Your thoughts on Unions

[mco65]

Was in the teamsters long ago. I never needed them but a very good friend of mine would have been fired and let go at a young age had it not been for the teamsters... So they have their benefits but honestly, i am grateful to be working in a field that does not have nor need a Union.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Are you in one ?

yes, and will be for another 2 weeks, that will make 36 years.

Im all over the place with Unions, they sometimes are crazy, wont let a company operate right to make money and force them to promote bad employees and keep them on pay roll.

on the other hand, company's with out restrictions, fire employees when they get sick, old or dont even kiss there but right. And force you to work over time with out proper compensation

I think America and the Unions have it right, its like a pengalaman that swings back and forth, when Unions get to much power, it swings back to the company's

My husband belongs to two, was in Teamsters, now UAWA, my father and brother were in IBEW, my dad being a delegate, my mother was in CWA. All of them have nice pensions or pensions coming as in my husband's case, have had job security, got paid very well, great benefits, etc. My husband had a choice of working literally a 3 minute drive from our home to a job without one or driving an hour into the City and chose the City bc of worry about job security at the other not being union. It's not true that you can't get fired from a union job, that's baloney. Seen many people fired over the years from my husband's job. Yes, you aren't fired at every stupid whim because there may be a hearing type thing but it happens all the time. I wish I were in one and I'll leave it at that. Having protections for workers is a good thing. Ok maybe not all perfect but Unions are a good thing as long as they have strength. People that state "they used to need them but now they cause more harm than good" are usually in states or places that do not support them, Right to Work states where they are weaker, they also do not belong to one themselves or have a "weak" union. States that have them usually have overall higher standards of living. There are many things going on now that weaken unions. I can't get political bc I'll get points so I'll leave it at that.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

I am not in a union but I am very pro-union. My husband is in one (he is in the electrical trade) and thank god for it or he'd probably be making $12 with no benefits. His union is pretty good, not greedy, and very practically. They have done a lot to ensure that their electricians are very well trained and certified and they protect the members from being taken advantage of by contractors and businesses who want to the most for the cheapest amount possible.

Honestly, I believe the breakdown of the unions over time has done nothing but sabotage everyone's wages, union or not. I know that some of them were not run well and were corrupt so I'm not blind to that.

Yes. Both my father and my brother were in IBEW International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. My brother is out after a heart attack even at his younger age of 50, and is living well. As is my 91 year old dad. My dad was a delegate in that union fighting for worker's rights. Like you said above, the unions set the stage lift wages for other workers also non union.

 

[Mermaid02]

My ex was in a union and served on their board. It wasn't too long after he got on the board that he became disillusioned with the union, he never talked specifics with me, but he said they really weren't in it for the workers.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Which side are you on, boys?

 

[tvguy]

A good union is good.

A bad union......or more correctly, a lazy one, is bad.

My wife was on her negotiating team for a couple of contracts, and the most difficult part was NOT getting the company to agree to the changes they wanted, it was getting the union to agree to ask for those changes.

 

[bdcp]

My grandfather was in a union. He worked on the railroad. It did him no real good especially after the railroad pension fund went belly up just about the time he retired.

I also think unions need to stay out of politics. We met two couples on a cruise a few years ago who said they voted (national elections) the way the union told them to. Really? No mind of your own? Unions are in it for the Union leadership and I find a lot of the time that the union members don't agree with the union leadership political stances.

We live in a right to work state and that works very well. Projects here get done quickly because of that.

 

[ronandannette]

I am not in a union but I am very pro-union. My husband is in one (he is in the electrical trade) and thank god for it or he'd probably be making $12/hour with no benefits. His union is pretty good, not greedy, and very practical. They have done a lot to ensure that their electricians are very well trained and certified and they protect the members from being taken advantage of by contractors and businesses who want to the most for the cheapest amount possible.

Honestly, I believe the breakdown of the unions over time has done nothing but sabotage everyone's wages, union or not. I know that some of them were not run well and were corrupt so I'm not blind to that.

I’ve worked in residential construction for 30 years in a place where our labor is provided by small, non-union contractors. Commercial, industrial and any public-sector projects are all done by large union shops. Nobody in residential hires union - nobody.

The tradesmen we contract could easily join the unions if they found it beneficial - clearly they don’t. Our region has been in an economic recession for going on 3 years now and times are hard. Most large-scale projects have stalled and thousands of tradesmen languish without work. The flexibility of non-union companies and workers to adjust their prices into line with market demands have kept hundreds of them working for my company alone, which they wouldn’t have been if the union arbitrarily set the rates.

FTR, although the actual wages paid are determined by our contractors and not my company, a master electrician (non-union) in this current market makes between $70,000 -$90,000 if they work steady all year. It is common for them to be on salary instead of employed hourly and to be on staff rather than piece-work. Site-labourers sweeping floors make more than $12.00/hr - the provincial minimum is $15.00 for all types of work and with public health care and mandated work hours and conditions, they are not exploited.

 

[Marchand63]

I hate that certain unions ( I'm thinking teachers union here for one) tell you who to vote for.

Really?!?! My union may endorse a candidate. does't mean I am voting for them.

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Unions let you know which candidates support them and their causes. I would think this is good to know if this is of importance to you so you can make intelligent decisions and factor this in bf deciding who you support.

