GENERAL UNION INFORMATION
Q: What is a union?
A: A union is a business (not a non-profit) that represents employees (team members) and negotiates with employers on their behalf as their sole representative regarding wages, benefits, and working conditions. When in place, unions also introduce additional processes, fees (such as dues), and complexities that can affect the workplace environment.
You will pay dues for the services of the union. The union decides how it spends the money you pay to the union and it may be spent on activities wholly unrelated to the needs of the employees at C41.
Q: Do I need a union to address workplace concerns?
A: At Medline, we don’t believe that a union is what is best for us, our employees, and our customers. We strive to maintain a collaborative approach where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback directly with leadership so we can work together to resolve concerns. We believe in working together as a team to address issues directly without the need for third-party involvement.
Q: Isn’t UFCW 1059 also a business?
A: Most unions, like Local 1059, are run by local or national officials who are responsible for recruiting new union employees (team members) and managing the affairs of the employee (team member) group(s) they represent.
Employees of the union are paid salaries, and the union operates under a budget, where one of the main sources of income is union members’ monthly dues. How they spend their resources is determined by union leadership. Union leaders are elected by the union members.
Q: What is Medline’s stance on unions?
A: We respect every team member’s right to join or not join a union, but we believe that a direct and collaborative relationship between team members and management is the best way to address concerns, improve working conditions, ensure market-competitive compensation, and foster a positive workplace culture. We believe that our culture of listening to our employee concerns and doing our best to fix the problems is why there is not a single Medline or MedTrans location where employees have elected union representation.
Q: Why does management care if the employees at C41 unionize?
A: Because unionization comes with legal requirements that would change many aspects of the relationship between Medline and its team members, including how we work with and meet the needs of our team members. We currently have a direct relationship between leaders and team members that we have cultivated together that is worth preserving. In a unionized environment, an employee (team member) can present issues, concerns and grievances to their supervisors, but the union contract often states how such issues must be addressed.
Management may not have as much flexibility if an employee’s (team member’s) concern or issues are related to a term of the union contract because Medline leadership would have to adhere to what the contract says. This includes but is not limited to issues like schedule changes.
NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT
Q: What about pay & benefits changes during bargaining?
A: The employer is obligated to maintain the status quo during negotiations with a union. This means that there will be no changes in discretionary terms of employment without agreement by both the union and Medline. Depending on how long bargaining lasts, certain things may not change for months or years, including discretionary wage increases and changes to benefits (including education benefits), discretionary increases or decreases to vacation and other forms of paid time off, and scheduling patterns.
Q: Can the union “fix” anything or “force” Medline to do anything?
A: No, by law Medline does not have to agree to any union demands, including overtime. It only is required to bargain in good faith with the union. Often times, unions are not able to deliver on the promises that they make to secure employee votes. Anything that a union wants has to be agreed to by Medline.
Q: If the union wins the election, is Medline immediately required to sign a union contract?
A: No. If the union wins the election, they merely win the right to represent you and your colleagues in collective bargaining for a first contract, and there is no time limit on reaching a first agreement. Nothing changes regarding wages, hours, or working conditions until a contract is agreed to by all parties involved.
Q: Does collective bargaining start at the level we are now and work up?
A: No. Medline would be required to maintain the status quo with respect to your terms and conditions of employment only during the first contract negotiations. While Medline would comply with its legal obligation to bargain in good faith with the union if it wins an election, all of your wages, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment would be subject to the give-and-take of negotiations. This means that your present wages and benefits could go up, could go down, or could stay the same, in addition to you having to pay union dues.
Q: If the union and Medline are not able to agree to a first contract during bargaining, what will happen?
A: Under current law, there is no guarantee that the union and Medline will arrive at an agreement and sign a labor contract. It is possible for a union and an employer to continue operations without a contract for years. Often times, the status quo remains in effect during these long negotiations. In some instances when negotiations for a first contract draft on, Unions have taken workers out on strike.
Q: How long does it take to negotiate a first contract?
A: It is impossible to say. The average first contract often takes well over one year to negotiate. Before a union contract is ever reached, the parties must meet on a number of occasions and negotiate team members’ wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment. This is a time-consuming process that involves exchanging many proposals back-and-forth until an agreement is reached on all items that are important to the parties.
- The average time to reach first contract is 465 DAYS
- 53% don’t achieve a contract within a year
- A large number never reach a contract
Q: Won’t electing a union give us more of a voice?
A: This is a very important question for you to decide. We understand the importance of every team member feeling heard and valued, and we are committed to ensuring that happens at Medline without the need for a union. Unions often negotiate one-size-fits-all contracts that may not meet individual needs. Your voice on wages, benefits, and terms and conditions of employment will move to one group and the Union decides how the group voice is represented. Under union representation, you will lose your individuality and the Teamsters will become your voice.
