There are several reasons workers join or form unions.

At-Will Employment vs. Working under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

1. Absent a contract stating otherwise, employees are at-will employees with very few rights. That is, they’re employed at the will of their employer. The employer is free to hire and cancel out from a confirmed schedule at any time. Free to change work hour parameters and working conditions at any time. Free to set any daily schedule. The employer unilaterally sets all the terms and conditions of employment and can change these conditions any time it desires and for any reason it desires. An employee’s only choice is “take-it or leave-it.”
2. By contrast, workers who form unions and negotiate a contract with their employer are employed under the terms and conditions of that contract. There is a mutual understanding in writing of what is expected from the employer and from the employee. You get to help set the terms.

   The employer cannot change the terms and conditions of the contract without the union agreeing to those changes, and both are legally bound to honor that contract. Many of you have been in a union and know that a contract can contain anything from a consistent raise schedule to hours of work to safety parameters. The contract between a union and an employer is commonly referred to as the Collective Bargaining Agreement, or CBA. Currently, LOCAL 1200 has national contracts with CBS NEWS and Sports, Fox Sports, and locally with TEGNA, PBS, HEARST and SCRIPPS stations, but not with NEXSTAR. We would like to add more consistency and mutual understanding with all broadcast technicians by inviting them into the IBEW family.

It’s important to understand that workers don’t hire a union, or bring in a union, they join together with their co-workers to form the union. The reason they do this is because it’s the only means workers have to compel their employer to bargain with them in good faith for a written contract. The IBEW has experienced representatives and negotiators to lead the way, but the issues we propose during negotiations are those the workers themselves bring forward. You’re forming a Union to accomplish as a group what you can’t as individuals. You do this to improve your working conditions and to secure a solid financial future. 

Some negotiated items would be a better professional working wage, a yearly raise schedule, overtime and double-time stipulations, and the ability to participate in a health plan. Common agreements include on-site safety, working conditions, meal periods, stipulated rest periods, short turnaround time pay, workweek parameters, travel time stipulations, and per diem. Just to name a few… And no contract will go in place until You All vote collectively to ratify Your Contract.  

Did you know that NEXSTAR/NEWSNATION already has contracts with a Union?  The NEXSTAR/NEWSNATION facilities in Chicago, and New York City already have employees covered under IBEW contracts. So your current employer already has to abide by established relationships with Unions in one form or another. For you and your coworkers to come together to join IBEW and gain a collective voice with a Bargaining Agreement would simply make sense. It’s good business for you as the employee

Workers in the United States have a law that gives them the right to join or form unions if they so choose, and it’s unlawful for an employer to threaten, coerce, or retaliate against any employee who chooses to exercise those rights. It’s called the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and it was passed in 1935.

• Under the NLRA, employees have a right to engage in concerted activities with co-workers for mutual aid and protection. They can discuss workplace issues with each other such as pay rates, benefits, how they’re being treated by management, etc. Any retaliation by an employer against employees because they’re engaging in this type of activity violates federal law.
• How do we determine if a majority of the workers in our bargaining unit want to form a union and negotiate collectively with NewsNation for a written contract? The National Labor Relations Board, the federal government agency that oversees this law, comes in and holds a secret ballot election.
  • If the majority of the workers vote YES, the NLRB certifies the union as the workers’ collective bargaining representative. At this point, the employer can no longer make unilateral changes to the current terms and conditions of employment and must maintain the “status quo” while negotiating with the employees for a written contract.
  • If the majority of the workers vote NO, the union is not certified as the employees’ collective bargaining representative and all remain “at-will employees.”

1. First, it’s important to again recognize that you and your co-workers are forming this union. Using your union to harm the employer would obviously not be in your best interest and is therefore not something you would do. You are simply applying to paper the terms of your employment for both parties to follow. It is a mutual agreement.

2. Second, the IBEW is by no means anti-employer. It fully recognizes that employers and employees are co-dependent on each other, and when companies prosper it provides opportunities for workers to prosper too.

3. There are many examples of professionals working together to achieve goals they could not accomplish on their own. The American Bar Association, the American Medical Association, the Airline Pilots Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are all examples of Unions working together on their common interests.

    

1. Union Dues are funds provided by union members to financially support the goals of their organization. such as legal representation, handling grievances, arbitrations, contract negotiations, organizing activities, rents and administrative fees.
2. Workers in IBEW organizing campaigns don’t pay any dues whatsoever until the election is won, a first contract has been negotiated, and that contract has been voted on and accepted by a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit. Likewise, if you already pay dues under a current IBEW contract you would not pay any more than you currently do. But you would be included in the new contract agreement.
3. Union dues are voted on by the union’s members and appear in the IBEW’s Constitution and the local union’s By-Laws. Dues to the International Union are voted on by delegates IBEW local unions send to its International Convention held every 5-years. Dues for IBEW local unions are voted on and established by the members of that local and are listed in its By-Laws.

