Glossary
Jargon - Vocabulary
related to student-labor campaigns!
Acronyms -
Names of unions, organizations, and more!
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Have a question about labor vocab not listed here? Email
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Jargon
captive audience meeting A union-busting
tactic; employers force workers to come to meetings
during their shift so that employers can intimidate
workers and spread anti-union propaganda.
card check
When a majority of workers sign cards saying they want
to be represented by a particular union, the employer
can voluntarily choose to recognize the union and bypass
formal NLRB elections. Although this process is much
more simple and democratic than NLRB elections, US labor
law does not make it mandatory for employers to recognize
a union after a successful card check is conducted –
this is where “card check neutrality” comes
into play… See the Resources
page at araw.org
for more info on card check and union organizing in
general.
card check neutrality An employer
can agree ahead of time to voluntarily recognize any
union as soon as a majority of employees sign cards
saying they want to join that union. Of course, employers
don’t do this unless they are pressured to do
so (e.g. by workers and students), but it’s clearly
the most democratic way to run a union election, and
it leaves much less space for intimidation and manipulation
than the NLRB process. Card check neutrality was demanded
at Georgetown and Wash-U in 2005, but administrators
at both schools refused to adopt such an agreement.
See the Resources
page at araw.org
for more info on card check and union organizing in
general.
contracting
The practice of having work performed by an outside
contractor rather than directly-hired employees. There
is a trend of universities contracting out labor to
cut costs and evade responsibility for the treatment
of the workers. Contracted campus workers are almost
always paid significantly less than directly-hired workers.
(also often called “subcontracting”)
empowerment Refers to a model of social
of change based on oppressed people gaining power through
leading struggles to improve their own lives, rather
than benevolent privileged people making changes for
the oppressed (e.g., immigrant workers organizing for
better wages is empowering; a bunch of upper-middle
class college students leading the fight for those same
immigrant workers is not so empowering). Students can
help workers empower themselves by making sure workers
are protected from losing their job or being harassed
when speaking out or trying to organize.
grievance Any complaint workers have
about their job; especially something that breaches
their contract or labor law.
grievance procedure Process for workers
to formally raise complaints and concerns about their
compensation and treatment on the job.
indexing Annual adjustment of the
living wage number to account for inflation. Usually
calculated using the CPI.
living wage The lowest possible hourly
wage a person can earn and still be able to cover the
basic costs of living. As costs of living vary between
different locations and increases with time, so does
the living wage.
“Local 123” Local branches
of a union are numbered and commonly referred to as
“locals.” Often, locals are distinguished
by which types of jobs they organize more than by geographic
location, so sometimes a few locals of the same union
will overlap in one city.
“Right-to-Work” states
States which have passed laws prohibiting unions from
negotiating union shop clauses in their contracts with
employers covered by the NLRA – this means workers
who benefit from being in a unionized shop don’t
have to pay dues, which leads to weakened or bankrupt
unions. There are currently 22 "right-to-work"
states, which are often referred to as "right-to-work-for-less"
states.
minority union Often in "Right
to work" states, some workers have tried to
build power with this non-traditional type of a union:
less than 50% of the workers in the shop are in the
union, which prevents the union from having most legal
rights (such as the right to collectively bargain with
the employer).
solidarity Unity based on common goals,
interests, and sympathies among a group's members.
steward The union trains this worker
to enforce the union contract, help co-workers deal
with grievances and get them to meetings. Usually, stewards
are elected by all the workers in a bargaining unit.
In some unions they are called “shop stewards.”
student-worker solidarity Refers to
student activism in support of workers’ struggles,
with workers themselves taking an active leadership
role (rather than students running the show). This applies
both to the student campaigns with campus workers and
to the anti-sweatshop work – when garment workers
in El Salvador or janitors at our own universities speak
out about unfair treatment, students make sure the university
holds companies accountable to workers’ grievances.
subcontracting see contracting
union-busters are professional consultants
or lawyers who manipulate the labor law system and advise
employers on how to thwart union organizing drives or
how to decertify unions. 75% of employers hire union-busters
when workers want to organize. Unionbusters usually
self-identify as ‘union avoidance firms,’
‘management consultants,’ or ‘labor
consultants.’
union representative Staff of a local
union whose job is to represent workers in the local.
Works with the steward to negotiate contracts and deal
with grievances. In some unions they are called “business
agents.”
wage parity “Equal pay for equal
work.” Because some campus workers are directly-hired
and some are contracted, a janitor cleaning one building
might be earning $5/hour more than a janitor doing the
exact same job in another building, for example.
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Acronyms
AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor –
Congress of Industrial Organizations)
The AFL-CIO is an organization of over 50 major national
and international labor unions. It formed in 1955 as
a merger of two big union conglomerates. In summer 2005
a few unions left the AFL-CIO in protest, including
SEIU and HERE, as part of the “Change to Win”
coalition. aflcio.org
AFSCME (American Federation of State, County
and Municipal Employees) afscme.org
ARAW (American Rights At Work)
An organization fighting for democracy and workers’
rights in American workplaces. Their website has a tremendous
amount of statistics and explanation about union-busting,
intimidation and harassment of workers for speaking
out, and the union organizing process. Check out their
Resources
page for an extensive labor glossary and fact sheets
about “card check”, NLRB elections, and
tons more! araw.org
CPI (Consumer Price Index)
The CPI is a statistic that reflects how prices change
over time. Inflation is most commonly calculated using
the CPI. You can find national and regional CPI’s
at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. bls.gov
CWA (Communication Workers of America)
cwa-union.org
HERE (aka UNITE HERE) Hotel Employees and Restaurant
Employees International Union unitehere.org
NLRB (National Labor Relations Board)
Created by the National Labor Relations Act of 1935,
the NLRB holds union elections in workplaces to determine
whether a majority of workers want to be represented
by a specific union or no union. Because the NLRB election
process is convoluted and bureaucratic, there are many
ways for employers to stall the process after workers
have made it known that they want a union, and the longer
the employer stalls the more time there is to intimidate,
manipulate, and fire workers to make sure the union
loses the election. “Card check” is an alternative,
democratic election process. See the Resources
page at araw.org
for more info on the NLRB and union organizing in general.
SEIU (Service Employees International Union)
seiu.org
SLAP (Student Labor Action Project)
A joint effort of Jobs With Justice (JWJ) and the United
States Students Association (USSA), SLAP is a DC-based
organization of student groups similar to USAS, but
focuses more on connecting student activists with local
labor unions. jwj.org/SLAP/slap.htm
UAW (United Auto Workers) uaw.org
ULP’s (Unfair Labor Practices)
Conduct by employers that violates the National Labor
Relations Act or other labor law. Usually investigated
by the NLRB. Usually employers face only fines if found
guilty.
USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops)
USAS is a DC-based international organization of student
groups that work on a broad range of labor issues including
living wage and anti-sweatshop campaigns. studentsagainstsweatshops.org
USSA (United States Student Association)
As the oldest and largest student organization in the
country, USSA builds power on campuses to fight for
greater access to education. usstudents.org
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