Question Of The Week, 5/7/06
Good morning. I got all ready to ask this weeks question and then changed my mind. This one will be short and simple. This weeks Question Of The Week is. Would you rather work in a union or a non-union shop? Are you currently a member of a Labor Union? I'll post my answer in the Comment Section Monday night.
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
posted by David Schantz | 1:26 AM
9 Comments:
I have belonged to a union exactly once in my life..and it saved my job when the hotel I worked for tried to can me.But, that said, the power of the unions has dwindled with the union-busting tactics of business's in the last 10 years. A good example is the Grocery Workers Union in California. They tried to hold out, they went out on strike and ended up losing benefits for the new hires that came after the contract was signed. The folks already part of the union got to keep their bene's..the new guys are getting hosed up the wazoo..so how did the union help there? They didnt...they sold out the new employees to keep the old ones happy.
It depends on which union. I for one have never had a union job. Having some inside information on the Grocerty Workers strike, the stores were not going to give. The prospect of Wal-Mart coming into grocery makes it impossible to gaurantee future benefits. They held out an awfully long time (about 6 months I think, or longer), but gave in when they finally got the benefits for the people who have worked there their whole lives. Surly, those people have to be given priority over the new hires.
But your point is well made. The unions are losing their power, and this strike is not a bad example.
Unions are a mixed blessing. But for non-professional jobs, at least, I'd rather belong to a union than not.
I worked for an air freight forwarder for 12 years as a teamster. I would not have lasted that long without the union.
I currently work writing computer software manuals. No company I worked for in 18 years had a union for the writers or engineers. Didn't need one - the relationship between workers and managers has been a pretty good one.
But I think that's starting to change. There's a lot of consolidation in the computer industry as it matures. More bureaucracy and rigidity that seem to go hand-in-hand with larger companies. The old us-against-them attitude that was so evident back in my air freight days is starting to pop up here and there. I wouldn't be surprised to see unions creeping in.
I am self-employed and am not a member of any labor union.
When I worked for the county school-system (1972-1978), I declined to join the union because of the political slant. I also never wanted to be part of a walk-out or work-to-the-rule action because I don't believe that public employees should have that option.
My husband works for a small shop, without any union. As a result, there is no leverage for pay raises, and the company pays at the subsistence level. My husband would change jobs, except that he has some serious heatlh issues which prevent him from working his original career (auto mechanic or auto service manager).
My father (1911-1998, retired 1974)) was a union member and felt that unions were "both good and bad." Early on in his career, the union really helped the workers, but later it became corrupt and politically involved.
So, I have mixed feelings on Would you rather work in a union or a non-union shop?
It depends on the situation. When I was young, I did manual labor and belonged to a union and my experience with it was postitive. Now I work in "Information Systems", a "white collar job". My issue with unions is coerced membership. It should be MY decision as to join or not. But I'm probably just being cranky at 6 in the morning and suffering a lack of coffee.
Most of my life I have been anti-union, but when I worked as a teacher in Dade County, I joined the teachers union. I think Praguetwin was correct when he said "it depends on which union".
I want to thank everyone for stopping by to answer this weeks question. Yes, I am a union member. I would rather work in a union shop, they can protect the common man (you and I) from management. That does not mean I support the union 100%. I hate the idea of part of my dues being donated to a political campaign. I can't remember a time that the union has supported a candidate that I would vote for. Your local is only as good as the people you elect to represent you. Kind of like the world of politics. Some could see it as a chance to score points with management. Get yourself elected as a union rep. then persuade the members to except a bad contract. Thats sure to get managements attention. Would anyone do that? Like I said, "Kind of like the world of politics." I'm pretty sure some of you have supported a political candidate thinking that if they got elected they would work to solve a problem you were concerned about and then found out they were worse than the problem you elected them to solve. Yes, unions can be a good thing but it's up to the membership to choose it's representatives wisely. "Kind of like the world of politics."
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
In this town... I'd definitely go with non-union. Too bad I don't have that choice.
Yes i joined in the Union. Because in my previous job i fired for no reason because i'm not joining in some Union. But now... i secured my job.
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