Congratulations on your new job!  One of the most important decisions that you need to make as a new employee is whether you should join with your co-workers and become a full member of Teamsters.  The answer is “YES” and here is why:

WHY IS THE UNION IMPORTANT AT MY PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT?

Unions are instrumental in setting the standards and job protections related to education, wages, working conditions, and quality of life for workers.

Union-negotiated wages and benefits are almost always higher than what non-union workers receive for doing same or similar work.  Additionally, most union contracts provide better job protections than state and federal laws.

The purpose of the Union is to negotiate wages, benefits and working conditions with the Employer for the betterment of the members, defend the Union Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and support and protect Teamsters members in the workplace. 

A labor union is an organization of workers joined together to protect their common interests and improve their working conditions. The Union serves as an intermediary between the employer and the employees. The Union gives workers power to negotiate more favorable working conditions through collective bargaining.  This includes protection of employee rights, negotiating increased wages and improved benefits, and bargaining working conditions that effect members. 

The Union works continuously to improve conditions of employment and protect members.  It is generally agreed that Union workers across the country earn more than non-Union members who have no right to negotiate.  Without the Union, many employers would eliminate or significantly decrease the wages and benefits that members currently enjoy and would not maintain practices that are beneficial to employees.

“…The members ARE the Union!...”
 

WHY SHOULD I PAY UNION DUES?

The payment of Union dues insures that the work of the Union continues.    Member-paid dues allow the Union to deliver services that include (but not limited too):

• Professional and dedicated Business Agents who lead, support, and fight for Union members; 
• Union’s negotiate and fight for better terms and conditions of employment.  This includes job protections for members, improved wages and benefits, and better working conditions;
• For grievance procedures, Union-paid legal assistance (at no cost to members), up to, and potentially including, arbitration or mediation resolution;   
• The Union partners with members to fight contract violations including unwarranted discipline and other violations of the CBA;
• Union members, because they are part of a collective and powerful group, have better job security because of the CBA and the support of the Union;
• Unions fight for equal opportunities in the workplace.  We stand for equal pay, equal opportunities, and equal treatment for all members; 
• The Union provides a powerful, collective voice when communicating with management on employee safety issues, work place frustrations, and other subjects that might otherwise not be heard by the employer. 
   

“…We are strongest when we stand together!...”
 

WHAT IS THE JANUS DECISION AND WHY DO I NEED TO UNDERSTAND IT?

On June 27, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned forty years of judicial precedent with the Court’s decision on Janus v AFSCME Council 31.  The U.S. Supreme Court, with this decision, sided with ANTI-Union advocates in an attempt to under-cut the rights of millions of public employees who, for decades, have negotiated with their employers for a fair return on the value of the work they perform.