Monthly Archives: August 2020

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has procedures allowing unions to file election petitions based on electronic union authorization cards.  The ability to file petitions based on electronic cards is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the International’s Legal Department has created an outline of the procedures local unions must follow when using electronic cards.

When you file an election petition with the NLRB, you must provide a showing that a sufficient number of workers in the bargaining unit signed authorization cards.

If you are filing a petition based on a showing using some paper cards and some electronic cards, you should call your NLRB Regional Office and ask if the office wants you to mail copies of the paper cards or scan and email them.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, some NLRB Regional Offices prefer not to receive mail.

If you are filing a petition based only on electronic cards, you should:

• Fill out the petition on the NLRB’s website.
• Electronically file a declaration describing how the UFCW’s electronic authorization card computer system works. The International’s Organizing and Legal Departments have sample declarations you can use as a reference.
• Provide a screenshot of the page workers see when they fill out electronic authorization cards.
• Provide a screenshot of the confirmation email sent to each worker who signed an electronic card.

After you file the petition, the screenshots of the cards and the declaration with the NLRB, you will need to do two more things:

• Email a representative of the company (1) a copy of the petition and (2) two NLRB forms (Form NLRB-4812 – Description of Procedures and Form and Form NLRB-505 – Statement of Position). Do not email the cards to the company.  You can get Form NLRB-4812 and Form NLRB-505 from the NLRB’s website.
• File a certificate of service with the NLRB showing that you emailed the petition to the company’s representative.

If you have any questions or need help filing a petition based on electronic authorization cards, contact Amanda Jaret in the International’s Legal Department at ajaret@ufcw.org or 202-417-5665.

Ohio House Democratic Caucus (OHDC) staff in Columbus, Ohio, recently made history by joining UFCW Local 75 and ratifying one of the first contracts by a statewide caucus in the country.

The new members of UFCW Local 75 joined our union family for the better wages and benefits that come with a union contract. After the seven workers signed authorization cards, the leadership at the OHDC chose to voluntarily recognize the unit and began negotiations. The new members unanimously ratified their first union contract, which has been in effect since July 1.

The new agreement includes union protections for full- and part-time employees, guaranteed paid sick leave, paid holidays, paid vacation and personal days, and a $15 per hour minimum wage. The agreement also includes protections for employer-paid health care benefits, and an expedited arbitration process for campaign workers to resolve grievances.

“Coming together as a staff, being recognized, and having a first of its kind contract shows that the elected leaders we work for truly believe in the power of unions, working families, and restoring the Ohio Promise,” said Hunter Patterson, an OHDC digital organizer.

“As Ohio House Democrats, we support the rights, safety, benefits and efforts by unions to build and strengthen our middle class. This includes the campaign staff who we rely upon to help deliver the message of our shared values during the campaign cycle,” Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Strong Sykes said. “We are committed to showing our support for unions and the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW Local 75) because labor is dedicated to all of our communities. UFCW workers have been on the front lines during the coronavirus pandemic and we want to stand with them now, and in the future.”

“Most campaign workers sign up because they believe in the cause put forward by a particular candidate or organization,” said UFCW Local 75 President Kevin Garvey. “Unfortunately, because there is always more work that can be done in the short life of a campaign cycle, staffers are often worked to the bone. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Even political work must be subject to minimum standards. I congratulate our members at the Ohio House Democratic Caucus.”

“This was a model experience in every respect,” Garvey added. “First, Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes walked the talk on unions, agreeing to a truly democratic process — neutrality and card check — that every responsible employer should embrace. Then, Leader Sykes and the caucus engaged in good faith bargaining, recognizing that it’s in their own interest to have well-treated employees empowered to operate at the top of their games. I urge every other campaign and political organization to follow their lead.”