Threats to close or move the workplace if workers vote to unionize.When American workers seek to exercise the right to form a union, they nearly always run into a buzz saw of employer threats, intimidation and coercion such as: The demand for profits must then be compromised with fairness toward workers. Where unions are strong, employers must bargain collectively to set the terms and conditions of employment. Workers form unions because there is power in numbers. In 1935, the US Government enacted the National Labor Relations Act that said, “Employees shall have the right to form…labor organizations…to bargain collectively…(and employers may not) interfere with…the exercise of…this right.” In 1948, the US joined four-fifths of United Nations member states to ratify the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which included the right of all people to come together in unions. The freedom to form unions is a basic human right. Corporate CEO’s can earn 500 times the wages paid their workers. The result? Today, the wealthiest one percent own as much of our nation as ninety percent of the rest of us. Why are wages so low? Because that’s the easiest way to increase profitability. The result? Taxpayers across the United States are making up for what employers should be paying with public assistance programs. For most of these workers there is no health insurance or retirement plans. Today, a few own the world’s resources while most live in poverty. After World War II, nearly 30 percent of our work force belonged to unions. The middle class is disappearing in direct proportion to the demise of the American union movement. That was the vision of middle class Americans, who once modeled the image of what it was to be an American. We weren’t supposed to have to win the lottery, or be a corporate executive to enjoy the American dream. The American Promise is that if we go to school, work hard, and become a productive and faithful employee, we can then expect to support a family, raise and educate our children, enjoy a healthy and fulfilling life and retire with dignity. The success of our union is made possible through the support, productivity and activism of our membership. Plumbers Local 24 is also very involved in the communities we serve to build support for our cause and to seek out the most qualified candidates available for union membership. We utilize both top down and bottom up techniques to expand our contractor base. We are implementing this strategy of expansion by aggressively marketing our union to both public and private construction users as well nonunion plumbing and piping contractors. This strategy also allows us to grow our union as necessary in order to remain strong in the future and affords us the opportunity to achieve another goal of all unions, which is to help raise the standard of living for working families in our jurisdiction. This expansion allows us to fulfill our unions’ primary obligation, which is to provide work opportunities with the best wages and benefits for our union members. Our vision of organizing is the expansion of our union contractor base and increasing the market share of the unionized plumbing and piping industry. However, at Plumbers Local 24, Organizing means that and much more. Organizing is a term that has traditionally been used for a group of workers banding together to join a union or for unions to admit new members.
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