WHAT IS OCAW?
            The Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International
       Union is an organization representing more than 80,000
       men and women. Although OCAW was originally founded to
       represent oil and chemical workers, the union has grown
       to include workers in a wide range of energy, chemical,
       pharmaceutical, and allied industries.
       
       WHAT DOES OCAW DO?      
            Through the collective bargaining process, OCAW
       members negotiate agreements with their employers which
       govern wages, benefits, and working conditions. On a
       daily basis inside the plant, OCAW members strive to
       resolve on-the-job problems, including protecting members
       against unfair discharges or demotions, employer
       harassment, and other forms of discrimination or
       management abuse. OCAW members also address promotion and
       seniority rights and respond to such workplace concerns
       as health and safety. In the community, OCAW members work
       to improve local, state, and federal laws, including
       OSHA, and to further the interests of working people in
       general. OCAW members are also actively involved in
       organizing unorganized workers to provide them the
       protection of a union contract. 
       
       WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF OCAW?
            Every member of OCAW belongs to a local. Each local
       is part of a district. OCAW has eight districts which are
       contained within four geographic regions. The regions are
       headed by a Director and staffed by OCAW International
       Representatives, whose job is to work with locals to help
       them with problems, to train and develop local
       leadership, and to help them in negotiations with
       employers. All Directors and International
       Representatives are appointed by the International Union
       President. 
            The union is headquartered in Lakewood, Colorado,
       with four regional offices. The International Union
       provides resources for OCAW members through their local
       union, including legal, health and safety, organizing,
       research and education, communications, special projects,
       and legislative and political. 
       
       IS OCAW AFFILIATED WITH OTHER LABOR ORGANIZATIONS?
            OCAW is affiliated with the 13 million member
       AFL-CIO, which represents labor unions before Congress
       and provides support in organizing, research, collective
       bargaining, and legal counseling. Local unions may
       affiliate with AFL-CIO federations on the local and state
       levels. OCAW also belongs to an international federation
       of trade unions which represent workers in other
       countries who work for our same employers or industries. 
       
       UNION LEADERSHIP
            The President of OCAW is the chief administrative
       officer of the union. The President is responsible for
       executing the policies established by convention
       delegates and the International Executive Board, and for
       directing all other activities of the International
       Union. 
            In addition to the President, the other
       International officers are a Secretary-Treasurer and two
       Vice Presidents. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible
       for the finances and records of the International Union.
       The Vice Presidents carry out assignments as directed by
       the President, which may include collective bargaining
       programs, organizing, political action and international
       labor affairs.
       
       ELECTION OF OFFICERS
            International officers are elected by convention 
       delegates every three years. Any OCAW member may run for 
       International office.
       
       MEMBER RIGHTS
            As a member, you have the right to attend
       meetings, to vote on all motions, to vote in all
       elections, and to vote on any changes you might want
       according to the by-laws of your local union and the
       Constitution of OCAW. You have the right to run for local
       and national office and to become a delegate to OCAW
       conventions. All OCAW members have equal status under the
       International Constitution and local by-laws. 
       
       ROLE OF LOCAL
            Under the OCAW International Constitution, most
       powers and decisions are left to the local union. Each
       local union establishes and adopts its own by-laws which
       govern its actions. Local union by-laws determine
       membership requirements, election and referendum
       procedures, meeting requirements, dues, steward system
       operations, duties of local officers, and any other rules
       needed to establish and maintain a democratic union. All
       local officers, including the president, executive board,
       the negotiating committee, and the shop steward are voted
       upon by the membership of the local. Local union meetings
       are usually held once a month and are open to all
       members. 
       
       DISTRICT COUNCILS
            OCAW locals may belong to district councils which
       are made up of the locals in a particular geographic
       region. The district councils may meet two to three times
       per year to provide training and information and set
       policy and plans for the district. Each local union sends
       delegates. Each district elects officers and an executive
       board to provide leadership for the district. 
            OCAW members who work for the same employer or same
       industry have joined together to form company and
       industry councils. The purpose of these councils is to
       coordinate bargaining and activities and to provide
       education, information, and solidarity among workers at
       the various locations. Company and industry councils also
       elect officers and executive boards to lead the work of
       the councils.
       
       NATIONAL POLICY
            OCAW is ruled by its International Convention,
       held every three years. Each OCAW local sends delegates
       to the Convention who have been elected by secret ballot
       by the members of their locals. At the Convention,
       delegates vote on changes to the International
       Constitution and Resolutions submitted by OCAW members,
       and set policy for the union for the coming three years. 
       
       BETWEEN CONVENTIONS
            Between conventions, the International's highest
       authority is the International union rank-and-file board.
       OCAW's Executive Board is called a rank-and-file board
       because no person on the payroll of the International
       union may be elected to that position. In other words,
       OCAW Executive Board members retain their jobs within
       their plants. One board member from each district is
       elected by the members of their district during
       convention. 
            OCAW's International officers meet with the
       Executive Board but they have not vote. The actions of
       the union officers are limited by the Constitution and
       are subject to review and reversal by the Executive
       Board. These facts distinguish OCAW as a particularly
       democratic organization within the labor movement. 
       
