Get the facts about union authorization cards
During the coming weeks, you may be asked to sign a union authorization card or scan a QR code by a colleague or union advocate. But signing a union authorization isn’t like signing a petition. Instead, signing a union card or scanning a QR code may commit you to becoming part of the union.
What are authorization cards?
Union authorization cards—both paper and electronic—are legally binding documents. Signing a card doesn’t just sign you up to get more information. You are consenting to the union serving as your exclusive legal bargaining representative.
What does union authorization mean for YOU?
The union, or the person asking for your signature, might say that signing a card is just a way to “learn more” or “show you support your team.” If you provide your contact information, you are giving the union virtually unlimited access to visit you at home and send you texts and emails.
What if I already signed a card and want to revoke my signature?
You can request to revoke any union authorization card that you have signed. If you do not inform the union or us that you have revoked the union authorization card that you signed, it’s possible that the union may count you as a union supporter during their “card count”—a process the union can use to force an election.
Who might ask you to get involved with the union?
A union representative, or a co-worker acting on behalf of the union, might ask you to sign an authorization card. The card could be an actual paper card, or they might ask for your signature through an electronic card—accessed via QR code—that you “sign” online.
Bottom Line: Authorization cards have legal ramifications and no guarantees
Signing a card will not change your wages or benefits in any way. If a union organizer is promising such things, they are not telling the truth.
Signing a union card is much more than asking for information. Make sure you know the facts before you sign or scan.
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