Can All Unionized Printers Print The Union Label?
Can a Printer Print on Preprinted Union Label Letterhead? What If A Printer Uses A Label That Looks Like A Union Label, But It Is Not? Jim Kyger has answers! by: Jim Kyger at PIA/GATF Printing Union Labels—Dos and Don’ts Can A Nonunion Printer Print The Union Label? No! The unions control the label or “bug” and they have full rights to it. According to PIA/GATF HR Director, Jim Kyger, “Using the union label means that all operations in the production of the goods bearing the label were made by a specific union or several unions affiliated with a trade council such as the Allied Printing Trades Council. This goes from pre-press through post-press. It is quite clear that unions have the legal right to control both who can use its label and the circumstances under which the label can be used. A printer who manipulated, printed or bound the union label without authorization can be liable and be forced to pay damages of triple profits and possibly attorney’s fees.” If a customer requests th
No. Only those unionized printers with a union label authorization agreement may print the union label. Typically these authorizations are separate from a union contract. Plus, if a printer is only partially unionized (for example press room only), it can be difficult for this type of shop to obtain a union label authorization because, unless authorized by the union, the prepress and post-press departments must be unionized in order to work on such a job. The union will go after a union shop for using a union label when no authorization has been given or when it has been revoked. In these cases, the union is within its rights to enforce its union label ownership. In only a few cases have the unions agreed to let a nonunion department (e.g., bindery) work on a union label job. This usually happens when a unionized bindery is not available in the immediate area. Can a Printer Print on Preprinted Union Label Letterhead? The union label issue also affects quick printers. It is okay to work
