Members-only unionism allows members and organizers to operate under the radar of management, especially in regions rife with anti-union sentiment.
A disadvantage of this model is that businesses may not recognize a minority union as a collective bargaining agent for employees who are members.
Strikes and pickets are likely not possible for minority unions, meaning that answers to grievances filed by members rely entirely upon the discretion and timing of management.
Marvit and Schriever wrote about the history of members-only unions in the United States, and how the model fell into near-obscurity after the passage of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935.
[3] This prompted anti-UAW workers who opposed the first vote to form a rival union, the American Council of Employees.