What your Employer

Might Say

What your Employer

Won’t Say

“Unions are an outside organization, we prefer to deal directly with employees”

SPSE-UPTE consists of Laboratory employees who believe we can obtain collective bargaining and have a voice in the workplace. The Officers and Executive board members are Laboratory employees. We are a member run organization and set our own priorities, and handle our own negotiations with Laboratory management.

“Union dues are high, why pay them?”

• Passing out a mock check and saying this shows how much dues you will pay as a group each year.
• Bringing in a basket of groceries with a label:  “what you could buy with one year’s dues.”

You can’t afford not to have collective bargaining.  

The improvements in pay and benefits which you can only win with a strong union will more than offset the dues you pay---plus you’ll get the improved treatment and respect that comes with a union contract.

As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”  No organization can be effective without money to pay for services and supplies.

Remember:  you don’t pay any dues until you win a contract.

“The union is only interested in you for your money.”  

Your employer may give you “documents” or old newspaper clippings which are supposed to show that unions are bankrupt and needs your money to survive.

SPSE-UPTE, CWA is a financially strong union which exists only to serve workers.

Union members want to help other workers organize because every time a new group of workers gets a union contract, it puts more pressure on all employers to improve pay and working conditions.

SPSE-UPTE, CWA ‘s strong financial condition is detailed in reports which are available for inspection by any member.

“Unions can force you to strike.” 

 Your employer may hint that, soon after you vote for a union, you will be on strike, like it or not, either over your own contract or to support union members somewhere else.

Only workers themselves can decide to strike. 

 A strike can only be called by a majority of the workers who would be directly involved—and only in a secret-ballot vote.  You would never be asked to go on strike because of a dispute somewhere else.  Workers obtain collective bargaining to improve their jobs, not to strike. 

“When you sign a card for collective bargaining, you sign your life away.” 

 Your employer may hint that you will start getting orders from “union bosses” if you sign a card.

Signing a collective bargaining authorization card simply means you want a union.

 All union decisions are made democratically.  There are no “union bosses”.  SPSE-UPTE officers and E-Board members are laboratory employees and do not work for the union.

“We won’t be one big happy family anymore, so we’ll be less flexible.” 

Your employer may say that, if you have collective bargaining, new rules like punching a time clock or reduced flexibility in scheduling may be necessary.  Your employer may even make some of these changes right now and try to blame them on the union.

The union and management will get alone fine –if management is willing.

When you negotiate a contract with your employer, you can agree to as much flexibility for employees as you want.  The only thing you will probably not want in your contract is flexibility for your employer to harass some workers and play favorites with others.

Promises:  “Give us another chance—we’ll change.” 

Your employer may say that, now that you’ve shown you are dissatisfied, you and your employer can work out all the problems by yourselves, so why pay union dues?

Collective bargaining is the only way to make sure your employer changes. 

If your employer is really willing to change, he can sign a fair contract.  Some workers have listened to employers’ promises only to learn the hard way that promises are forgotten if collective bargaining is voted down.

“We’ll change a few things that are really bothering you.” 

 Your employer may transfer one particularly unpopular supervisor or make changes in certain working conditions that have caused a lot of dissatisfaction.

If you can get changes by talking collective bargaining, imagine what you can get once you have a contract.  

The experiences of other workers shows that you have to continue your organizing to keep what you’ve won and get action the next time you have a problem.