What is a labor union?

A labor union is a group of workers who have organized together to win better conditions in the workplace. In the United States, there are specific legal definitions for labor unions, but the practice long predates those definitions.

Many unions have long names as a result of mergers over the past century, leading to similarly long acronyms in some cases (see Homer's union from "Last Exit to Springfield", left). The steelworkers union, USW, seems simple until you see the full name: United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union. Sometimes union acronyms will be simple like UNITE HERE (which technically doesn't stand for anything currently, but originally was formed from the Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees and Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union), and sometimes they're simply unpronounceable like BCTGM (Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union). Learn to enjoy the mysterious acronyms, but don't let jargon keep you away. If someone uses a term you don't understand, just ask them what it means; and if you get asked what a term you use means, be gracious in explaining it.

"Craft" unions are focused on a particular job, such as ironworkers or engineers, while "industrial" unions are focused on a particular industry, such as education or transportation. This isn't always the most useful definition, as many unions cross this border in one way or another. They also may represent workers far outside what their names suggest, such as the veterinarians represented by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, or the many diverse workforces represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (whose name suggests that they should be specific to wagon drivers handling teams of horses).

A specific workplace (usually called a "shop" in union jargon) might have an independent union, meaning that the union is just those employees at that workplace, and no one else. They might be part of a "local", which is a section of a larger union. Locals can be as small as one workplace or as large as the entire country. They might also have a different name, usually depending on the particular union's history: the International Association of Machinists is from an era when they called their sections "lodges", and the National Education Association simply calls its sections the ___ Education Association based on their school district. Locals may have a number, which is usually assigned at random.

Above the local might be some sort of regional formation, such as a district council or state organization -- it varies based on the union. Above that is the national or sometimes international union. Despite the name, most unions are not all that international, but it does sound nice.

There is also a relatively small trend of what are called "solidarity unions". These use a different structure, and may not fit into the clean categories of more institutional unions. One example is the union at Burgerville in Southeastern Washington and Oregon, which is organized through the Industrial Workers of the World.

What is a strike?

A strike is a work stoppage by a group of workers. Like "union", there are legally defined types of strike in the United States, but the practice dates back at least 3,000 years to a strike by the artisans of Pharaoh Ramesses III to protest late wages.

Strikes can last hours or they can last years, they can be authorized or unauthorized (called a "wildcat strike") by the union itself, and they can be legal or illegal. Labor law in the United States is extremely harsh on strikes, and intentionally outlawed some of the most effective strike practices that are otherwise still used across the world. One example is the "sympathy strike", where one union strikes in order to support a different union. The larger version of this is a "general strike", when all unions attempt to strike as one (as in Seattle in 1919, or San Francisco in 1934).

The goal of a strike is to stop the business from operating, costing them money. This could mean stopping production, stopping sales, stopping transport, or anything along these lines. One unique form of strike used by public transport unions is a "fare strike", where they operate buses and trains as normal but refuse to accept any fare (an easier task before ORCA card readers). The bottom line of a strike is, if the business is still able to operate, it will be much more difficult for the strikers to win their demands.

What is a picket, and is it different from a strike?

A picket or picket line is a very common part of a strike, but they aren't necessarily the same thing. A picket line is a line of workers, usually carrying signs (which may be on sticks or "pickets", hence the name). In a strike, this is meant to discourage people from patronizing the business being struck, and especially from crossing the picket line to work as replacements for the striking workers. These replacement workers are known as strikebreakers, or most often "scabs". Scabs are often paid more than the regular workers are, and because they are untrained usually do much worse work (during a Nabisco strike, some consumers reported finding nuts and bolts in their scab-produced snacks!). A "hard" picket line might even physically bar scabs from entering the business, although this has been illegal in the United States for several decades.

You might also see an "informational picket" or a "practice picket". These are intended to share information about the workers' struggle with the public, to put pressure on the business to concede to their demands before a strike, and to help workers prepare for the real thing.

What is a boycott?

