Communications Workers of America Local 4730 records, 1988-2013

Administrative History

In the late 1980s, Indiana University's clerical and technical employees began investigating the possibility of establishing a union in hopes it would help better address salary equity, job security, health insurance, child care, retirement and pensions. The organizing committee thoroughly researched clerical unions and ultimately decided it wanted to bring the Communications Workers of America to the campus.

With backing from many campus support staff, the group watched closely as House Bill 1307 (Collective Bargaining Bill) made it through the state house and senate. The bill, if passed, would grant all public employees the right to collectively bargain and to form and join employee organizations. Regardless of the bill outcome, IU employees had the right to unionize under IU's Conditions of Cooperation, but the bill would nonetheless give IU-CWA additional backing. The bill did not pass, but IU-CWA pushed forward. Organizers on campus continued work to gain the support of the campus, publishing a regular newsletter and hosting brown bag lunches to provide further information on CWA.

In spring 1992, IU-CWA sent a letter to the Board of Trustees informing them it would like to poll support staff to determine whether they would support the right to formally organize the union on campus. The Conditions of Cooperation governing the elections stated that CWA must win the majority of all those eligible to vote rather than winning the majority of the votes cast. Feeling this was both unfair and undemocratic, CWA worked with university Trustees and Human Resources to get the policy altered. It also requested that clericals and technical staff should have separate votes. CWA hired an outside arbitrator to work on its behalf, and this person ruled in the union's favor to hold separate elections for the two groups. In April 1993, the Trustees voted to adopt the recommendation of the arbitrator, but the election policy remained the same. That same month, the American Arbitration Association mailed ballots to all employees eligible to vote. 75% of eligible voters cast votes affirming the union's presence on campus to represent IU's clerical and technical employees, which was enough for approval of a union on campus.