FAQs

What is a union?

A union is an organization that collectively bargains wages, benefits and other aspects of the workplace for team members. If there were a union at our facility CFC, the company would be prohibited by law from working directly with you on important issues that affect you. The union would be your employment-related representative.

What is an authorization card?

With an organization campaign, the union will ask you to sign an authorization card. The union must have signed cards from at least 30 percent of employees to ask the National Labor Relations Board for an election. Sometimes a union will get more than 50 percent and ask the company to skip the election and recognize the union. That’s what makes the authorization card and your signature so important.

Union representatives may say that signing the card is no big deal, but signing the authorization card means you support a union at our facility. If you think a union is not needed here and wrong for you, then you should not sign the card.

I signed the union card. Does this mean I have to vote for the union if there is a vote?

Absolutely not. It doesn’t matter if you signed the union card, attended union meetings, or even have been a union member, you are always free to vote NO.  Elections are conducted by secret ballot – there is no place for a signature and no one knows how anyone voted.

Everyone says the negotiations start with a blank piece of paper.  Is that true? 

Yes. Nothing is guaranteed in negotiations. Wages and benefits can stay the same, or go up or down. It’s just like any other negotiation – the union has to give up on some things in order to get others. And the union will always take care of its needs before employees by pushing for a dues “Check-off” clause, among other things. (Check-off allows the union to have your dues taken out of your paycheck before you receive it.)

How are union dues determined? How much would I have to pay if there is a union?

The union sets the amount of dues and fees. The company is not involved and has no role in that matter. CFC is legally required to deduct dues from members’ paychecks, if a union is formed and you join the union and sign a dues deduction authorization card.

What does a union spend dues money on?

Each year, unions are required by law to report all their expenditures. That includes executive salaries, donations to political candidates, convention expenses, etc. Ask a union representative for a copy of their LM-2 report. They should be open and honest about how your money is spent. If they aren’t, they may have something to hide.

If the union gets in, what will my retirement fund look like?

We don’t know. Currently, Team Members are eligible for 401(k) and company contributions for qualifying Team Members. But a union might ask that we join a union pension fund. This is not something the union usually contributes to, but is something it has control over. And many union pension funds are in serious financial trouble.

What happens if a union goes on strike?

When a union is on strike, it’s important to know that regular pay stops, benefits usually stop, and striking workers are normally not eligible for unemployment compensation.

In addition, a company continues to have the legal right to stay in business during a strike. It can hire replacement workers for those on strike, and those replacement workers can become permanent workers, even after a strike is over. There is no guarantee striking workers will get their jobs back.

What is “Right to Work”?

“Right to Work” is a law in some states (such as Indiana) that says Team members cannot be required to join a union or pay union dues. It is not the law in Ohio. Here, most union employees are required to pay union dues as a condition of their employment after a certain period of time.

But even if I pay dues, would I have to be a union member?

Typically no, But many unions require membership as a condition of voting on contract proposals. This could mean that if you choose not to become a member, other Team members will be making decisions about your pay, your schedule, and all other terms of employment. That’s why it is so important that the entire group decides if they really want a union in the first place – nobody wants to be forced to do something they later regret.

How many workers are represented by unions?

In private workplaces in America like CFC, only 7% of employees belong to a union. 93% do not.