JOB SECURITY

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Non-union "at-will" employment

Some non-union workers think they don't need a union contract. They think the law protects them more than it does. They say, "I can take care of myself. I know my rights!" Unfortunately, they don't find out the truth until it is too late.

The truth is that non-union workers have very few legal rights. In New York State, the law says that if you don't have a contract with your employer, your boss can fire you for almost any reason or even for no reason at all. This is called "employment at-will." If your hotel is non-union, you don't have a union contract, so you are "employees at-will." This means that you have no job security. Because you don't have a contract, management has the legal right to:

• Fire you in order to hire a friend or family member
• Take back any raise they've given to you
• Reduce or eliminate your medical insurance, vacation, sick days, personal days, holidays or pension/401k
• Make you do a different type of job than the one you were hired to do
• Change or ignore rules or policies that have already been established
• Add new duties to your job without increasing your pay
• Change your schedule with little notice

Union job security

A Union contract is a legally-binding written agreement between the Union and the hotel that sets up rules management must follow.

Union contracts guarantee workers many important rights that non-union workers do not have - rights like:

• Job security and protection against favoritism
• Extra protections for immigrants
• Guaranteed wages and raises
• Seniority rights
• Guaranteed and protected benefits, including medical, dental, optical, retirement, holiday, personal and vacation days
• Health and safety protections
• Scheduling rights
• Protection against unfair treatment

Learn more about what it means to have a union:

The Right to Negotiate • A Union Contract • Job Security
Member Responsibilities • Contact a Union Organizer