AN ADVISORY FOR UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION TEACHERS

With union organizers actively pursuing the unionization of United Neighborhood Organization, or UNO, charter schools, it is extremely important that teachers understand how the process works. You have the right to support a union; and you have the right

RE: UNION ORGANIZATION CAMPAIGN

READ ANY UNION DOCUMENT CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING
DO NOT SIGN ANY UNION PETITION OR AUTHORIZATION CARD UNLESS YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT YOU WANT UNION REPRESENTATION

Teachers at charter schools operated by UNO in Chicago should be fully aware of an agreement involving their charter school operator and AFT Local 4343, also known as Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff, or ACTS. On March 8 ACTS reached an agreement with UNO under which UNO will allow agents of ACTS access to teachers in UNO schools during school hours. UNO also agreed to turn over teacher contact information to ACTS. (UNOs announcement of this agreement is available online.)

This agreement gives ACTS special access to UNO staff that will not be available to any other educational or community group, including other unions.

ACTS is using this special arrangement to campaign for unionization of teachers in the UNO charter schools network. As part of this arrangement, ACTS agents will request that you sign cards indicating that you support ACTS and want it to serve as your representative in collective bargaining.

You should be aware that signing this card will have serious implications for your school and your career as educators. Unfortunately, union representatives may not make all the implications clear:

Your signature will be taken as proof that you intend to have ACTS represent you in all dealings with UNO. This will be the case regardless of your actual intentions. It does not matter if you sign as a favor to a co-worker or so a union representative will leave you alone. It is very unlikely that you will be allowed to take back a card after you sign it and turn it over to a union agent. A signed card is a signed card.

Once ACTS has collected cards signed by a majority of UNO teachers, it may petition UNO to recognize it as the representative of all UNO teachers.

AS OF NOW THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE ALLOWED A SECRET-BALLOT VOTE ON UNION REPRESENTATION. While a vote is common practice, UNO is not required to call for one. UNO may instead settle for a card check, meaning that it will bargain with ACTS based solely on teacher signatures, and there are strong indications it will do so. YOU SHOULD NOT ASSUME THAT YOU CAN CANCEL OUT THE EFFECT OF SIGNING A UNION CARD OR PETITION BY VOTING AGAINST THE UNION LATER.

Unfortunately, this means that ACTS will have a strong incentive to resort to harassing or misleading tactics in order to collect signatures from UNO teachers. And by turning over contact information for its teaching staff, UNO has inadvertently increased the risk that teachers will be harassed by ACTS agents.
We urge UNO teachers to TAKE YOUR TIME BEFORE YOU SIGN! The union does not need your signature immediately. Unionization is likely to mean significant and permanent changes for your school, your working environment and your career as an educator. If you value UNO schools, your children and your profession, you should take time to consider the pros and cons of unionization. And if the union really respects you it should be willing to give you time to consider this decision carefully.

Remember, a union is supposed to represent YOU! Not the administration, not its own interests, but you and your fellow UNO charter school teachers. This is your decision. So make a fully informed choice.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON AFT/ACTS, LABOR LAW OR UNIONS IN GENERAL, CONTACT:

Paul Kersey
Director of Labor Policy
Illinois Policy Institute
190 S. LaSalle St., Suite 1630
Chicago IL 60603
312-346-5700
kersey@illinoispolicy.org
illinoispolicy.org

AN ADVISORY FOR UNITED NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION TEACHERS

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