We value the trust you place in us and are dedicated to building a workplace where your voice is heard and respected. In our view, you would have more opportunity to have your individual voices heard if we continue to work together without a third party representative. If you ever feel that we’re not meeting this commitment, we encourage you to speak up, and we’ll work together to find solutions.
REMOVING THE UNION ONCE VOTED IN
Q: What is the harm of trying the union? Couldn’t we just change our minds later?
A: You do not “test drive” a union. Once a union is voted in, it is complicated to vote out and the process cannot be started for at least one year. To be successful, the majority of those voting will have to agree that the union needs to go. While such “decertification” votes do happen, they are rare, they are subject to detailed rules, and the union would fight hard against anyone who was trying to vote them out.
Q: If employees want to decertify a union, can the company help with the process and legal fees?
A: No. By law, Medline will not be able to help you with the decertification process or legal expenses associated with decertification. Team members would be responsible for navigating the decertification process on their own and paying for all legal costs relating to the decertification process.
What is Medline’s position on unions?
Medline respects our employees’ legal right to make up their own mind about union representation. However, we do NOT believe that a union is a good idea for you, our business, or our customers.
Leadership here at C41 and all throughout Medline are committed to working directly with employees to address any issue in our workplace and create a positive and constructive environment for everyone. We appreciate the opportunity and privilege of working directly with you to continuously improve our business –and we’ve shown you how we can do that.
What are union authorization cards?
Authorization cards are legal documents (like a power of attorney) that would give the union the right to stand in between you and the Company on topics of wages, benefits and terms and conditions of employment. Gathering signed authorization cards is the union’s first step in trying to represent employees at C41.
How many signed cards does the Union need to collect to claim the right to represent the employees?
If the Union gets more than 50% of employees to sign cards it can claim the right to represent employees. But to get a secret ballot election, the Union needs less. If 30% of the employee group the union is trying to represent sign cards, the union would be able to file a petition to hold an election.
If I sign a union authorization card, will I have to pay union dues?
By signing an authorization card, you could be legally obligated to pay initiation fees, union dues, and other payments. You can also be required to follow union rules that could subject you to union fines and penalties.
Are union authorization cards kept confidential?
Union authorization cards will usually ask for confidential personal information like your home address, telephone numbers, job classification, shift assignment, and email address. The Company would not disclose that sort of information to outsiders. But unions could show your card to other employees, other unions, sales companies, or other third parties. They could even post it on social media.
Someone told me that if I sign an authorization card, I will never have to work overtime unless I volunteered for it. Is that true?
Unions can promise you almost anything to get you to sign an authorization card. You should understand that it is not guaranteed that the union can deliver on those promises. For instance, there is no guarantee that a union could deliver on a promise about overtime, a promise for higher wages or better benefits, or any other union promise. If you have a union, your wages and benefits can go up, they can go down, or they can stay the same. And rules related to overtime could change or stay the same. It is all subject to a negotiation.
What does the bargaining between a union and a company look like?
No guarantees. Although the union will make promises, there are no guarantees in collective bargaining. All wages, benefits and terms/conditions of employment are subject to changing. You could get more, you could get less, you could stay the same.
It is also important to understand how long it can take to negotiate the first contract if a union gets in:
- The average time to reach first contract is 465 DAYS
- 53% don’t achieve a contract within a year
- A large number never reach a contract
Right now, we are working to listen to your issues and fix them. If a union comes in, we will have to negotiate to an agreement before we make these changes. That means that with a union it could take us MUCH longer to fix the issues we are working so hard to identify
If someone asks me to sign a union authorization card, what should I do?
Medline respects our employees’ legal right to make up their own mind about union representation, so that’s up to you. But as with anything else you are asked to sign, I’d recommend you make sure you completely understand what you are signing and read the fine print.
What happens if I signed a card and want it back?
You can ask for your card back from the union, but they are under no obligation to give it back to you. However, just because you signed a card does not mean you have to vote for the union if an election were to occur. Also, you do not have to sign a card to have a right to vote in an election. All employees who would be covered by the labor agreement would have a right to vote.
If a union gets in at C41 and if I don’t want to be in it, can I opt out?
Unfortunately, if the union gets voted in, you cannot opt out of the contract controlling your position or the terms and conditions of your employment. Once a union is voted in and a contract reached, that contract covers your position whether you like it or not.
At this stage what is the quickest way to shut down any attempt to get a union into C41?
At this stage, it is not signing a card and educating other employees not to sign a card. Without 30% of the employees signing cards, the union will not be able to organize the employees into a union and interfere with our working relationship.