J
JonFrum
Guest
Pope Sawdust the First pontificates thusly . . .
Breathtaking!
There are two main types of NLRB elections: A Decertification Election, and a Representation Election. In a Decertification Election, the sole point is to throw out the Teamsters and leave us with no union. This is NOT what the APWA says they seek. In a Representation Election, the one the APWA says it intends to bring about, the intention is to throw out the Teamsters and replace them with the APWA. However in both types of elections, the ballots have "no union" as one of the choices. Thus, a Representation Election is not just a contest between two unions, but a decertification election as well for anyone who wants to vote for decertification.
In a Representation Election, other unions can also appear on the ballot if they want to, so the actual election may be amongst more than just the Teamsters vs the APWA. If none of the choices gets enough votes, a run-off election is held between the two top votegetters. The option of "no union" may be one of them.
UPS itself can ask for a Representation Election any time it feels the Teamsters have lost the support of half the bargaining unit. The APWA can ask for an election only with a showing of 30% of signed cards. If the Teamsters negotiate a new contract first, the APWA is prohibited from asking for an election for two years and ten months.
The possible participation of other unions and the mandatory inclusion of the "no union" choice on both ballots throws a degree of unpredictability into the mix.
There are currently three bargaining units at UPS. Petitions can be made to the NLRB to change the size and scope of the bargaining units either by combining them or spliting them up by region or by job, say, part-time vs full-time, or whatever.
There are a hundred issues that can be raised and litigated along the way. It's even possible the process will be so unpleasant that many may ultimately be disgusted with all unions and not vote, or vote for total decertification. Some feel that way already. If several other unions join in, the "pro-union" vote could be split and the "no union" choice could win with a relatively small vote.
If a union wins, and after a year, no new contract is agreed to, the whole election petition process can start all over again. Note that the UPS Pilots union contract just took four years to conclude. And the Pilots were a breakaway group from the Teamsters; they didn't try to take the whole UPS membership with them. Besides they are governed by the far less risky Railway Labor Act, not the National Labor Relations Act, as we are.
Everyone should pay close attention as events unfold. And learn all you can in the meantime.
Breathtaking!
There are two main types of NLRB elections: A Decertification Election, and a Representation Election. In a Decertification Election, the sole point is to throw out the Teamsters and leave us with no union. This is NOT what the APWA says they seek. In a Representation Election, the one the APWA says it intends to bring about, the intention is to throw out the Teamsters and replace them with the APWA. However in both types of elections, the ballots have "no union" as one of the choices. Thus, a Representation Election is not just a contest between two unions, but a decertification election as well for anyone who wants to vote for decertification.
In a Representation Election, other unions can also appear on the ballot if they want to, so the actual election may be amongst more than just the Teamsters vs the APWA. If none of the choices gets enough votes, a run-off election is held between the two top votegetters. The option of "no union" may be one of them.
UPS itself can ask for a Representation Election any time it feels the Teamsters have lost the support of half the bargaining unit. The APWA can ask for an election only with a showing of 30% of signed cards. If the Teamsters negotiate a new contract first, the APWA is prohibited from asking for an election for two years and ten months.
The possible participation of other unions and the mandatory inclusion of the "no union" choice on both ballots throws a degree of unpredictability into the mix.
There are currently three bargaining units at UPS. Petitions can be made to the NLRB to change the size and scope of the bargaining units either by combining them or spliting them up by region or by job, say, part-time vs full-time, or whatever.
There are a hundred issues that can be raised and litigated along the way. It's even possible the process will be so unpleasant that many may ultimately be disgusted with all unions and not vote, or vote for total decertification. Some feel that way already. If several other unions join in, the "pro-union" vote could be split and the "no union" choice could win with a relatively small vote.
If a union wins, and after a year, no new contract is agreed to, the whole election petition process can start all over again. Note that the UPS Pilots union contract just took four years to conclude. And the Pilots were a breakaway group from the Teamsters; they didn't try to take the whole UPS membership with them. Besides they are governed by the far less risky Railway Labor Act, not the National Labor Relations Act, as we are.
Everyone should pay close attention as events unfold. And learn all you can in the meantime.
jk
In filing the NLRB charges, the APWA provided several affidavits of his co-workers in which they received far less disclipinary action but for far worse offenses. Like I said, I would check with the field office to see what concrete details they can give you.