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Welcome!  Thank you for taking the time to visit this site!  The information presented here is extremely important, and we hope you find it to be both informative and interesting.

 

Today, most unions are under serious financial pressure.  Unions get almost all of their money from members' dues, and union membership has been dropping steadily.  In the mid-1950s, nearly 35% of all workers in private industry (non-government jobs) were unionized; today, fewer than 7% are union.   

 

To rebuild their membership and reverse their financial losses, unions are working hard to organize non-union companies.  Some unions have specifically targeted SunCoke.  If they are successful, they could take hundreds of dollars every year out of each SunCoke team member's paycheck !       

 

Recent changes in U.S. labor law limit the amount of time we have to give you information about unions and ways your work life at SunCoke would change if you became unionized.  Therefore, the purpose of this web site is to give you information now to help you decide if you want a union to represent you.  

 

Know unions

 

Click on the gold box within each square below to learn about these important topics:

 

 

 

 

     

 

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        

 

Know how unions organize workers.  Strict laws control how union organizing works.  Unfortunately, some unions have a history of "bending" those laws. 

Know what your decision means.  NEARLY EVERYTHING CHANGES WHEN WORKERS BECOME REPRESENTED BY A UNION.  It's important to understand how SunCoke's Middletown facility would be different if team members became unionized. 

Know what's realistic to expect from contract bargaining.  Unions say you can't lose when they bargain with management.  The facts show something else. 

Know what things unions DON'T change.  No job is perfect.  But having a union and a contract often doesn't change things workers want improved. 

Know the truth about union pay.  Unions say workers who are unionized make more on average than non-union workers.  If that's true, why doesn't everyone want a union? 

Know ALL THE FACTS about strikes.  Going out on strike means giving up everything you get from the company. Unions want you to think you'll never have to do that.  The facts say otherwise. 

Know the cost of dues.  It's not just what you have to pay.  It's what you CAN'T do with the money you're forced to give a union. 

Know how unions spend workers' dues.  Here's a hint:  very little is on the workers. 

Know the duties of union members.  Joining a union means becoming part of a new organization -- new bosses to obey, new rules to follow and punishments if you fail. 

Know how hard it is to get rid of a union.  They'll tell you, "if you don't like us you can just vote us out."  Then they'll punish you if you try.

Know how union leaders and members behave.  Union leaders' actions affect the members, and unions expect their members to behave certain ways.  You have to decide whether you want to be a part of it.  

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