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Union democracy From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the labor philosophy. For the book by Lipset, Trow, and Coleman, see Union Democracy. Union democracy (also known as labor democracy) is a school of thought within organized labor which argues that sound unionism requires adherence to principles and practices of democratic trade unionism; that internal democracy and greater membership control make unions stronger and better able to fight for the rights and interests of working people. The goal is to prevent the manifestation of the so-called iron law of oligarchy: that all forms of organization, regardless of how democratic they may be at the start, eventually and inevitably develop into oligarchies with swollen bureaucracies. To expand while most models do fail to meet the extensive criteria required by Union Democracy as well as adhere to its specific modeling type. Which maintains power through equality and not a Bureaucratic chain. There are a few examples of different aspects of union democracy throughout the world. These examples as noted below along with their corresponding action associated with Union Democracy. Principles include: Frequent, contested elections, with rank-and-file members regularly challenging incumbents, and resultant turnover in officers and representatives, with all candidates having equal access to membership lists before elections, including the right to copy the list. Unions in Nissan-Cuernavaca, Volkswagen-Puebla, General Motors-DF. Significant degrees of Leadership turnover especially in note to Volkswagen and Nissan. Source-(Transforming the Latin American Auto Industry, By John Peter Tuman, John T. Morris) Open publications, with newsletters and websites publishing all members' views, including those critical of officials, representatives, or union policy, and the union encouraging open and free debate and discussion of issues and candidates; with election candidates having equal use of union publications and means of communication (website, newsletter, e-mail list) to put out their campaign material. Member ratification, with all contracts and "side agreements" between union and management subject to ratification by secret ballot by the members covered by the contract. An example of this is a Laidlaw transit flier to its drivers as seen here, http://www.teamsters952.org/Docs/ContractRatifMeeting.htm Strike votes: members should vote on striking, on return to work, and on other decisions during strikes, with strike votes not used to force members to ratify contracts ("either you vote 'yes' or you vote to strike"). A prime example of Strike voting is outlined here as it discusses the upcoming vote for the union associated with the maintenance and cleaning of over 1,500 New York buildings. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57334023/cleaners-at-nyc-office-buildings-set-strike-vote/ "Informed vote": the complete text of proposed contract changes, amendments, referendums, etc. should be distributed to members prior to ratification votes, with sufficient time for meaningful membership review and discussion, and the union circulating (or at least not obstructing) different opinions about the contract offer. In relation to the informed vote, this article detailing the formalization of Union as well as the political process behind them outlines the idea of an informed vote properly. Allowing workers to choose between unionizing or remaining without one. http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katehicks/2011/11/30/red_letter_day_for_unions_as_nlrb_and_house_to_vote_on_opposing_measures_today Election of representatives: shop stewards, business agents and other member representatives (paid or otherwise) should be elected by secret ballot of the members they represent, and subject to recall by the members they represent; stewards and active members should be trained in legal rights and organizing; and there should be stewards' councils that meet to plan and coordinate action. This is well detailed on Directgov. As it explains both the process and reasoning behind why unions conduct themselves in this manner. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/TradeUnions/Tradeunionsintheworkplace/DG_179274 Grievants' rights: workers should participate fully in the grievance process at every step, with full information about their case and its progress. Current Legal rights as associated with unions and grievances. http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/policies/governing/unit1contract/article8/index.html Member access to information: union representatives should provide members current and complete copies of the contract and the union constitution/bylaws, and the contract and constitution should be published on union websites. Members must have easy access to information on officers' salaries, budget, and expenses. Union representatives should regularly inform members of their rights under national and local law, and how to enforce them, including rights and responsibilities under the relevant regulations. Detailed on How Stuff Work’s http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union2.htm Regular local meetings, to be at least quarterly, announced ahead of time, at a time and place convenient to members, with an agenda circulated in advance, under reasonable quorum requirements not set so high as to prevent valid membership meetings. Real business should be conducted (not just a pep rally), with members encouraged to speak, make proposals, vote, and ask questions, and meeting minutes available to all members afterwards. Here is an excerpt of a Union detailing a regular and routine meeting. This Union as seen by the insignia is the BCTGM. http://317t.com/?q=node/88 Independent organizing and communication outside union official structure: members should have the right to organize in independent committees and caucuses, publish rank-and-file newsletters and websites, and run candidates for union office, and union officers should encourage this. A perfect example of this being Workers Co-Operatives especially in Argentina in relation to the Forja “The Take” http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/23-argentina-crisis-sparks-cooperative-growth/, Inclusion and equality: all members should be treated fairly, with the union fighting discrimination by management and among members. Union officers and representatives should reflect membership in terms of gender, race, language, craft or bargaining unit, seniority, etc. Union contracts, constitution and bylaws, meetings, and publications should be accessible in the languages spoken by members. A good example of this would be in Bahrain due largely to the political pressure brought about by Unions as well as on Unions. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/06/bahrain-unions-fight-discrimination-firings-even-after-martial-law-lifted.html Education for members: unions should train all interested members in legal rights and organizing, including how to participate effectively in the union and how to organize on the job. While this isn’t a specific model, this site does expand more vividly the process by which a union can do this and the reasoning behind it in great detail. http://www.uniondemocracy.org/Legal/faqs.htm While there are some superficial similarities to the so-called organizing model of union activity, advocates of union democracy are swift to point out that many of the alleged exemplars of the organizing model do not, in their internal structure, meet the requirements listed above. [edit]External links

Association for Union Democracy ideologically-neutral U.S. union democracy organization Labor Notes U.S. left-of-center union democracy publication UE - The democratic rank-and-file labor union! U.S. labor union which (along with the ideologically-unique Industrial Workers of the World) is considered a textbook example of union democracy Organized labour portal [1] A book detailing labor movements in Latin America [2] Simple flier that discusses secret ballots. [3] A detailed look into the possible strike of maintenance workers and cleaning staff in New York, covered by CBS news. [4] Detailing changes involved in the Union process as well as the political side to Unionization. [5] Brief explanation of Union workings and processes. [6] Union and labor legal rights. [7] Another Brief excerpt from an actual Union (BCGTM) [8] Workers Co-Operatives, and Movie. Specifically, "The Take." [ http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/babylonbeyond/2011/06/bahrain-unions-fight-discrimination-firings-even-after-martial-law-lifted.html] A question and Answer outlining the complex situation of Bahrain's own labor disputes. [9] More information on Union Democracy and Union Process.