About Us About Unions Elections Advocacy Press Releases Working People Standing Together JOIN A UNION! Working people in all walks of life join together in unions to gain a voice at work. Union members have a say about pay, benefits, working conditions and how their jobs get done—and having that say gives them a “union advantage.” If you do not have a union at your job, find out more about how to form one. Today, more people are taking the step to form unions on the job than at any time in recent history. You can be one of them! Here are three steps that will get you started: STEP ONE: Know Your Rights Federal and state laws guarantee the right to form unions! Eligible employees have the right to express their views on unions, to talk with their co-workers about their interest in forming a union, to wear union buttons, to attend union meetings and in many other ways to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and freedom of association. Despite these laws, many employers strongly resist their employees’ efforts to gain a voice at work through unionization. So, before you start talking union where you work, get in touch with a union that will help you organize. It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States to…encourage the practice and procedure of collective bargaining and to protect…the exercise by workers of full freedom of association, self-organization and designation of representatives of their own choosing, for the purpose of negotiating the terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or protection. National Labor Relations Act *Supervisors and management are customarily excluded from union membership. For more information, see specific laws covering your position or contact a union organizer as described below. STEP TWO: Find Out Which Union is Right for You To form a union on the job, you need the backup and hands-on help from the union you are seeking to join. If you don’t already know which union is most able to help you, find out more about the unions affiliated with the AFL-CIO by visiting their websites. Many of these websites enable you to contact the right person there directly to help you form a union. STEP THREE: Get in Touch with a Union Organizer Union organizers assist employees in forming unions on the job to give them the same opportunity for dignity and respect, good wages and decent working conditions that union members already have. To get in touch with a union organizer, complete the form available from AFL-CIO. The above content reprinted by permission of AFL-CIO SEARCH Search for: California Labor Federation Executive Officers Executive Council What We Do Our Staff/Contact Us Events Boycott, Do Not Hire, Buy Union In The News Press Releases California Labor News & Views Legislation Elections Workforce & Economic Development BWP 2022 conference Terminated or Laid off the Job Join an Apprenticeship About WED Issues & Campaigns Organizing Vote! Endorsements Contact Us Central Labor Councils What We Do Our Staff Executive Officers Executive Council Job Opportunities Resources Payments Constituency Groups Problems at Work? Know Your Rights Worksite Safety and Health Covered California Senior Advocacy / Activism Union Member Resources Build Back Better with Unions—Pass the PRO Act! Not in the US? Content developed and maintained by California Labor Federation staff, members of The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America, Local 39521