People create unions to gain power through collective bargaining to negotiate for better wages, benefits, and working conditions that are legally protected by a union contract. Unions provide workers with a collective voice to ensure fair treatment, safety, and job security, as well as protection against discrimination and retaliation.

Forming a union with collective bargaining rights is the only way to have the power to negotiate with the administration as equals and reach a legally binding contract.

Collective bargaining is a process, protected by state law, that equalizes the power relationship between employees and their employer. With collective bargaining, we set our priorities and our agenda—and we elect peers as representatives to negotiate on equal footing with administrators for improvements such as salary increases, career development resources, parental leave, protections from harassment and discrimination, and much more.

Without collective bargaining, the administration has unilateral power to change conditions or decide whether to make improvements. For example, the administration currently decides unilaterally whether to provide salary adjustments to keep up with the high cost of living in California.

First, we need a minimum of 30% signatures from the workforce for the NLRB to approve elections. If we successfully collect even one signature above 50% of the workforce, we get approval to form a union without elections.

Moreover, suppose the employer has indulged in unfair trade practices and compromises the fairness of an election. In that case, the NLRB can order the employer to recognize a union (this too requires adequate signatures).

A paper and an e-union card must contain language that explicitly shows the signer’s agreement to give representation and bargaining rights to the union. Both types of union cards must have the “Must Haves” fields in the form as stated above.

For e-union authorization cards, an electronic sign captured by email exchange or a digital sign using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is valid. You must send an acknowledgment or confirmation immediately to the signer. Unions must submit an explanation to the NLRB detailing how they obtained the e-signs (e.g., via email and web forms). Get more information on these declarations here.

Suppose the union and the employer fail to reach the first labor contract within 120 of the first day of bargaining. In that case, the EFCA can take away the company’s as well as the union’s rights to agree or not agree upon the negotiations.

No, a union is a contract, we wouldn’t sign something that would make us go backwards. The threat that we would lose benefits has been a myth used by union busters/anti-union arguments. Additionally, those items that we would bargain for.

As we enter into that stage, we would get a better sense of what are everyone’s priorities, what would we like to protect or gain. Presently, our employers already have the ability to take away those benefits and without a union, we do not have any recourse to stop them.

There are certainly risks especially since Legislative staff are still considered “at-will” employees. We are taking efforts to protect each other’s privacy while uplifting the movement and taking steps toward a more protective workplace. It is also illegal to retaliate against an employee under current law.

It’s okay if you feel uncomfortable right now. There will be more opportunities to engage and we’re happy to have you join when you feel ready.

“Employee of the Legislature” or “employee” to mean any employee of either House of the Legislature, but excludes from this definition, Members and appointed officers of the Legislature such as the Secretary of the Senate and the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, department or office leaders such as chiefs-of-staffs, staff directors, and chief consultants.

Included employees: Capitol and District office personal and committee staff, Sergeants, reprographics (DCO employees).

No. Government Code establishes law pertaining to general prohibition of conflicts of interest for public employees in California. Employees, if they chose to form a union, could choose to establish an independent union or they could affiliate with a union that does not engage in legislative or political activity (this is a common occurrence, for instance, with journalists who joined a union). This is true for Public employees in other branches of government regularly interact with unions as stakeholders in their professional capacities, and maintain the ability to carry out their duties without inserting personal interests in their work serving the public. (E.g. Public sector unions lobby state agencies on rule-making and regulations, and general implementation of laws.)