1. The NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) requires the IBEW, and Employees demonstrate a minimum Showing of Interest (Authorization Cards Signed) before it will come in and conduct a Secret Ballot election. The NLRB requires that at least 30% of the workforce is interested in collective bargaining in order for an Election Petition to be filed.  This process is to ensure that your campaign follows Federal procedure and has met the necessary amount of support from the Bargaining Unit.
2. As such, the union must first determine what it feels is an appropriate bargaining unit. For a news production, this would include many, if not most of the same technicians that you work beside every day. Our Local 1200 contracts cover Studio Camerapeople and ENG Photogs, Editors, Technical Directors, Graphics/Chyron, Engineering and Maintenance techs, Audio Operators, Transmissions and Ingest techs, Directors, Media Managers, and more!
3. The IBEW then asks employees in this bargaining unit to sign an “Authorization Card.” These cards are used for two purposes. (1) They show IBEW who supports forming a union. (2) They show the NLRB there’s a sufficient showing of interest from the employees for them to hold an election. This is done with the utmost privacy and with strict confidentiality. The employer is never given names.

• Can I be fired for signing a card? It is clearly unlawful and unconstitutional for an employer to retaliate against anyone for signing an Authorization Card. Additionally, these cards are treated as strictly confidential by the IBEW and the NLRB. (Unless you tell someone you signed one, no one will ever know.) Cards can be submitted electronically from this website to further assure your confidentiality.
• Can I sign a card and still vote NO? Yes, the cards only get you to an election. It’s the votes cast during that election that determines if the majority supports the union and collective bargaining.
• When enough employees sign authorization cards, the IBEW will file a Petition for Election with the NLRB that asks them to come in and conduct a secret ballot election.
  • On the Petition for Election the union must list the employer, location, and a description of the bargaining unit. Not the names of the employees, but a list of classifications to be included, as well as those to be excluded. (Managers, supervisors, and security guards are automatically excluded by law.)
  • By law the employer receives a copy of the Election Petition, but not the Authorization Cards nor the names of those who signed them. Your Authorization Card will come to the IBEW then to the NLRB when we file the Petition (Who also, will not reveal who signed or even how many employees signed them.) Again, your privacy and confidentiality is protected.
  • The NLRB will try to get the union and the employer to mutually agree to the election details and bargaining unit. This happens 90% of the time, and when it does the parties sign a Stipulated Election Agreement outlining the bargaining unit, and when and where the election will be held.
  • Sometimes an employer will challenge the make-up of the bargaining unit. (It has the right to make a challenge, but it can’t dictate what the Unit will be.) If NEWSNATION/NEXSTAR were to challenge the make-up of the petitioned-for unit, a Unit Determination Hearing will be held. The NLRB will listen to arguments from both sides and will make the final determination on which Titles and Classifications are included and excluded. In that case The NLRB will also determine the date and where the election will be held. Due to the size and make up of the Unit, the NLRB may determine a Mail-In Ballot Election would be the most appropriate voting method. Whether you have an In-Person Election or Mail-In Ballot Election your vote will be confidential.
  • The amount of time between the union filing the petition and the actual election is approximately four weeks. The process may be delayed if the employer challenges the petitioned-for bargaining unit, and some employers use challenges as a delay tactic. If an employer does want to challenge, the process could take up to a time when the NLRB no longer allows a delay.

1. There are some employers who prefer a union relationship, as it stabilizes the workforce, helps it retain and hire experienced and valuable workers, and helps them to project their labor costs in the coming years.

2. Some employers respect their employees’ right to choose to form a union and negotiate collectively or remain at-will employees.

3. That being said, employers do tend to prefer the “At-Will” employment relationship because it allows them to call all the shots with no employee discussion. It allows them to make changes to any employment terms anytime it wants for whatever reason. Having their employees take advantage of the National Labor Relations Act creates an unwanted counter to management’s ultimate power, so you can at least expect NEWSNATION/NEXSTAR to try to persuade you that you are better off being union-free and to let them decide what is best for you. They may form a noticeable campaign against the union. They may say you will lose all you have so far.  But what you have now has been dictated by the Company and not in a mutual way.

4. So, then you ask yourself. Why would they not want you to be more happy and secure in the workplace?