Just try the union. If you don’t like it, you can simply decertify. At least, that’s what the union will tell you. Only, it isn’t that simple. Once you join, you can’t just walk away. First of all, getting that initial contract can take months or even years. And you can’t file for decertification for at least ONE FULL YEAR after the first contract has been approved. Then, as a union member, YOU have to pay all the legal costs associated with decertifying. (And it isn’t cheap.) The company CANNOT legally do anything to help you with the costs you incur trying to get the union out. In one recent year alone, the Teamsters were involved with 178 decertification petitions. That means the members of 178 different Teamster represented companies were willing to PAY MONEY OUT out of THEIR OWN POCKETS to kick the union out.
