Forming a Union: What to Expect

At Local 705, organizing is about fighting for the future. It's about getting hard-working men and women the pay, retirement benefits, respect, dignity, fair working conditions, healthcare, and place at the bargaining table they deserve.

If you’re interested in improving your workplace, the place to start is with your coworkers. Start talking to them discreetly about issues you see in the workplace. These conversations can help you identify a few coworkers who might be interested in organizing.

When you’re ready, contact us through the form above or at 312-738-5260 and a Teamster Organizer will meet with your small group to answer your questions and help you develop a comprehensive organizing plan.

Below, you can learn more about the steps of a union organizing campaign. Teamsters Local 705 will be with you for every step.

1. Build an Organizing Committee

Leaders are identified and an organizing committee representing all major departments and all shifts and reflecting the racial, ethnic and gender diversity in the workforce is established. The organizing committee training begins immediately. Committee members must be prepared to work hard to educate themselves and their co-workers about the union and to warn and educate co-workers about the impending management anti-union campaign. The organizing committee must be educated about workers’ rights to organize.

It's also important to gather information about the workplace. This will help plan a campaign that leaves no worker behind. This includes:

Information about the structure of your workplace: Departments, work areas, jobs, shifts
Employee information: Name, address, phone, shift, job title, and department for each worker
Employer information: Other business locations, parent company, products, customers, and union history

2. Adopt an Issue

The committee develops a program of union demands (the improvements you are organizing to achieve) and a strategy for the union election campaign. A plan for highlighting the issues in the workplace is carried out through various organizing campaign activities.

Forced overtime, low wages, management bullying, discrimination, and lack of healthcare are all examples of workplace issues. The issues in every workplace are different. But every workplace has at least one issue that’s broadly and deeply felt among most of the employees. Talk to your coworkers and learn what issue could unite them and motivate them to fight for improvements.

3. Sign Up Majority on Union Cards

Your co-workers are asked to join the Teamsters and support the union program by signing authorization cards. The goal is to sign up a sizable majority. This "card campaign" should proceed quickly once begun and is necessary to hold a union election.

4. Win the Election

The signed authorization cards are used (and required) to petition the state or federal labor board to hold an election. It will take the labor board at least several days to determine who is eligible to vote and schedule the election. The union campaign must continue and intensify during the wait. If the union wins, the employer must recognize and bargain with the union. Winning a union election not only requires a strong, diverse organizing committee and a solid issues program, but also a plan to fight the employer’s anti-union campaign.

5. Negotiate a Contract

The organizing campaign does not let up after an election victory. The real and most important goal of signing that union contract still needs to be achieved. Workers must be mobilized to support the union’s contract demands (decided by you and your co-workers) and pressure the employer to meet them.

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