What Sharp Grossmont Leaders Say About The Union
Hear from Sharp Grossmont leaders about their experiences with unions and their preference to keep the family environment at our hospital.
What Sharp Grossmont Employees Say About the Union
Hear from Sharp Grossmont employees about their experiences with unions and their preference to keep the family environment at our hospital.
Dues Calculator
Per the SEIU-UHW Constitution and Bylaws, dues are two percent (2%) of a member’s regular earning, up to a maximum of forty (40) hours paid per week at the straight time rate, including regular straight time hours, paid time off and longevity pay included in base dues.
Note: to enter different hourly wage amounts, refresh the page after the calculation.
Learn more about SEIU-UHW’s dues and fees.
Your Rights
Understanding your legal rights is the first step in making an informed, educated decision about unionization and how it might impact you and your family.
Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) protects an individual employee’s right to engage – or not to engage – in union support, membership, and other protected concerted activities. Your decision to support or not support unionization will in no way impact your employment.
You have the right to:
- Sign or not sign a union authorization card or petition
- Refrain from any union activity
- Engage in union activity and support the union
- Campaign against the union
FAQs
What is a union authorization card?
A union authorization card/petition/online form is a legal document that can give a union the exclusive right to speak and act on your behalf with regard to wages, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment. You do not have to sign a union authorization document to get more information or to vote in an election if there were one. You should carefully read anything you are considering signing and not sign a union authorization card/petition/online form unless you are sure you want to be represented by a union.
What do union authorization documents look like?
Authorization documents can take many forms and generally look harmless. Hard copy cards may resemble a magazine subscription renewal card. Petitions may look like a normal piece of paper often with very small writing outlining the legal obligations that come with signing. Some authorization documents are simply online forms that ask you to click on “I agree.”
Regardless of their appearance, however, a signed authorization card is a legal power of attorney that authorizes a union to act as the collective bargaining agent for you and other employees in negotiations with the employer. The documents also provide the union with personal information, including a home address and telephone number so the union representatives can contact you or visit you at home. The card may ask what department you work in and the type of work you perform. The NLRB requires only a signature and date on authorization cards; it is the union that wants the additional information about you that is requested on a card.
Why is an employee’s signature so important to the union?
Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), if the union obtains signatures from 30 percent of the employees in a potential bargaining unit (employee group), it can file a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for a secret ballot election in which employees vote to determine if they want to be unionized. If the union collects signatures from more than 50 percent of those in a potential bargaining unit, it could demand that Sharp HealthCare recognize the union as the employees’ representative without holding a secret ballot election. If this were to happen, Sharp HealthCare would exercise its legal right to reject this demand, which would require the union to file a petition with the NLRB to hold a secret ballot election.
How do union organizers get employees’ signatures on cards?
Signatures on union authorization documents can be gathered in a number of ways including:
- Going to your home and asking to come in and speak with you
- Online and through texts and emails
- Waiting for you as you leave work
- Approaching you and other employees in Sharp HealthCare facilities while at work, in the cafeteria, break areas or in the parking garage
- Through meetings purported to offer professional education credits
- Through sign-in sheets at informational meetings
- Through co-workers who support the union
- Through flyers sent to your home with cards attached
What rights do employees have if they don’t want to sign a union authorization document?
You have the right not to sign an authorization card, petition or online form and to not be pressured or harassed by any union organizer or supporter. If you feel you are being pressured or harassed to sign a union document, you may tell the organizer you are not interested and to leave you alone. You can also report this to your manager or Human Resources.
Does signing a card guarantee better wages, benefits and working conditions?
Signing a union authorization card, petition or online form does not guarantee anything. If a union were to be voted in, the only thing it can do is negotiate on behalf of those it represents. In contract negotiations, you could end up with more, the same or less than you currently have. No one can predict the outcome of union contract negotiations.
If an employee signs a union authorization card and changes his or her mind later, can they get it back?
An employee who signs a card and then later changes his or her mind has every right to ask for the card back, and to rescind their authorization of union representation by sending a letter via certified mail to the union’s local office. It is also a good idea to send a copy to the National Labor Relations Board regional office as well, so that they know that the employee has revoked the authorization and requested that the card be returned. An employee also can attempt to revoke the card by asking the person the card was given to, to return it.
If I signed a union card and we have an election, do I have to vote for the union?
ABSOLUTELY NOT! If the union can convince enough employees to sign a union card we may have a secret ballot union election, supervised by the federal government. Every employee who is eligible to vote will be allowed to vote anonymously for or against union representation whether or not you signed a union card.
Facts Matter. You Matter. – Message #14
/0 Comments/in Facts Matter. You Matter. /by Tiffany JacksonFICTION: Sharp is trying to use scare tactics with their employees, stoking fear about paying union dues. FACT: Sharp has stated the truth from the outset. We have observed that SEIU-UHW typically charges members 2% of their pay for dues, and the union has confirmed that this is true in their most recent communications. That […]