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A Right to Health & Safety
on the Job
Work can be hazardous to your health. Far
too many American workers are killed, injured and exposed to diseases on the
job. Working under a union contract can improve your ability to monitor your
work environment and ensure that health and safety concerns are
addressed.
A Voice at Work the Boss Can't Ignore
Belonging to a union gives you rights under
federal law that you do not have as an individual. Union representation provides
you with the tools you need to deal with your employer from a position of
strength. Belonging to a union allows you to establish a written agreement that
specifies the terms of your employment. Once you have formed a union, your
employer is required by law to bargain with you over your wages, hours and
working conditions.
Without union representation, which opens the door to
the power of collective bargaining, an individual worker has no voice in his or
her employment and is subject to arbitrary decisions made by the employer. With
union representation, you have a voice in your future.
A Right to Vote on Your
Contract
Under the OP&CMIA constitutions
members vote on contracts that are negotiated by the union. A majority of
members must support a tentative agreement in order for that contract to become
effective. This gives the rank and file workers the ultimate authority to decide
their terms and conditions of employment. It is our proven method of checks and
balances to ensure that the desires and expectations of the OP&CMIA members
are achieved.
Rights to Jobs that You
Have Earned
Union members are able to obtain better
jobs at the workplace because union contracts can specify job classification
systems that require employers to "post" job openings and allow
workers to "bid' on those jobs. Job posting allows workers to know what
jobs the employer has available and what skills are needed to bid for those
jobs. Generally under union contracts, the most senior employee who has the
necessary skills is entitled to the job. This prevents favoritism and
discrimination in the awarding of jobs.
Without a union contract an employer is
free to give the best jobs to anyone he pleases.
Job Security
In times of high unemployment and
uncertain economic conditions, the right to retain your job is critical to you
and your family. It is important to know that you can't be fired without just
cause or laid off to make room for the boss' favorite nephew.
Most union contracts establish strict
rules about job security and the conditions under which layoffs or reductions in
the work force take place. This makes sure that everyone is treated fairly, and
that no one is discriminated against for speaking their mind on the job or
enforcing the terms of the contract.
Without the protection of a union
contract, you are at the mercy of the employer You have the ability to change
that; you have the power (and the LEGAL RIGHT) if you act
collectively.
Great Leaders
Agree
"The strongest bond of
human sympathy, outside of the family relation, should be one uniting all
working people.""
-- Abraham Lincoln
"If I were a worker in a
factory, the first thing I would do would be to join a
union.."
-- Franklin D.
Roosevelt
"The AFL-CIO has done more good
for more people than any other group in America."
-- Lyndon B.
Johnson.
"Only a handful of
unrestricted reactionaries harbor the ugly thought of breaking unions and of
depriving working men or working women of the right to join the union of their
choice."
-- Dwight D.
Eisenhower
"The right to join a union
of one's choice is unquestioned today, and is sanctioned and protected by
law"
-- Harry S.
Truman
"The American Labor
Movement has consistently demonstrated its devotion to the public interest. It
is, and has been, good for all Americans."
-- John F. Kennedy.
Millions
agree!
Yes, millions of workers and their
families make up the American Labor Movement. They have made the lives of their
families fuller and happier and they have made their jobs more secure...and
built a better America in the process. You can also find improvement through
Unionism.
Your Right to
Organize
Your right to organize is guaranteed by
Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act which states in part that
"employees shall have the right to self-organization, to form, join or
assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of
their own choosing, to engage in other concerted activities for the purpose of
collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection..."
Some employers, in violation of the law,
attempt to deny employees of their right to organize and join a union. Any
violation of the law should be reported to the organizing committee as soon as
possible. Prompt legal action will be taken on your behalf.
"Only a fool would try to
deprive working men and working women of the right to join the union of their
choice. "
- Dwight D.
Eisenhower
"If any man tells you he
loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts
America, yet fears labor, he is a fool."
-Abraham
Lincoln
"The mass of mankind has
not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few to ride
them."
- Thomas
Jefferson
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