Union Terminology

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Hiring Hall:

The process of the union dispatching workers to employers as needed. A hiring hall may be operated by a union alone or by an employer and union jointly. Hiring halls are monitored by the government to help prevent favoritism.

Homework:

Work by workers who produce goods for an employer in their home, from materials furnished directly or indirectly by the employer.

Hot Cargo Clauses:

Clauses in union contracts permitting employees to refuse to handle or work on goods shipped from a struck plant or to perform services benefitting an employer listed on a union unfair list. Most hot cargo clauses were made illegal by the Taft-Hartley Act, but there are some exceptions.

Housevisits, Homecalls, and Housecalls:

Terms used to describe visits by union staff, volunteers, or organizing committee to the homes of workers they are attempting to organize. Such visits give organizers an opportunity to discuss the union and answer questions of unorganized workers in a relaxed and secure atmosphere.