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Washington statewide organizing initiative

WESPA

Representation Checkup

How well is your union working?

Use facts you can see to evaluate access, representation, bargaining, democracy, finances, and results.

Your answers stay private. Your selections are processed only on this page. They are not submitted or saved by this checkup.

Look for evidence

Evaluate the organization, not one isolated experience.

Use the last 12 months, or the most recent bargaining cycle when a question concerns negotiations. Choose I don’t know when the information is not available to you.

What the result means. This checkup looks for visible accountability practices. An answer of I don’t know does not prove wrongdoing, but repeated unknown answers may show that important information is not available to employees or members.

Access and presence

Can employees reach the union?

Basic information and help should be easy to find for every worksite, shift, and job group.

01Can employees easily find current contact information for union representatives?

Names, roles, email addresses, phone numbers, or another reliable contact method should be current and easy to locate.

02Does the union explain how to request help and what response to expect?

Employees should know where to start, what information to provide, and when someone should acknowledge the request.

03Can employees on different shifts and in different job groups obtain representation?

Access should not depend on working at a particular building, during office hours, or in a better-connected job group.

Representation and enforcement

Does the union use a dependable process?

A responsible system tracks requests, deadlines, decisions, and outcomes without exposing private employee information.

04Does the union track requests, grievances, deadlines, and outcomes?

A reliable system should show who is responsible, what happened, what comes next, and when action is due.

05Are important representation decisions and reasons provided in writing?

Employees should be able to understand why a matter was advanced, settled, withdrawn, closed, or not taken to arbitration.

06Does the union publish anonymous yearly information about representation work?

Useful information may include matters opened, resolved, pending, settled, or arbitrated and how long they took. Raw arbitration totals alone do not show effectiveness.

Bargaining and member voice

Do members shape bargaining decisions?

Bargaining should begin with member priorities and end with an informed vote on the proposed agreement.

07Are members asked to identify priorities before bargaining begins?

A survey, meeting, worksite discussion, or another accessible process should gather concerns across job groups.

08Do members receive clear bargaining updates before major decisions?

Updates should explain important proposals, unresolved issues, and choices without revealing confidential strategy.

09Do members vote on the proposed collective bargaining agreement?

Members should receive enough understandable information and time to make an informed ratification decision.

Democracy and accountability

Can members control the organization?

Members need meaningful ways to choose leaders, participate, question decisions, and seek review.

10Are elections, nominations, meetings, and important votes announced in time to participate?

Notices should reach members working different schedules and explain when, where, and how participation occurs.

11Can members question leaders, appeal decisions, and support other candidates without punishment?

Disagreement should not cause threats, retaliation, exclusion from representation, or loss of access to information.

12Can members find the constitution, bylaws, election results, and important meeting decisions?

The rules and major decisions governing the organization should be available in a usable form.

Financial transparency

Can members understand how dues are used?

Members should receive enough financial information to evaluate priorities, spending, compensation, and safeguards.

13Does the union provide members with an understandable annual budget and financial report?

The information should show major income, expenses, reserves, and how dues support representation and other activities.

14Are officer compensation, significant payments, and conflicts of interest disclosed to members?

Members should be able to identify who receives union money and what safeguards protect organizational funds.

Capacity, inclusion, and results

Is the union built to serve the whole unit?

A union needs trained people, inclusive access, and an honest record of achievements and unresolved problems.

15Are trained representatives available across job groups, worksites, and shifts?

Training, backup coverage, language access, and accessible ways to participate help prevent employees from being left out.

16Does the union report what it achieved, what remains unresolved, and what it plans to improve?

A useful annual report should discuss contract gains, employer compliance, participation, training, and problems that still need work.

You have answered 0 of 16 questions. Answer all 16 questions to see your result.

A current workplace problem

Do you need to check how one matter was handled?

The organizational checkup above measures the union as a whole. Use this optional second checkup only if you currently have a complaint, grievance, discipline issue, or other representation matter.

Open the individual representation checkup

Think about one workplace problem.

Answer based on what the union actually did. Choose Not sure when information was not provided.

01Did the union acknowledge your request for help?

For example, did someone confirm that your email, complaint, or grievance was received?

02Do you know who is responsible for helping you?

You should know whom to contact for an update or question.

03Do you know the current status and next step?

A clear update should explain what has happened and what is expected next.

04Were important deadlines identified?

This may include a CBA grievance deadline, internal appeal deadline, or agency filing deadline.

05Did the representative review the information you provided?

Consider whether documents, messages, witnesses, and your explanation were meaningfully considered.

06Was the relevant contract language or rule explained?

You should be able to understand what standard was used to evaluate the problem.

07Were important decisions provided in writing?

A written decision helps you understand the reason, preserve the record, and evaluate the next step.

08If the matter stopped, were you told why?

This includes a complaint or grievance that was closed, withdrawn, settled, or not advanced.

09Were you told how to request review or reconsideration?

If no review process exists, you should at least receive a clear answer explaining that.

10Could you ask questions or disagree without threats or punishment?

Employees should be able to raise good-faith concerns about representation without coercion or retaliation.

You have answered 0 of 10 questions. Answer all 10 questions to see your result.