Category Archives: Union Administration

SOLIDARITY FOREVER? MY TUCKUS!!! “Solidarity forever” is one of the great labor songs. It praises unions for uniting all their members together as equals—the ultimate democracies and the polar opposite of top-down corporate control systems. It is also a PR … Continue reading

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IT IS “FOLLOW THE UNION MONEY” TIME AGAIN Want to know how your union is spending dues money, e.g., who is getting paid what, which outside contractors have been hired, how often the union went to arbitration last year, etc.? … Continue reading

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WHAT SHOULD A UNION’S INTERNAL DISCIPLINE PROCESS LOOK LIKE? Union leaders as well as members are equally capable of violating the law, regulation or even their own union constitution. Consequently, all unions have a process outlined in their constitution and … Continue reading

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WHAT A UNION THAT AFGE IS This past summer we posted a few articles about how hypocritical it is for a national union officer to fire any employee for other than just cause (or something like it) and without appeal … Continue reading

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FEDSMILL TAKES ON A NEW ROLE When we started back in 2011 we decided to focus on passing labor relations and EEO information to union reps in all federal sector unions.  But the longer we look at how unions operate, … Continue reading

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WHAT IS THE ASSOCIATION FOR UNION DEMOCRACY (AUD)? It may be your best friend if your union is trying to punish you for exercising your rights under the federal Bill of Rights (29 CFR 458.2) most union members enjoy. Those … Continue reading

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ARE YOU A UNION SUBMISSIVE? The dictionary defines a submissive as someone ready to conform to the authority or will of others; one who is “meekly obedient or passive, almost sheeplike.” The answer to the opening question largely depends on the level … Continue reading

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NEW LEADER TRAINING MANUAL That is what AFGE calls their 2023 booklet designed to help new (and not so new) local union leaders figure out how to handle all their responsibilities.  It is well-done and AFGE deserves compliments for making their material … Continue reading

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HOW TO RIG A NATIONAL OR REGIONAL UNION ELECTION I can think of more than half-dozen tricks that incumbents or those favored by the “powers-to-be” can use to get a large advantage in multi-local elections.  But I want to focus … Continue reading

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IS YOUR NATIONAL UNION REP A TYPE A OR TYPE J REP? Among the things you notice over a 40-year career working with unions is that not all national union reps are the same. In fact, they can differ greatly … Continue reading

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