Region 1 Organizing

Overview of New Employee Orientation Program

Since February 2005, PASS has been meeting with new employees during their orientation at Oklahoma City. Currently, PASS meets with 24 new hires twice a month and our enrollment rate is 40 percent. This does not include follow-up at the facility during the first year. The PASS Membership Committee, chaired by Carol Bolay, is beginning to contact new employees after training during their first few months of work.

Some of the material we use during orientation are included in the "Materials" section.

What Is a Union and What Does It Do?

A union is a worker organization that provides the structure and forum for democracy at the worksite and a means for addressing worker issues on an equal footing with management.

The contract between our union, PASS, and the FAA is a bargained agreement between workers and management who sit across the table and discuss wages, benefits and working conditions of all covered employees. The contract is the first and last word (subject to interpretation) on nearly every aspect of your professional working life. 

In the Statute, the federal government says that because "the public interest requires high standards of employee performance…the well-being of employees and…Government are benefited by providing [workers] an opportunity to participate in the formulation of…policies and practices affecting the conditions of their employment." The hopeful goal of both the government and its employees is that "the participation of employees should be improved" by maintaining "constructive and cooperative relationships between labor organizations and management…."

In other words, the federal government and its agencies want to encourage workplace democracy.

Know YOUR Rights

The United States Government, through the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute, gives you the absolute right to:

• Help form or join a union

• Bargain over wages and working conditions with your employer

• Talk about the union at work as you would talk about any other subject

• Wear union insignia at work

• Solicit other employees for union membership, both on lunch or break time even on agency property

These rights are protected under the law; your employer may not discriminate against you for exercising these rights.

It is illegal for the agency or supervisor to:

• Discourage union membership

• Threaten or coerce you in any way

• Bribe employees to vote a certain way in a union election or ratification vote

• Deny you the right to vote for union representation

• Discriminate against you based on union activities

• Spy on your union activities

• Show preference in the assignment of work based on union status
   
• Fire, transfer, or demote you in retaliation for union activities
   

Union Workplace	Non-Union Workplace
Your contract effectively guarantees your employment for the term of the agreement. Under the contract, the agency is required to provide a safe and healthful workplace. Your wages, benefits and working conditions are protected and guaranteed by a legal contract. Your union committee negotiates raises for everyone, and only union members may vote on the agreement. If you don't think it is fair, you can vote it down. If you are unfairly disciplined, your union will represent and defend you. As union members, if you and your coworkers don't like something at work, you have the power to change it. Vacations, school schedules and other choices are based on the contract rather than favoritism.	Without a contract, you are an at-will employee with no real job security. Safety without a contract is like a ship without a rudder. Management can change wages, benefits or working conditions whenever they want. Wages are determined by the FAA at the discretion of the administrator. If you want a raise, you have to hope that the FAA has been operationally successful or become the boss's "favorite." If you are unfairly disciplined, you are on your own. If you don't like something at work, you can suffer silently or you can quit. Vacations and other leave are scheduled for management's convenience without consideration for the employee
Which one looks better to you?