The Union Process at Borders
by Shannon Matthews

This is a summary of the union process as it has worked at Borders and, based on what Borders has stated officially in the past, how it will continue to work.

1) Signing a union card.

This is the first step. Signing a card does not obligate you to anything. You may still vote in the union election in any way you choose. You may ask for a card back at any point. Borders never finds out who signed or did not sign a card unless you make it public knowledge. Once 30% of the store's employees have signed cards, the cards could be submitted to the National Labor Relations Board, the government agency responsible for overseeing union elections, but it is better to wait until at least 60% of employees have signed cards to show that there really is support for a union. Once the cards are given to the NLRB, an election is scheduled which takes place 4 to 6 weeks later.

2) The period before the election.

This period can get stressful with Borders and pro-union employees trying to get information out. Employees should feel free to tell pro-union people at anytime that they do not want any more information and this request will be honored. Stress levels can be reduced by airing concerns promptly and feeling free to talk openly about the whole process.

3) The union election.

The election is a simple affair: the employees are given an opportunity to vote in a secret ballot election on whether they want union representation in contract talks. A "Yes" vote is for the union, a "No" vote against. No one ever knows how you vote. If a majority of voting employees vote "Yes", the process moves on to step 4. Otherwise, the process stops here.

4) Putting together a negotiating committee.

The major objective in voting for a union is to try and obtain a contract that addresses pay, benefits, and working conditions - hopefully one that most employees will favor over the current situation. To that end, employees elect co- workers to serve on a negotiating committee. The employees get to decide how large the committee will be, who will be on it representing them, and which issues are the most important ones. The committee, once elected, joins union negotiators at the table with Borders and tries to negotiate a contract. This process can take some time. Eventually, a contract proposal gets sent to employees in the store for approval.

5) Voting on a contract.

Each employee gets a copy of the contract proposal and gets the chance to get clarifications from either the negotiating committee or union officials. A secret ballot election is then held to either approve or disapprove the contract. A "Yes" vote is for the contract as written, a "No" vote against. A majority of voting employees determines what happens. If the contract is approved, it goes into effect and both Borders and the union must abide by it. If employees decide against the contract as written, the negotiating committee goes back to work to try and address the parts of the contract that the employees did not like. No contract takes effect until a majority of voting employees approve it.

Back to Table of Contents