What an independent union can do for you and your coworkers
Unions harness the collective power of workers to improve working conditions and shift power dynamics in the workplace and beyond. One of core elements of being a unionized worker is winning a legal seat at the table to bargain a union contract. Important changes happen even before bargaining formally begins - by organizing, workers build relationships with each other, learn how to support and lift each other up, and can start to create the kind of culture and community they want to experience at work. The last few years have seen a historic increase in union organizing and successful campaigns, including workers who elect to organize new independent unions.
What is an independent union
Though we aren’t taught much about unions and labor history, most people have heard of some of the largest national unions. An example of a national union structure is the United Auto Workers, headquartered in Detroit, MI. The national is composed of affiliated locals, which are typically assigned a number. For example, UAW Local 2110 is based in NYC and largely represents professional workers and grad students. Each local includes a number of different workplaces that are organized as bargaining units - a group of people who bargain a contract together. For example, workers employed at the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) in New York City are in one bargaining unit with a contract for their specific workplace. When workers organize with the UAW, they are joining a specific local and working with their coworkers to negotiate a first contract at their workplace. Different unions can represent different workers within the same organization, the ACLU national staff organized and is represented by the Nonprofit Professionals Employee Union. If you’re looking for a national union, start by researching your industry to find unions that represent similar workers. Don’t go by the name of the union alone - in this example, the United Auto Workers represents many different kinds of workers (not just people in the automotive industry).
An independent union is what it sounds like - an organization that functions autonomously and is not affiliated with a larger national structure. Newly formed independent unions cut across industries - from the newly formed Amazon Labor Union to the long-standing Resident and Fellow Physician Union at the University of Washington.
How to form and govern an independent union
All union drives start with workers signing union authorization cards - language a worker signs to affirm their support for a union at a specific workplace. Union cards have to specify the union that you want to join. If you form an independent union, the Organizing Committee will likely decide the name of the union (for example, Amazon Labor Union). Authorization cards allow the organizing committee to demand voluntary recognition from the employer or file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board. After a successful election, a union is certified and considered a “recognized” union - meaning that the employer has a legal obligation to bargain with the union.
Upon winning recognition, a new independent union has to create its governing structures. Upon forming an independent union, workers are responsible for drafting governing documents and filing appropriate paperwork with the Department of Labor. Within 90 days of winning union recognition, union officers file an LM1 form that includes the dues amount and Constitution and Bylaws. All unions have to have governing structures in place, including the process to hold elections and authorize strikes.
A key distinction in forming an independent vs joining a national union is that there are no existing resources to pull from - workers build their union from the ground up. Independent unions often use community fundraisers to pay for legal support, for example, while workers joining a national would rely on existing staff resources. Workers are responsible for everything that the union does - including managing its finances.That includes logistics like setting up and managing a bank account, ensuring members are represented in disciplinary meetings, and communicating with company management. Fundamentally, a union is a way that workers pool their resources to fight for wins that raise working standards for as many people as possible. It takes resources to take on massive corporations and anti-union legislation. When workers join a national union, there are reserves and infrastructure - a legal team, a communications team, experienced organizers - in place to do all of these things.
Why choose to form an independent union
Whether out of necessity or as a strategic decision, workers also have the option to form an independent union. It’s an opportunity to build your union from the ground up. It’s a big undertaking and is generally best for workers who wouldn’t otherwise be able to organize with an existing national union.
Some workers have to form an independent union because of the intricacies of labor law. Security guards, for example, typically can’t organize with other workers unless it’s an independent union. The workers at the Seattle Art Museum formed an independent union for this reason.
Other workers choose to organize as an independent because there is no national union available to support their organizing. Healthcare providers at Piedmont Health Services were ready to form a union but couldn’t find local resources in North Carolina, one of the states with the lowest percentage of unionized workers in the country. I worked with the team at Unit to support their campaign and we are now preparing to bargain their first union contract to address issues related to patient care and high turnover. Ensuring that healthcare providers have safe and just workplaces increases access to quality care for everyone.
Independent unions and reproductive justice
Unions can protect and expand reproductive justice for workers by negotiating strong contracts and by building a culture of solidarity at work.
In the precarious world of "post" pandemic employment, contracts create necessary structure and stability for workers. “Bread and butter” contract issues - core employment issues like wages, hours, and benefits - impact and change people’s lives at work and beyond. Core union issues can protect reproductive justice-related issues, even when that isn’t the explicit goal. Pride at Work aggregates some best practices for contract language that protects LGBTQ+ workers - including non-discrimination clauses and health insurance for domestic partnerships. Paid time off protects the right to medical procedures and family leave; just cause protects workers from at will termination and retaliation; and fair and transparent pay scales close wage inequities. Since the Supreme Court June 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade, many unions are now taking on abortion explicitly - like negotiating protected time off for union members that have to travel for an abortion.
An independent union may have unique opportunities and challenges related to advocating for reproductive justice. A smaller union may be able to react quickly to changing legislation and may be able to get members to consensus quickly on how to respond. However, there is still an important question of how much and leverage one group of workers can muster. National unions have existing resources - including PACs and legal teams - to deploy for larger fights like legislative advocacy. Ideally, unions across locations and industries work together towards shared goals. Union communication structures and the leadership development they provide workers can help workers take other forms of collective action across workplaces, like this open letter from reproductive justice workers.
Many people are looking around and realizing that collective action and community solidarity are necessary for survival. Organizing a union is one of the most direct ways to change power dynamics and put these principles to work. An independent union may be the only option for some workers who want to organize - particularly in locations with low union density. If you’re interested in organizing and can’t find a national union to work with - or just want to learn more about independent unions - you can do your own research or check out Unit where we help provide the guidance and support for workers who are ready to organize. Regardless if they choose an independent or national, workers use unions to build solidarity, community and win on the issues that matter most to members.
Megan is currently the Director of Organizing at Unit with 15+ years experience in grassroots and labor movements. She started in the movement as an undergraduate at Smith College, organizing in solidarity with unionized campus workers during contract negotiations. While pursuing a Master's in Community & Regional Planning, she organized with fellow graduate students and worked in crisis intervention at the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico and later worked at the Writers Guild of America, East to organize hundreds of workers in the media industry to form new unions and negotiate strong contracts.