       CONTRACT NEGOTIATION
            A union contract is an agreement which sets the
       terms and conditions upon which the union members and the
       employer agree to cooperate for a designated period of
       time. Contracts are negotiated by local union negotiating
       committees which are elected by the members of the local.
       These committees are normally comprised of local officers
       and members and are assisted by International
       Representatives who can provide professional guidance,
       statistics, and if necessary, obtain legal advice.
            Individual members may submit contract proposals
       dealing with their particular concerns to their local
       bargaining committees. These proposals are then voted on
       and may be presented to management. 
       
       FINAL CONTRACT
            After the bargaining process has ended and a final
       contract offer from the employer has been obtained, the
       members who are directly involved vote on the contract.
       This is called ratification of the contract and means
       that union members have the final say on the contract
       before it is "signed, sealed and delivered." A contract
       can only be approved if it is supported by a majority of
       those voting. 
       
       BARGAINING JOINTLY
            In some industries, members have established a
       national bargaining policy and set up a National
       Bargaining Policy Committee. This committee is made up of
       the International union officers and one rank-and-file
       union member elected by each affected district. National
       Bargaining Policy Committees do not negotiate with
       employers. Rather, they review proposals and develop a
       bargaining policy. In the case of the oil industry, OCAW
       members hold a conference prior to the common expiration
       date of the contracts where they send delegates to vote
       on bargaining policy for the coming round of
       negotiations. Within oil, the policy is mandatory upon
       ratification by affected units. This means that the
       demands and ultimately the settlement will be uniform
       across the nation even though the negotiations take place
       at 200 separate negotiating tables. OCAW members in the
       atomic and chemical industries also have national policy
       but it is not mandatory. 
       
       CALLING A STRIKE?
            Union members who are directly affected by the
       negotiations are the only ones who can decide whether or
       not to exercise their right to strike. These local
       members vote by secret ballot to authorize a strike. The
       strike vote must be approved by 75 percent of the voting
       membership under the contract to be authorized by the
       International union to receive strike benefits. 
       
       ON THE JOB
            If you have a complaint against your employer, which
       is called a grievance, you would first talk to your union
       steward. The steward, your on-the-job union
       representative who has been trained in how to deal with
       the company in such instances, will review the facts and
       determine if the employer has violated the contract. If
       so, the steward will try to reach a settlement with your
       supervisor. If this effort fails, the grievance may then
       be passed on to the appropriate local officers who will
       approach management on your behalf. If this meeting does
       not result in a satisfactory solution, the grievance may
       then be forwarded to your OCAW staff representative for
       attempted settlement with management. Should all of these
       efforts fail, the local union membership will decide
       whether to submit the grievance to an impartial party
       called an arbitrator. 
            Besides this formal process, many union member
       prefer to seek the support of the local in mobilizing the
       membership to engage in on-the-job actions to put
       pressure on the company to solve the problem. 
       
       UNION DUES
            OCAW's dues are two hours of pay per month, an
       amount which has been voted upon by the members of OCAW
       through convention action. Union dues are paid to the
       local union. Half of these dues remain with the local for
       local union operations and activities, and half of these
       dues go to the International union to finance its
       operations, including negotiating and organizing. 
       
       USES OF DUES
            OCAW members' dues pay for all the union's operating
       costs, including assisting local unions in contract
       negotiations, handling arbitration cases, organizing,
       legal fees, research, public relations, lobbying,
       legislative activities, training of officers, stewards
       and staff members, health and safety, and other support
       services, such as the union's bimonthly newspaper which
       is mailed to all members. A portion of the
       International's share of the dues goes into the OCAW
       Defense Fund, which was created by convention delegates
       for union members' needs in the event of a strike. 
       
       POLITICAL ACTION
            OCAW members are active and vocal in the legislative
       and political arenas on both a national and local level.
       OCAW members and leaders believe that strengthening the
       political climate in favor of working people strengthens
       the labor movement.
       
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                         Organizing Unionism
       
            We are workers of every age, sex, and race who have
       joined together in an effort to uphold and improve our
       standard of living and achieve dignity and a voice on the
       job.
       
            We commit ourselves to helping unorganized workers
       to organize themselves. This brings them the benefits of
       unionization and improves our own conditions as well by
       increasing our bargaining power. Union organization is
       the best hope workers have to deal with a global economy
       driven by the pursuit of profit. The insecurities of
       temporary, casual, and contract work, employer
       manipulation programs, and limited opportunity jobs can
       be addressed through worker unity in the workplace and
       world community.
       
            We stand united in opposition to injustice,
       discrimination, oppression, ignorance, and inherent
       abuses of corporate power. We are committed to solidarity
       and collective action, social and economic justice for
       all working people. We join with others of like spirit to
       work for social justice, health and safety, a clean
       environment, human rights, and solidarity of all workers
       as we oppose exploitation around the world. We believe it
       is by raising our standards that we raise the standards
       of all workers, and it is by helping them raise their
       standards that we raise our own. We seek to form
       coalitions and build a political movement that represents
       the interests of working people everywhere.