In a union setting, there would be one contract that applies to all employees in the bargaining unit. A collective bargaining agreement is nothing more or less than a settlement of three sets of interests: the union’s, the employer’s, and the employees’. We all have individual preferences when it comes to our experience in the workplace. Some people care a lot about health insurance, some people care more about time off or retirement benefits, and some prefer more flexibility in their job. Sometimes those interests overlap. Sometimes they do not.

No. Your vote is private. The union and IAM will never know who you voted for, unless you tell someone.

NLRB representation elections are decided by the majority of votes actually cast in person. It is very important for you to vote so that your voice is heard. You should not let someone else make a decision for you that impacts your wages, benefits, and the terms and conditions of your employment.

Almost certainly. We respect your right to privacy but are required by law to provide the union with a list of all eligible voters and your personal contact information: cell phone, home phone, home address, and personal email address. The union will likely use that information to contact you and offer their sales pitch.

Virginia is a “Right to Work” state. You can choose not to pay dues and do not have to join the union as a full voting member, but you will not be able to vote on the contract and will still be subject to whatever the union negotiates on your behalf.

If IAM wins the election, the next step would be contract negotiations. During negotiations, neither LGBG nor the union will be required to agree to any proposal made by the other. LGBG will bargain in good faith, but there is no guarantee that the parties will reach an agreement, as there is no requirement that either party agree to any proposal made by the other party.

Maybe; maybe not. There are no guarantees in the collective bargaining process. There are many potential outcomes. If the parties do reach a contract (one of the potential outcomes), you could end up better, the same, or worse off in certain areas.

Remember that negotiating is a two-way street. Both the union and LGBG might trade certain things to get other things they want.

Yes, unless you choose to opt out of paying dues and give up your right to be a voting member of the union.

Unions charge people money in the form of dues, fees, and assessments. They use this money to pay for various things such as legal fees, political lobbying, their own salaries as union officials, and to cover the overhead expenses of operating a union.

You don’t. What IAM says during a campaign is not a guarantee, as a union cannot guarantee the outcome of any proposal during bargaining. If anybody tells you they know the outcome of bargaining in advance, they either don’t understand the process, or they are not being truthful.

There are a number of possibilities. 

The union could withdraw representation, or the bargaining unit could decertify the union if, as a group, it is not happy with union representation. Also, there could be a strike if the parties do not agree and the union decides it wants to put pressure on LGBG to agree to its proposals. There are no guarantees one way or the other in the collective negotiations process.

We do not know. Unions typically do not like to call strikes unless they feel it is substantially necessary, but strikes do happen. And when they do, it is not good for anyone involved – for the union, for LGBG, and certainly not for hourly employees.

Yes, that process is called decertification.

However, if the union wins the election, they are protected from decertification for a period of one (1) year.

After one year, if there is no contract in place, members of the bargaining unit could petition the NLRB to conduct an election to potentially decertify the union. But if LGBG and the union reach a contract agreement during the first year, or thereafter, you are committed to staying with the union for the duration of that initial contract. Most first contracts last 2-4 years.

No.

If you do your job well, you may have nothing to worry about. But you are still subject to the Garden’s rules, and if the union wins, you would also be subject to the union’s rules. In some ways, having a union is like having a second boss. If you are disciplined or terminated for some reason you think is unwarranted, you can ask the union to file a grievance on your behalf. That does not guarantee you will get your job back or that the discipline will be reversed. It only guarantees a process – the grievance procedure – and possibly arbitration that would decide whether you can be reinstated or have the discipline removed from your record.