DON’T SIGN ANYTHING THAT URGES YOU TO OPT-OUT OF YOUR UNION
The special interest groups asking you to do this don’t care about you and your well-being. They claim that they're here to help you protect your freedom of speech and hard earned money. In reality, they want to weaken your union, your voice, and your bargaining rights.
Remember - your union is made up of other members just like you. Together you have a voice, a vote, and the power to fight for your rights in the workplace.
Why are unions important? What does my union do?
Your union gives you and fellow members leverage. Together you can improve and protect your pay, your benefits, and your health care. With your union, you have a voice about work conditions and the power to negotiate with management for what is fair. Your union also represents your interests when there is a conflict with your employer.
All of these things are much harder, if not impossible to face alone. Power is in solidarity.
No, non-members are not entitled to important union benefits such as attending membership meetings to discuss the contract and other significant issues.Nor are they eligible to vote in Local Union officer elections or be represented in District Council.
Besides meetings and voting, does anything else happen if I leave?
In the long term, your pay and benefits may decrease if others are conned into opting-out. The weaker the union, the more likely you are to get a bad deal when management makes cuts or changes to their contracts.
This means diminished bargaining power which leads to lower wages and potentially zeroing out benefits. Without members like you, it is also harder for the union to fight off legislative attacks. Anti-union legislators aggressively push to eliminate or weaken your rights on the job.
Everyday, your union is fighting for you and your workplace rights against the special interest groups and dangerous, anti-worker legislation. We all must do our part to help our union continue to stand up for us.