A boycott is a specific, organized campaign of not buying a certain good or service, or not buying from a certain business. Unions are restricted in when they can call for boycotts, but boycotts can also be called by other groups based as well. 

It is very difficult to organize consumers (as opposed to producers, the workers themselves). Boycotts are only effective when they are specific, well-communicated, and widespread. The most prominent boycotts you're likely to hear about are the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement in support of Palestine, and boycotts by the United Farm Workers such as the one ongoing against Windmill Farms at the time of this writing.

What is the "labor council"?

A labor council is a local, state, or national council of delegates from different unions which meet to discuss and plan for the labor movement as a whole. Seattle is part of the MLK County Labor Council (MLKCLC), which is part of the Washington State Labor Council (WSLC), which is part of the American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). Not all unions are part of all the levels of the labor council: for example, the National Education Association is not a part of the AFL-CIO, but its local affiliate the Seattle Education Association is part of the MLKCLC and the WSLC; other locals might not choose to join their local labor council for various reasons, but their parent unions are still part of the AFL-CIO.

Delegates to the AFL-CIO are chosen from their local unions based on their bylaws. Different unions may go about this selection in different ways. In the case of MLKCLC, delegates are also chosen by the eight Constituency Groups: A. Philip Randolph Institute, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Coalition of Labor Union Women, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, Pride@Work, Washington Alliance for Retired Americans, and Washington Young Emerging Labor Leaders. These groups serve to elevate the voices of their constituents, who in many cases are from groups which have been less visible in the labor movement.

Join a union?

The easiest way to join a union is to get a job at a unionized employer. In King County, many union jobs are listed at unionhiringhall.org. You may also see in job listing when a position is represented by a union contract or "collective bargaining agreement," although this isn't guaranteed.

Unions, labor councils, and community groups may have job fairs specifically to recruit people to union jobs. Some unions also operate "hiring halls" (which is what the above website is named after), where they do their own recruitment rather than leaving it to the employer. Building trades and longshore jobs are the most common examples of this.

Form a union?

Forming a union is not an easy task, but it is an essential one if the labor movement is going to continue. The pressure of increased unionization improves working conditions for everyone, not just for workers in unionized shops.

If you are a private sector (non-government) employee, meaning you have a W-2 form rather than a 1099, you are likely covered by the NLRA unless you work in agriculture, domestic work, or certain transportation such as railroads or air travel. People in all of these fields can organize and unionize, but in any of those situations you would need some additional help due to the different laws.

The first step is always to talk to your coworkers and more importantly to listen to what they believe the issues at your job are. If they agree that there are issues and you're ready to take action, you have a few options. Contacting your local or state labor council (MLKCLC in King County, or WSLC for Washington) can help direct you to a union for your sector. If you feel like you need more assistance before you get to that point, you can also contact the Emergency Workplace Organizing Committee (EWOC), which will pair you with an experienced organizer to help you through the process.

Help a strike?

The easiest way to help a strike is to not cross the picket line. This is clearest when there is a physical business and a visible picket line: walking through that line and into that business sends a message to anyone who sees it that it's okay to do, even if you don't buy anything! Talking to the workers on strike and turning around is a much better option, and you can come back after the strike is successful. Even if there's not a picket line or a physical location, if a business is on strike you should avoid patronizing it unless the union has explicitly said otherwise.

Also helpful is to join the picket line and walk & talk with the workers there. Most union workers have never been on strike before, and those who go out may not know how much their community supports them. Let them know, and they'll be willing to hold out for the best deal possible.

Finally, supporting strike funds or otherwise bringing supplies to the workers can keep them and their families fed while the strike continues. Many unions maintain strike funds that will automatically pay workers a stipend while on strike, but it is often significantly less than they were making before (and, since they're on strike, even that probably wasn't enough!). If you do find pages seeking contributions for a strike fund, make sure it is really from the workers or the union before donating. Check the union's social media pages or ask at the picket line for a link. You can also drop off supplies, but check the picket line before you do. Lots of picketers appreciate donuts, but the third box of the day isn't appreciated nearly as much as the first!