Unions

Authorization Cards and Elections

Understanding Authorization Cards and Elections

When a union seeks to represent employees, organizers often begin by asking employees to sign union authorization cards. To help you make an informed decision, it’s important to understand what authorization cards are and how they may be used if you are approached by a union representative.

What is an authorization card?

A union authorization card is a legally binding document.1 By signing or submitting it, you are authorizing the union to be your exclusive representative to bargain your wages, hours, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment.2

Key considerations about authorization cards

Authorization cards should be reviewed carefully so you understand what you are agreeing to. You have a choice about whether to sign them. No matter what a union organizer says, signing a card is the same as saying that you want to be represented by a union.
Organizing efforts may include follow-up communication using contact information you choose to provide, such as phone, email or in-person outreach.
Some representatives may ask about your role or compensation to better understand workplace conditions.
Auth Card Jul 23, 2026, 12 54 57 PM

How authorization cards may be used

If sufficient employee support is shown, the union may seek recognition as the representative of the proposed bargaining unit.3 If recognition is not granted by the employer, a petition may be filed by the union with the NLRB.4 When applicable legal requirements are met, the NLRB will conduct a confidential election, allowing eligible employees to vote on whether they want union representation.5

Organizing campaigns often focus on desired outcomes and future possibilities. Collective bargaining, however, is a negotiation process in which final results depend on economics, operational realities, legal requirements, bargaining leverage, and negotiated compromises. For that reason, it is important to evaluate both the goals being discussed and the outcomes that are ultimately achieved through the bargaining process. Unions cannot guarantee that they will be able to achieve through negotiations the goals or outcomes they might be promising.

Union election outcomes are determined by the majority of employees who vote. The result applies to the entire bargaining unit and may affect how wages, benefits, scheduling, and other workplace matters are addressed in the future. Because the decision is collective and can have long-term implications, it is important to review the facts, ask questions, and make an informed choice before voting.

1N. L. R. B. v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575, 606 (1969).
229 U.S.C. § 159(a); Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. at 606; N.L.R.B. v. Horizon Air Servs., Inc., 761 F.2d 22, 29 (1st Cir. 1985)
329 U.S.C. § 159(c)(1); see also Nat’l Lab. Rel. Bd., Conduct Elections, https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/what-we-do/conduct-elections (last visited July 1, 2026).
429 U.S.C. § 159(c)(1)
529 U.S.C. § 159(e)(1)