A Union, State Unit 12, is nothing more than the employees themselves, people joined together for a common cause and for common interests. As with any organization, people join together to have strength. More strength than they can ever achieve alone. State Unit 12 has only one reason for existence, to protect and advance individual and collective rights in Wages, Benefits, Hours of Work, and Working Conditions, those matters involved solely with the workplace and its effects on the employee and their families.

The collective dues paid by all the employee members provides the means to have the finest legal, financial, political advocacy, and daily representation needed and required to protect, advance, and preserve the rights attained.

Fair Share Payers are not Members

There may be a number of workers within the Unit who pay a fee called “fair share” and erroneously believe they are members of the Union. “Fair share” is a fee for certain services the Union is required by law to provide to both Union members and non-union members alike. The “fair share” is the amount charged to the non-member to defray the costs of those services required. “Fair-share” fee payment does not constitute Union membership.

State Management continuously monitors and informs us of the number of employees eligible to be members and the total number who are members. They measure the strength of the Union, in everything they do, on what these numbers show. The more dues paying members, the more employees are united. That “there is strength in numbers” is something the State Management fully understands and reacts to.

We want and need YOU as a UNION member, we need your name added to the strength we have. The benefits are many, some of the specifics are:

Job Protection

As a member you have the full representation power of the Union to protect and defend you in any discipline, grievance, arbitration or other matter that may occur in the workplace; by Union policy non-members are not given representation in any matter other than grievances. Hiring a private attorney to represent you - in the simplest of matters - will always cost a minimum of $1,500 to $2,000. In complicated cases, attorney fees can run to $10,000 or more per case

Membership Life and Accidental Death & Disability Insurance

As a member you will have an automatic $3,000 Life Insurance plus an additional $3,000 Accidental Death or Disability Insurance Policy at no cost to you in the event of your death or serious Accident. Non-members are not eligible for this benefit.

Lawyer Referral Service

For non-work related legal problems, as a member you have full access to the Union Lawyer Referral Services- a panel of private attorneys provide a free half-hour consultation and minor letter writing, if necessary, and, if you proceed or need defense in the legal action, the attorneys charge at a considerable reduced hourly or fee rate in your representation.

Only Members Have a Right to Vote

Only members can attend union meetings; vote on Local union officers, vote on how the Union should be run, vote on what it should be trying to accomplish, vote on what it shouldn’t be doing.

Only members can offer proposals for negotiations for new contracts. Only members can vote on the ratification of any new contract. Only members have a say, a vote on what is happening to you in your workplace, on your salaries, on your working conditions, on your benefits. As a non-member you don’t have any of these rights.

Union Leadership

As a member you qualify for election or appointment as a Steward if you want to become actively engaged in the Unit activities. As a member you qualify for appointment on the Unit wide negotiating team, the unit wide or departmental safety committees, the Unit wide or departmental joint management-labor committees, the Unit wide or departmental Apprenticeship committees, on any committee that is formed or activated. As a non-member you can’t.

Credit Union

As a member you are eligible for IUOE Credit Union membership with assets in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Checking, Savings, Visa cards, auto, boat, motorcycle, recreational vehicles, motor homes, trailers, mobile home loans, home and personal loans, first mortgages on homes, all at the UNION interest rates, the lowest to be found anywhere.

Educational Reimbursement

As a member you are eligible for reimbursement for tuition and books costs for classes you take which are for the purpose of improving your job skills or your job advancement. Annually, your children are eligible to apply for college scholarships that are awarded by the Locals. As a non-member you are not.

The Most Important

As a member you have the right to participate in and vote on all of the matters that affect you and your family in your work place. It is an important right, certainly, we feel it the most important.

Discount Packets

We have partnered with www.wildatwork.com to offer discount packets to Unit 12 members. When you sign up as a new user, the company name is IUOE State Unit 12 Central Office. Please use the zip code of 95814 as that is the company zip code.  To download a "Wild at Work" coupon book click here.

Join Us - Membership Application

If you are not a member, we urge you to become one. It’s a simple application. You may download the application in pdf format by clicking here.

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Please complete the application and return it by mail or FAX to any of the Local’s Servicing Offices, or, the Central Office.