Organizing a union is the best way to protect the benefits we currently have, which are at the full discretion of management in a non-union environment. Once our union is recognized, the company must maintain the status quo and can no longer make unilateral changes to employee benefits; any changes must be negotiated through the collective bargaining process. When negotiating a first union contract, the union will typically propose to lock in the things employees like and make improvements where things could be better. Many union contracts protect defined benefit plans for the existing participants, while boosting benefits for the rest. Without a contract there’s no guarantee that the company will maintain pension contributions.
