Once the union and management bargaining committee reach a tentative agreement on the contract, it is voted into place by the membership. Once the contract is in effect, members nominate a representative union committee. The union committee works with Guild staff to enforce the contract and communicate with management about additional issues in the workplace.
The strongest unions are those that have actively engaged members at every stage of the process. There may be workplace issues that arise after contract negotiations that require people to talk with each other to identify the problem and develop solutions. For example, many unionized sites have active initiatives around diversity and have developed proposals to implement unconscious bias trainings and best practices in hiring, recruitment, and retention. Guild staff can facilitate this process but we’re the experts in our field and workplace.