 

[dotfurio]

Just because a union endorses certain candidates doesn’t mean you have to vote for them. There are plenty of candidate endorsements by individuals and organizations other than unions.

In my union you can choose not to have your dues used for political purposes so anyone who is offended at the political aspect but still wants to support the union and benefits it provides them can do so without getting into the politics.

 

[Christine]

I’ve worked in residential construction for 30 years in a place where our labor is provided by small, non-union contractors. Commercial, industrial and any public-sector projects are all done by large union shops. Nobody in residential hires union - nobody.

The tradesmen we contract could easily join the unions if they found it beneficial - clearly they don’t. Our region has been in an economic recession for going on 3 years now and times are hard. Most large-scale projects have stalled and thousands of tradesmen languish without work. The flexibility of non-union companies and workers to adjust their prices into line with market demands have kept hundreds of them working for my company alone, which they wouldn’t have been if the union arbitrarily set the rates.

FTR, although the actual wages paid are determined by our contractors and not my company, a master electrician (non-union) in this current market makes between $70,000 -$90,000 if they work steady all year. It is common for them to be on salary instead of employed hourly and to be on staff rather than piece-work. Site-labourers sweeping floors make more than $12.00/hr - the provincial minimum is $15.00 for all types of work and with public health care and mandated work hours and conditions, they are not exploited.

Sounds similar to where I live. Non-union workers do all the residential work. Commercial work is mainly done by union electricians but not always. The union electricians require 5 years of trade school (all done while you are apprenticing). Union electricians here typically make about $100,000 if the work all year.

 

[nkereina]

As an outsider who does not belong to a union, I see the pros and cons, but I think its also union-specific too. The good unions seem few and far between while the bad unions are the ones I hear about most. My mother-in-law belongs to a union at the school she works at and its been years since they've had a contract which means no raises, and the last contract they had was awful with vacation time and other requirements. She does nothing but complain about it.

I think most trade unions get it right. Would actually love to see the entire trucking industry unionized as I believe “pay by the mile” is a huge contributor to highway safety issues. Have a real problem with a couple of big ones that shall remain nameless.

I agree on the trade unions. My father-in-law is in an elected position in his trade union and they seem to reap the benefits. My BIL also works for the same union and while he gets paid well, he gets zero vacation time and there is mandatory OT so its a catch 22 for him. As for the trucking industry, my uncle drove tractor trailer for the teamsters and lost over 1/3 of his pension and retirement healthcare. My dad was a non-union tractor trailer driver for a similar size company and luckily is still enjoying those benefits.

Lots of pros and cons, good unions and bad unions. No right or wrong answers.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I think they were absolutely critical at one point, and now quite often (not always) do more harm than good.

And to quote Forrest Gump: That's all I have to say about that.

I definitely agree!

I didn't benefit from the union I was forced into, they spent a lot of time basically threatening the day-to-day livelihood of the workers, and we had no say in any matter. We could express our concern to the representative but they very rarely acted on that concern or brought it to the table. We have a Labour Board now, and employment lawyers, there should be no need for unions anymore.

 

[soccerdad72]

IMO, they serve a purpose and they have their advantages. However, my frustration (as a manager) with them is that 1.) certain jobs in my area should not be part of the union, but they are and 2.) some of the rules of our unions make no sense whatsoever.

 

[Colleen27]

I hate that certain unions ( I'm thinking teachers union here for one) tell you who to vote for.

Why? It only makes sense for unions to endorse candidates that support their goals. It isn't as though anyone is obligated to vote for them... It really isn't any different from religious or social advocacy groups "telling" members which candidates best align with their world views. Why should unions stay mute, particularly lately when right-to-work (ie union-busting) is a key issue in many places?

As an outsider who does not belong to a union, I see the pros and cons, but I think its also union-specific too. The good unions seem few and far between while the bad unions are the ones I hear about most. My mother-in-law belongs to a union at the school she works at and its been years since they've had a contract which means no raises, and the last contract they had was awful with vacation time and other requirements. She does nothing but complain about it.

Is that the union, though, or state laws? Educational and public sector unions in my state have essentially been neutered by anti-union laws. They can engage in collective bargaining but have no leverage, because sickouts and strikes are prohibited by law. So they can ask nicely for what the workers want/need but those requests can be readily ignored because there's no real consequence to it, and the union ends up serving little actual purpose.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I’m in the teachers union. I definitely appreciate what they do. I’ve worked in districts without a union too and can see what they are doing. I do hate that it costs about $1000/year in dues.

I like that they tell us which candidates are pro-education at election time.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

I hate that certain unions ( I'm thinking teachers union here for one) tell you who to vote for.

LOL! so does my husband. And he knows I'll cast out his vote almost every time. Yeah, they may support a certain someone and ask you to vote for them but it's still the good ole USA and no one is in the voting booth or marking the ballot for you!

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

Yes, I was in the Food and Commercial workers! It was good pay and a collective group of us won a grievance with their help. Back pay for over a year. My experience was a positive one.

 

[willowsnn3]

Never worked anywhere that had a union.

My brother in law (now deceased) worked for a company that had a union and when he became disabled (health issues), the union paid his medical insurance for a year.

My mom also worked for a company that had a union but I don't remember her voicing an opinion either way. My dad, on the other hand, thought the unions were all run by the communists...and he was very vocal about it, lol.