#joinaunion

[emmelinemay]

To ALL striking workers today - solidarity. Thank you for what you're doing. #SolidarityWithStrikes #Solidarity #JoinAUnion https://www.instagram.com/p/CoHZ_hhMlBO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[thetrinityriverlookout]

Amazon is driving down our wages. If you want more money, help unionize the workers. #joinaunion #amazon #amazonunion #amazonprime #labor https://www.instagram.com/p/CO8R1-hlhS_/?igshid=1100gw7n09o3a

[joinseiulocal668]

States with Collective Bargaining Have Better Wages and Benefits for Public Sector Workers

The Pennsylvania Public Employee Relations Act allows employees to join together form a union and collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and worker safety. In 2019, SEIU Local 668 members negotiated a four-year contract with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania that included a 16.75 % pay increase over four years.

However, this kind of pay raise is not common in many states across the country. Many states do not allow collective bargaining for state and local government workers. In Mississippi, state workers must lobby the state legislature to get raises. In 2019, the legislature approved a 3% pay increase but, only 80 % of workers qualified for the raise. Across Mississippi, there are about 1,000 full-time public employees who only make around $20’000 per year.

In 1955 North Carolina instituted a ban on collective bargaining for state and local employees. Workers can be part of a union, but they can’t negotiate contracts, similar to Mississippi public sector workers must lobby the legislature for wage increases and benefits.

In North Carolina, the legislature also makes decisions about employee healthcare. Before 2021 employees who retired from the state were eligible for state employee healthcare.  In 2017, the state legislature eliminated retiree healthcare coverage for new employees hired after Jan. 1, 2021. In Pennsylvania, union members negotiate retiree healthcare at the bargaining table. Wages and benefits are not something that can be taken away by the passage of a bill.

Corporate-funded anti-labor groups in Pennsylvania are working trying to get public sector employees to drop out of their union. Their goal is to weaken public-sector collective bargaining in Pennsylvania and, by extension, private-sector collective bargaining.

Public sector workers are stronger together and sticking with their unions despite attempts by these groups. If you are a public sector worker and would like to stand with other state workers and exercise your rights to collectively bargain, complete this form, an organizer from SEIU Local 668 will contact you. The form is completely confidential, and your information will not be shared outside of SEIU Local 668. You can also email us at [email protected] or call us at 717-635-6729.

Share on Facebook

[joinseiulocal668]

Are you a Pennsylvania public employee or a nonprofit worker looking to form a union at your workplace?

The right for private-sector employees to organize was established by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935. That Act also established the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which protects workers' rights to organize and form unions. However, the NLRA's provisions do not extend to public sector workers.

States determine whether public employees may organize and form unions. In Pennsylvania, the Public Employees Relations Act of 1970 (PERA) allows public employees such as county, municipal, and state employees to form a union and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and workplace safety. Similar to the NLRA, PERA

As per Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board Here are the steps workers must take, according to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board:

Before holding an official vote, 30 % of the workforce must agree to form a union

Employees must notify the employer that 30% of the bargaining unit wants to vote to form a union. If the employer agrees, employees must request a collective bargaining election that includes a description of the unit and how they determined 30% of employees are interested.

If the employer does not agree to collective bargaining, the employees can file a petition with the PLRB stating 30% of the workforce wants to form a union. The board will investigate, and if it is appropriate, the PLRB can order the election.

Once the PLRB approves the election, a notice for the election time and place is posted.

The vote will take place by secret ballot, and a majority of the workers need to vote yes to form a union in the workplace.

Even though the law allows workers to join and form a union, there is usually considerable pushback from management in almost all union organizing campaigns. The Economic Policy Institute reported that companies spend millions of dollars on anti-union law firms to stop their employees from union organizing. Employers post anti-union signs in the workplace and have management talk to employees and tell them they do not form a union.

Staff at the news organization Fusion faced pushback from their employer when organizing to join the Writers Guild of America Union. Management sent a letter to employees, discouraging them from unionizing. Fusion staff did not give up; instead, they continued to organize and held meetings with staff to answer questions they had. Fusion staff kept fighting for a union, and when they held a vote, over 90 % of eligible staff voted yes.

When workers join together and decide to form a union, they vote for a seat at the table. They are demanding better working conditions, including benefits, a salary increase, and safer working conditions. Unionizing gives workers a voice. Through labor-management meetings, they can discuss solutions to problems that arise in the workplace. A campaign to unionize a worksite is not an easy task. Management would not pay millions of dollars to silence union campaigns if collective bargaining wasn't powerful. Employees are stronger together, and a union campaign is hard work, but it is worth it.

The first step to forming a union is discussing the benefits of collective bargaining with your co-workers. Make sure you do not discuss unionizing on work time. It is best to have these discussions on breaks and outside work time. You can reach out to a union organizer to help get started. You can fill out this confidential form, and one of our union organizers will reach out to you. You can also email us at [email protected] or call us at 717-635-6729.

Share on Facebook

[joinseiulocal668]

How the Pandemic Has Intensified Union Fights for Worker Safety

The labor movement is built on collective action to fight for worker rights. The 40-hour work week, paid holidays, and overtime laws, among other benefits many of us now take for granted, were not handed to workers from generous employers. They were enshrined in law because working people fought tirelessly for them. And now, with COVID-19 laying bare how precarious life is for many American workers, a strong labor movement is essential.

Union members continue to demand stronger workplace safety measures be put in place for all workers, including calling out the federal government for lapses in OSHA'S regulatory oversight, demanding more personal protective equipment be provided to frontline workers, and fighting for hazard pay. Unions such as SEIU Local 668 and AFSCME District Council 13 have been fighting to ensure Pennsylvania public workers receive OSHA protections, as nearly half of all public workers in the U.S. lack those protections.

Unionized workers across the country are also fighting for COVID-19 safety protocols in the workplace, such as AFSCME Council 28, which represents public employees in Washington state. At the onset of the pandemic, members proactively bargained for additional COVID-19 protections. They won paid quarantine leave, telework for state employees, and health screenings for employees who work in a congregated care setting. And in Pennsylvania, SEIU Local 668 members negotiated telework and staggered shifts for welfare caseworkers across the state.

When members use their union to make demands of management, they’re more likely to win. And because of the labor laws union members have fought so hard for, union members are more likely to speak up. One recent study, comparing the number of workplace safety complaints filed with federal and state agencies in unionized and non-unionized worksites, found unionized worksites 30% more likely to have health and safety inspections.

The pandemic has provided a stark illustration that many essential employees can’t simply rely on their employers’ good graces or the government’s rapid action to keep them safe. Being part of a union empowers workers to speak up, and gives them the tools to fight for a safer workplace.

People have been joining unions and fighting for worker protections for decades, not just in a Pandemic. If you are a social service worker in Pennsylvania, you have the right to form a union and fight for potentially life-saving health and safety policies at your worksite. For more information on union organizing, please complete this form, and an organizer from SEIU Local 668 will contact you.

[joinseiulocal668]

SEIU Local 668 member and social worker at SCI Albion Tammy Jo Rodgers shares with us the union difference: how her union has improved her work life and that of her colleagues.

Interested in forming a union at your workplace? Contact us at 717-635-6729 today.

[stephiewoodcock]

#coronavirus #coronavirusuk #covid19 #covid19uk #joinaunion #union #refuseunsafework #savelives https://www.instagram.com/p/CJrPjoSpmlx/?igshid=dmxi2706pnav

[stephiewoodcock]

#unions #joinaunion https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEtfY0J4Sb/?igshid=10rou6rlh7712