Legal Definitions - Globe election

A Globe election is a specific type of vote in labor law that allows a particular group of employees to decide how they want to be represented by a union. This procedure gives them the choice to either form their own separate bargaining unit, distinct from other employees, or to become part of an already existing, larger group of unionized employees within the same company. It's essentially a "self-determination" vote for a specific employee subgroup regarding their union representation structure.

Here are some examples to illustrate how a Globe election works:

• Example 1: New Department Integration

  Imagine a large manufacturing company where the production line workers are represented by a union. The company then opens a new, highly automated robotics department. The employees in this new department, who have specialized technical skills, might be offered a Globe election. They would vote to decide if they want to form their own distinct union bargaining unit, separate from the production line workers, or if they prefer to be included within the existing production workers' union.

  This example illustrates the choice between forming a distinct group (the robotics department's own unit) or joining a larger, existing unit (the production line workers' union).

• Example 2: Specialized Professionals within a Broader Group

  Consider a school district where all teachers are part of a single, large teachers' union. However, the school psychologists, a small group of highly specialized professionals, feel their unique concerns regarding caseloads, ethical guidelines, and professional development are not adequately addressed by the general teachers' union. They could petition for a Globe election to determine if they should break off and form their own specific bargaining unit for school psychologists, or remain part of the broader teachers' union.

  Here, the school psychologists are deciding if they want to be represented as a distinct group with specific interests or continue as part of the larger, existing unit of all teachers.

• Example 3: Acquired Company Employees

  A national chain of grocery stores, whose employees are largely unionized, acquires a smaller, regional chain of specialty food markets where employees are not unionized. The employees of the newly acquired specialty markets might be given a Globe election. They would vote on whether to establish their own new, separate union bargaining unit tailored to their specific market environment, or to integrate into the existing national union that represents the employees of the larger grocery store chain.

  This scenario presents the choice for the acquired employees: become a distinct group with their own union or join the larger, existing unit of the acquiring company's union.