Qu est ion s Ab ou t Un ion s?

Ge t the Fa cts
Q.6 Will the union be able to prevent any more "take-aways"
from happening?
A.6 Unions often promise better pay aod benefit,_, but there is
no guarantee that
ar esult of having a union. Unions will oniy get what management is able anything will be better as
and wiiling to give. And
even if you end up with the same or less than you have now, you
may have to pay union dues just to
keep your job.
Q.7 If a union represents us, who will be my union spoke
sperson?
A. 7 We don't know. Union representatives (often called "stewa
rds" or "delegates'? are determined by the
union. It is possible that your union representative could be someo
ne from anothe r department that
you don't even know or don't like.
There are about 550 Norwalk Hospital employees who can vote
on Thursday, Novem ber 19. The
needs and interests of the employees within this large group are
very different and it will be difficult,
if not impossible, for a union to represent all of these different interes
ts. If the union steward(s) are
from large departments, how well would those employees represe
nt the needs of employees from
other smalle r departments they may not be familiar with?
For example, the wishes of a Sterile Processing Tech can be very
different than those of an
Environment Service Associate or someone in the Gift Shop or
at an off-site blood drawing lab
because each group may have different and conflicting things
that are important to them. The wishes
of some employees may be sacrificed to meet the needs of others.
Q.8 Can the union help us get rid of bad supervisors?
A.8 No. The union has no authority over who the hospital's superv
isors are or how they are managed.
However, it is important to us that we do have good supervisors
that treat all staff fairly and with
respect. If you have any concerns about your supervisors, we
hope that you will contact Human
Resources (or anothe r manag er you trust) to share concerns and
help us address the problem.
Q.9 What can I do if I have questions or want more information?
A.9 You can talk to your superv isor or manager, who can obtain
answers for you. You can also schedule
a confidential meeting with Human Resources.
Q.10 What can I do if I don't want the union and want to keep
it out?
A.10 The laws states that you have the rightto campaign for or
against a union. You can talk to your coworkers, express your opinions, distribute literature, and any other
information you want to share.
The only restriction, whethe r you are campaigning for or agains
t a union, is that you must campaign
on non-work time in non-work areas.

MNorwalk

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.Ex~p-ertisa Results.

Qu es tio ns Ab ou t Un ion s? Ge t th e Fa cts

Q.1 When is the election?
A.1 The election is scheduled for Thursday, Nove:iiber
19, in Nash Auditorium. The hours are 6am to
9am and noon to 6pm. You must be present to vote.

Q.2 If the union wins the election, can't we expec

t to get a contract soon?
A.2 No one knows how long it will take to negotiate
a contract with the union. Often the first contract
between an emplo yer and a union takes more than
a year to complete. Some are never finalized.
And there are no guarantees about what would be in
a contract. You could end up with the same,
more, or less than you have now. And depending on
what is negotiated, you could end up having to
pay union dues to keep your job, even if you end up
getting less than you have now.

Here are some real life examples of collective barga

ining:
At Danbury Hospital, a group of employees joined
a union on Nove mber 21, 2014. Four
months later (March 2015) the Hospital and the union
began negotiations for an initial
collective bargaining agreement. Seven months after
winning the election the union first
made a wage proposal (July 2) which was the eighth
bargaining session. The sessions have
proceeded slowly, but methodically, due to the comp
lexity of negotiating an initial collective
bargaining agreement.
On Augu st 12, CHCA won a close election at Norwalk
Hospital seeking to represent
engineering and maintenance employees. Initial contra
ct-negotia-tions Wave rroroe-gw--:---rvo
dates have been scheduled by CHCA.
CHCA provided dates for negotiations, but the hospital wanted to resolve
the Unfair Labor Charge proior to negotiations
Q.3 What does the union do with the dues mone
y it collects?
A.3 Unions can spend their dues money in whatever
way they want. They have to file annual reports with
the Department of Labor showing how much income
they receive and how they spend that money.
This report is public information and we cari provide
that information if you want it. Unions often
spend significant amounts of money on their own overh
ead and supporting political activity. There is
no guarantee and no requirement that the union will
spend ANY of the dues mone y they collect from
employees on beha lf of those who they represent.
Q.4 Are union dues tax deductible?
A.4 They may or may not be, depending on how you
file your tax return. You should consult the person
who.prepares your tax return to obtain expert tax advice
. We cannot give .tax advice.
Q.5 Can the union protect me from being discip
lined and losing my job?
A.5 No. Even though the union may pr:emise to provid
e job security, management still retains the right to
discipline employees and to determine if lay-offs are
necessary. These are not union decisions.

M Norwalk
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n. E.xpertisa..Result.s.