a union.
2. Read, distribute, and discuss union literature (as long as you do this in non-work areas during non-work times, such as during breaks or lunch hours).
3. Wear union buttons, t-shirts, stickers, hats, or other items on the job.
4. Sign a card asking your employer to recognize and bargain with the union.
5. Sign petitions or file grievances related to wages, hours, working conditions, and other job issues.
6. Ask other employees to support the union, to sign union cards or petitions, or to file grievances.

After the union's election victory is officially certified by the NLRB, your employer is legally required to negotiate in "good faith" with the union on a written contract covering wages, hours, and other working conditions.

Getting Started

We’ll help you create your organization. Our experience tells us that it's best when workers organize themselves if they are to create a viable organization in their workplace. NABET-CWA organizers and staff can help. But it's the workers who must join together and build their organization. To get a union started, the first thing you need to do is talk to your co-workers. Do they share the same concerns you have? Or, do they have other issues? Is there a common theme to these concerns such as lack of respect and dignity; lack of a voice in the workplace; unfair treatment; and/or wages and benefits lower than other stations in the market? After talking with your co-workers to find out their issues, contact us. We'll set up a meeting with you and some of your co-workers. Together, we'll create a plan for a organizing a union in your workplace.

Final Thought

NABET-CWA's organizing goal is not to just win elections. Our goal is to build a strong organization to better enable employees to negotiate good contracts and increase their standard of living and quality of life.

With a union, workers can get together and create a positive vision for their workplace. If you and your co-workers are interested in joining together to make positive changes in your work lives, contact us.

• Union Advantage By The Numbers