If you ask your average rank-and-file UFCW or Teamsters member when they last attended a contract bargaining session, they'll likely tell you that they've never been to one. What's the reason for this? One of the unfortunate truths of the labor movement is that many unions do not permit their own members to attend the negotiation sessions of their own contract.
I asked several Kroger members for an update during their contract campaign last year. The answer was identical from everyone I talked to. They could attend a regional meeting to receive an update, but they were never informed of negotiating session locations, or invited to attend. When I asked several Teamsters from the facility in which I work, they responded that only the Shop Steward was permitted to attend negotiations.
So why is this a big deal?
For starters, and probably most importantly, it's your contract. I don't know about you, but there is no way in hell that I'm going to let someone negotiate the terms of my employment without me being present so I can witness and approve of what they agree to. I have always believed that someone who has the opportunity to attend negotiations, and refuses to do so has no right to complain about the shortcomings of their collective bargaining agreement.
If your union doesn't encourage you to attend negotiations, or tries to discourage you from attending, this should be a major red flag. Ask yourself this question - Why don't they want me to attend?
So why don't unions want their members at negotiations?
There are two very big secrets that many unions do not want their members to know that contribute to this strategy:
1. Having open negotiations has the potential to show the weakness of the bargaining unit if nobody shows up. Of course, if a union is doing its job, then it will have the bargaining unit mobilized for negotiations. Most unions do not spend enough time or resources on this sort of action. Therefore, it is in their interest to have closed negotiations to keep the employer in the dark.
2. Having closed negotiations allows the union to make whatever deals it wants to make without the members knowledge. I call this the SEIU strategy. SEIU has become famous for its backroom deals with employers. While I mentioned earlier that my local had open negotiations, I was trained to figure out what the members would swallow without going on strike, then to make a deal with management without the members knowing to settle the contract. Sadly, many unions follow this playbook and negotiate weak contracts instead of organizing their bargaining units into a militant force that can fight concessions.
The bottom line is: It's your contract, your job - Fight for it!
In Solidarity,
Joseph
