| | | Sept 10, 2026
| Get Organized!
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| Introducing: Get Organized!
| Hello!... and welcome to “Get Organized!”, brought to you by BCPL United. This weekly newsletter will keep you up to date on everything you need to know about the BCPL supervisory employees organizing campaign. We will share organizing tips, provide answers to some of your most frequently asked questions, and share details on upcoming meetings and trainings. Stay tuned and Get Organized!
| | September Deadline Updates
| We are nearing the mid-month mark and the deadline to file for a union election is rapidly approaching. The BCPL Collective Bargaining Law establishes:
| | | §23–806.
(a) (1) An employee organization seeking certification as the exclusive representative for the bargaining unit of employees may file a petition with the Director indicating this intent.
(2) The petition may only be filed in the month of September.
(3) The petition shall contain:
(i) A request that the Board recognize the employee organization as the exclusive representative of the employees in the bargaining unit;
(ii) A statement that the employee organization is one in which employees participate and that has as one of its purposes the representation of public employees in matters of wages, hours, and other terms and conditions of employment;
(iii) A statement that the employee organization has no terms or conditions of membership that discriminate with regard to race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, national origin, religion, marital status, or disability; and
(iv) A statement that the employee organization has in its possession written proof dated not more than 9 months before the day on which the petition is filed establishing that at least 30% of the employees in the bargaining unit have designated the employee organization to represent them in their employment relations with the employer.
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| The law expanding collective bargaining rights to “supervisory employees” went into effect on July 1st of this year, which only gave us three months to collect a sufficient showing of support before the deadline. In order to set ourselves up for success, we have decided to wait until September 2027 to file for exclusive representation. This also means that any “A-Cards” that we have collected will expire and will need to be resubmitted after February 1st of 2027. In the meantime, we will regroup and focus on building the knowledge and relationships needed to make our campaign a success!
| | | | What’s Next?
| | • | We will be scheduling regular informational meetings where we will break down the benefits of a union, your rights and protections, and how to talk to your coworkers about organizing. We’ll be sharing the date, time, and RSVP instructions in the next newsletter.
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| | • | Want to get involved in the organizing campaign? Join the Organizing Committee Signal Chat to help lead the charge and steer our strategy. We also hold meetings every other Wednesday at 7pm on Zoom.
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| | | | FAQs
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Q: What is the difference between a “Supervisory” employee and “Management”?
| A: Chapter 757, the law that expands collective bargainign rights to “Supervisory employees” establishes the following definitions:
| | ○ | “Supervisory employee” means an employee who is authorized to:
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| | ▪ | Hire, transfer, suspend, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline employees
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| | ▪ | Responsibly direct employees for more than 50% of the employee’s working hours; or
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| | ▪ | Address and resolve the grievances of employees.
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| | ○ | “Management employee” means an employee who generally has authority and who:
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| | ▪ | Formulates policy that is applicable throughout a bargaining unit;
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| | ▪ | Has a significant role in personnel administration, employee relations, or the preparation and administration of budgets for the employer; or
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| | ▪ | May reasonably be required to:
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| | 1. | Assist directly in the preparation for and conduct of collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the employer; or
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| | 2. | Have a major role in the administration of resulting collective bargaining agreements.
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| Q: Can management or the administration retaliate against me for supporting a union?
| A: No, the law state that:
| (a) The employer may not:
(1) Interfere with, coerce, unduly influence, or restrain an employee’s exercise of rights [to unionize];
(2) Dominate, interfere with, assist in the formation, administration, or existence of, or contribute financial assistance or other support to an employee organization;
(3) Encourage or discourage membership in an employee organization by discriminating against an employee through hiring, tenure, promotion, or other conditions of employment; or
(4) Refuse to bargain in good faith with an employee organization that is the exclusive representative of the employees.
| Have a question you’d like answered in the next issue?
| Send them to kgallagher@district4.net.
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| | For more information visit our campaign website:
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