The Utility Workers Union wants to unionize the SEIU Communications Center
If it wanted, the SEIU could remain neutral, or even voluntarily recognize the union without an election. It is too soon to tell if the SEIU will do either.
In what may be an unlikely pairing, on Tuesday, the Utility Workers Union of America filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold an election in order to unionize workers at the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Communications Center in New York.
The SEIU Communications Center is a union-owned call center that provides “rapid mobilization telephone outreach services,” according to its website,
The call center specializes in “supporting political candidates and campaigns, issue organizations and labor unions,” the website states.
On a now-closed job ad, the SEIU Communications Center explained further what the call center does:
“Our center also places telephone calls to collect polling and survey research data, and to mobilize constituents on behalf of our clients, turning folks out for elections, rallies, and other events. Our clients including labor unions, their allies, pollsters, and political campaigns. We also place calls to put constituents in touch with their elected officials or other decision makers, helping citizens to lobby for their desired policy outcomes. While some of our projects require a purely unbiased approach to data collection, many of the jobs we do involve persuading and motivating respondents to take some action -- attend an event, give money, vote for a candidate or ballot initiative, become a union member, etc.-- which we have good reason to believe they should support.”
On the job ad for a call center agent, it stated that the job would be located in mid-town Manhattan and paid $16.50 per hour, which is far below what is considered a “living wage” for New York City.
On its petition filed with the NLRB the Utility Workers states it is seeking to represent ten employees who consist of “full and regular part-time Tele-Organizers and Quality Assurance Monitors working on the NEA team for the SEIU Communications Center.”
In order to file a petition for a representation election with the NLRB, a union must have at least 30 percent of the employees show an interest or signs a union authorization card.
If, however, a union has greater than 50 percent of employees’ signatures, the union can seek an election or request the employer to voluntarily recognize the union without an election.
If voluntary recognition is requested, it is up to the employer as to whether or not it will recognize the union without an election.
The Utility Workers’ petition does not indicate whether the union filed with the 30 percent minimum, or whether it had greater than 50 percent, requested recognition and was refused by the union-owned call center.
Like other employers, SEIU Commuications Center management may take the position that it is opposed to unionization by the Utility Workers of America.
Unlike the Communications Workers of America which already represents call center employees, according to its website, the UWUA is primarily involved with power utilities and the electrical grid.
Additionally, it is too early to tell whether the SEIU will remain neutral through the union’s campaign to unionize, or whether it will campaign against unionization with its employees.
Under normal NLRB timeframes, once a petition is filed, a secret-ballot election will usually take place within four to six weeks. An employer can, however, voluntarily recognize a union at any point up until the election.
Whether the SEIU does, in fact, voluntarily recognize the union remains to be seen.
