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Scroll down to see the answers to posted questions.
After the election will the union or the company know how I voted?
No this is a secret ballot election. The ballots must be mailed in to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and while this is a mail ballot election and you are required to sign the outside of the envelope being sent to the NLRB for your ballot to be valid and counted, you do not sign the inner envelope or your ballot. The NLRB removes your ballot from the outer envelope and comingles them with all the other ballots prior to opening the inner envelope and counting. NO ONE WILL KNOW HOW YOU VOTED UNLESS YOU TELL THEM!
Some teamsters have been communicating that we will receive what is in other collective bargaining agreements with US Foods.”
That is simply untrue. If employees decide to vote for teamsters to represent them at the US Foods, new contract negotiations will begin. No two contracts at US Foods are the same.
If the union wins the election, which employees does it represent?
If the union wins the election, it will represent every employee in the bargaining unit who is eligible to vote.– whether you like their representation or not. Not only does it represent those employees who voted for the union, it also represents those who voted against the union, as well as those who failed to vote. That is why your vote is so important.
The Teamster organizers are saying, “Vote us in. You’ve got nothing to lose.” Is that true?
No. With a union, everything related to your working conditions is subject to negotiations and possible change. The Company can make proposals to take away something—and the Teamsters may trade something you now have for something the union thinks is important, like mandatory union membership, “super seniority,” or monthly dues “checkoff.” Good-faith bargaining is like horse trading—sometimes you come out better, sometimes you come out worse, and sometimes you don’t make a deal.
Could I be disciplined by the Teamsters if I chose to cross the picket line and work during a strike to support my family?
Yes. Article XIX, Section 7(b)(7), of the Teamster Constitution specifically states that all members must honor and support a strike picket line. If a member chooses to cross the picket line and work during the strike, he/she could be fined by the union. In one recent strike, a union fined its members the equivalent of what they earned after crossing the picket line!
