Recruitment conversations can be intimidating for a bunch of reasons. Knowing what to say when a potential member has questions or says they don’t want to join can make all the difference.
Pictured above: The more unionists at a workplace, the safer that workplace is for every worker. The more members we have, the greater our capacity to protect current conditions and fight for the future.
Here, we’ll go through some common reasons we hear from people who say they don’t want to join us and what you can say.
If you’ve had any others – tell us! If we get enough interest, we’ll include them in a future edition of the journal.
In no particular order, here are some of the most common reasons people give for not joining their union and what you can say:
I’d like to join, but I can’t pay the first lot of fees today
That’s okay – you can still join today and defer your first fee payment by up to 10 business days from your join date.
This way, you’ll get all member benefits except journey to work insurance from today. Your journey to work insurance will kick in on the date of your first fee payment.
If you pay your fees by direct debit (via bank account, credit or debit card) you can also choose the payment frequency that best suits you – weekly, fortnightly or monthly. Other payment frequencies will be considered on a case by case basis.
To join up and defer the first fee payment, using a hardcopy membership form, section C: payment method should specify:
- How frequently you want to pay your membership fees
- What day of the week you’d like your fees deducted
- The date you want to start paying membership fees.
Section C: payment method – if you are using a hardcopy USU membership form, this is the section where you specify payment frequency, what day you want your fees withdrawn and the date you want your first payment to be deducted.
Using our online membership form, under the Ways you can pay tab, choose either direct debit or credit card under payment method. You can then choose the date of your first payment.
Ways you can pay is the fourth section of the USU online join form. Choosing Direct Debit or Credit Card payment methods will bring up the First Payment Date dropdown menu, where you can specify the date you want to start paying your membership fees.
Payroll deduction payments are taken out by the member’s employer automatically, before the remaining salary goes into the employee’s bank account.
I’d like to join, but I can’t afford the fees
The USU thinks union membership should be affordable and accessible to every worker and we practice what we preach.
Our membership fees are some of the lowest in New South Wales and we are one of only a few Australian unions that still uses a sliding scale fee structure based on individual member income.
In other words, the less you earn, the less you pay in fees.
Whether you pay our maximum rate or our lowest – as a USU member, you’ll take home more pay every week, all year round and you’ll still be able to claim your union fees as a tax deduction at the end of the financial year.
I’d like to join, but I don’t want a target on my back.
Employers don’t need to know which of their employees are union members and no worker is obligated to provide this information to their employer if asked.
That said, paying fees via payroll deduction does mean the payroll department will need to be told and personnel files may also include this information.
While employers can’t discriminate against employees for being union members, that does not stop some union hostility and anti-union sentiments being expressed in some workplaces.
Union hostility isn’t always obvious or direct – it can be expressed in a lot of different ways – some of which can be hard to prove as discrimination towards union members.
Sometimes, people are just very private and don’t want their employer to know anything more about them besides what they are legally obligated to tell them.
In any case – if a potential member is hesitant to join because of workplace anti-union sentiment, here are some options you can suggest:
Pay member fees via direct debit instead of payroll deduction. Paying via direct debit or credit card stops your employer knowing your union membership status. If they do ask – you are not obligated to answer. If an employer says you are legally required to tell them – they are lying.
Confidential or silent union membership. Confidential union members have the exact same member benefits as any other USU member. The only difference is their identity is protected and hidden from the employer.
Supply only personal contact details to the union. In other words, give the union a non-work email address that you check regularly and easily. Similarly, if you have a work issued mobile phone and a personal one – give the union your personal mobile number only.
Recruiting union members is about building a unified workplace. The more union members at your employer or workplace, the greater our strength and the better our chances of protecting employment conditions hard won by past union members and bringing positive changes.
Cartoon by Barry Deutsch, July 2016.
The relationship between you and your employer is not one of equals but being in a union fixes the imbalance
