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New Member Information
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"Long
ago we stated the reason for labor organizations. We
said that union was essential to give laborers
opportunity to deal on an equality with their employer."
- - United States
Supreme Court |
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Welcome to the
National Conference of Firemen & Oilers (NCFO)! You are now part
of one of the most diverse labor organizations in the nation.
You have brother and sister members of NCFO working in a wide
variety of occupations and economic sectors.
The NCFO was once a separate international union with members in
the U.S. and Canada. Since 1995 NCFO has been an active segment
of the 1.5 million-member Service Employees International Union
(SEIU), the largest union within labor's umbrella group, the
American Federation of Labor Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO). The unions working together within the
AFL-CIO to support America's working families have a combined
membership of around 13 million.
As an SEIU/NCFO member you have the right to elect the officers
of your local union, to run for office yourself and to
participate fully in regular membership meetings. The rules and
procedures by which your local union must function are spelled
out in its constitution and bylaws, a copy which will be
provided to you by request, as will the NCFO/SEIU Constitution.
Your active participation in your local union makes it stronger
and helps it negotiate better collective bargaining agreements.
The agreement or contract, lays out the wages and benefits to
which you are entitled, protects you from unfair discipline or
dismissal, usually has provisions governing promotion to
better-paying positions and provides an overall framework for
resolving disputes that arise during the period of the contract.
In some cases all the members of a local union are covered under
a single contract. Other locals negotiate contracts with a
number of different employers. Most members working for
railroads are covered by a national agreement. More importantly,
all local union members support each other as they meet and deal
with issues affecting all members of the local union.
Members within local unions have the right to vote on tentative
agreements negotiated between the employer and the union
bargaining committee. It's important for you to get a copy of
your current collective bargaining agreement and become familiar
with it.
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