Organizing

The strength of our Union, which increases in direct correlation to our  membership size, allows us to protect members' jobs and living  standards. Organizing is the foundation on which our membership is  based.

The number of union versus non-union employers in a specific geographic  area directly impacts Local 27 contracts. Non-union stores that do not  provide decent wages or benefits damage the economic base of the  community in which they are located. Conversely, more union stores in an area increase the job security and benefit the economy of the  community. More union stores in a given community allows for less  disparity in wage and benefit scales which decreases unfair competition  among stores and increases the overall benefits to the community.

How does Local 27 organize new units? First of all, over the years we have  developed a team of organizers from the membership. This team is trained in effective organizing methods and spends their days (evenings and  weekends, too!) searching for new campaigns or working on current ones.  We also rely heavily on Volunteer Organizing Committee (VOC) members and Special Project Union Representatives (SPURs). VOC members work on a  volunteer basis for various campaigns. SPURs, on the other hand, take a  leave of absence from their employer to work for the Local full-time on a temporary basis for a specific campaign.

Our goal is to provide union representation through collective bargaining  so that they may receive fair treatment, a good pay, and decent  benefits. Unfortunately, employees simply requesting our help is not  enough. Employees must follow the steps outlined by the NLRB in order to attain a voice in their work place. For more information on the steps  required, select "Steps to Organizing" on the menu bar.