What is an authorization card?

Union authorization cards-if obtained from a majority of employees without misrepresentations or coercion-are generally reliable enough to provide the union with a way to show majority status and to support an order to bargain. An employer whose conduct is free from unfair labor practices may refuse to recognize the union and properly insist upon a Board-conducted election. The employer is not required to have a good faith doubt of the union's majority status.

An unambiguous union authorization card will be counted towards a union's majority status, unless it can be shown that the employee was told that the card was to be used solely for the purposes of obtaining an election. An unambiguous authorization card is one that states on its face that the signer authorizes the union to represent employees for collective bargaining purposes and not to seek an election.

Dues checkoff cards. Dues checkoff cards authorizing a union to deduct from employee wages initiation fees, membership fees and other union assessments have the same effect as authorization cards for the purpose of indicating a desire for union representation. An employee who signs a check-off card clearly shows a desire to have the union in whose favor the check-off is authorized negotiate a contract with the employer as the collective bargaining representative.

Multiple authorization cards. What if an employee signs authorization cards for more than one union? Absent proof of intent, when an employee signs authorization cards for two unions, neither card will be considered valid.