Facts about Forming Our Union with OPEIU Local 29
An overwhelming majority of us have expressed support for having a union at SFMFB. Today, Oct. 10, 2019, we requested the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a neutral government agency, to hold a secret ballot election to make our union official. Election details will be coming soon!
One reason we’re forming a union is because employees who do our kind of work need greater recognition and value from society. If more of us in social services were united, we’d have more power to make a difference. A union can have a positive impact on morale, on turnover rate and our ability to provide services in a safe and healthy environment.
OPEIU has improved standards for thousands of nonprofit employees across the country (www.nonprofitemployeesunited.org). OPEIU Local 29 has a long history in the Bay Area representing nonprofit employees and working with those agencies to increase funding and make improvements.
We have a legal right, protected by Federal law, to support having a union. It’s illegal for our employer to question us about our union activity or to fire, demote, discipline or any way interfere with our right to form a union. We can talk about our union at work when other non-work topics are allowed. We can wear union buttons and distribute union information during breaks and other nonwork time.
Once we vote to become union, our current benefits and employment conditions get protected in place until we negotiate and approve any changes.
Deciding to form a union does not mean we’re against management or our mission. Just the opposite, we look forward to a collaborative and cooperative relationship with our employer where we work on a more level playing field.