Are you a union member?

[neo 7]

If so, what do you think of your union? Are they helpful? Uninvolved? Do they do nothing but butt heads with management and cause more problems than they solve?

I'm looking for responses based on real experiences here, so let's leave the unfounded union bashing out please.

 

[alembicguy]

Very helpful. No complaints. Union member for 25 years

 

[Metalbasspro]

I worked in a union shop in a small town in a right to work state. The union shot itself in the foot with me before I was even off probation when I was threatened by a few of the members and a shop steward for not picking up the work quick enough.
If you know what "pulling chain" is at a lumber factory you might know it's an acquired skill that takes some time to pick up if you are not Mr. Jock, and I being Mr. Musician was not Mr. Jock.

SO I was not in a rush to join up. One fellow did try and sell me on it and gave me the paperwork but the others well I was not sure I wanted to associate with such people.

The law says they will represent everyone member or not but I found that they would not lift a finger if you were not a member. That is to be expected really but here is where they failed. You don't have to join them period and with that in mind if the union members were smart they would concentrate on good service and not bad politics. So they kept on being good old boys and I kept on keeping my hard earned money. What I saw was the union protected the lazy workers, got problem workers who were fired back on the job.

After a few years things and personal changed, I was thinking about joining but then the plant started to head to closure.

 

[Metalbasspro]

I should add, one shop Steward was on the take with the plant's General Manager. He sold out the members on key negotiations and was clearly rewarded for it when modernizations forced lay offs and bump backs.

I am sure these situations differ in larger cities. My brother in law is a Long Shore man in seattle and he says there are workers on the pay roll he's never met or seen working a day and no one else has either. When asked what the deal was the Union reps just say "Don't worry about it".

He calls them the Mob. I have heard good things about Unions and I am sure they help some places. I'd like to see a nurses union come into the place where I work now.

 

[enkidu25]

I am a Border Patrol Agent and the chief union steward at my station. I was always against unions growing up but I now I can't imagine working without them. I am always amazed at what supervisors try to get away with.

 

[JimK]

I'm very happy living in a Right-to-Work State...hope it stays that way.

 

[Truktek2]

Unions have their pros and cons.

The bad part is they protect lazy, incompetent idiot workers who try to get over on the job.

The good part is they protect the worker from the lazy incompetent idiots in management who try to get over on the worker.

I'll stick union.

 

[Ziltoid]

Yeah, I'm in a union. No complaints, my wage is pretty good because of them.

 

[Indiana Mike]

Union .

After many stunts that management has tried to pull I'll keep it.

Indiana passed tight to work last year . A judge has ruled the law unconstitutional because Indiana's constitution says you cannot demand services from someone without compensating them .

I have a feeling it's going to be an ongoing saga.

My union does not protect the lazy or incompetent . It's not easily explained but it is that way . The way it should be.

 

[BassChuck]

Union. I've joined every Union I've been able to. Yes, good and bad points, but every group of humans has that. I fully support Unions, and will be happy when the day comes that management deals with people respectfully. Perhaps then there will be no need for Unions, and that will be better than any Union.

 

[HaMMerHeD]

I was. I'll never join one again.

I got death threats after I spoke out against a strike. I didn't take a job at a grocery store to build a career. I took it because I needed money. Going on strike was a sure way to not get money, so didn't want to do it. I told them so at a meeting, and they screamed over me until I left. For a few days after that, I'd get "mysterious" phone calls threatening to kill me if I ever spoke out against the union again. I quit the job and have avoided union jobs ever since.

 

[Spector_Ray]

Another sticking point about unions is collective bargaining. The lazy, non-productive workers get paid the same as the guy next to him who's picking up his slack.

As a member of the NALC(letter carrier Union) if I bust my hump to get my route finished on time and the guy next to me just does the bare minimum, once management recounts the routes, they'll usually take some territory off his route and add it to mine. There is really no incentive to go above and beyond.

 

[DWBass]

I was in the Hospital Union (1199) for about 11 years when I lived in NY. Wages were good. Free prescriptions and doctor's visits (as long as it was in the hospital). I miss it. By the time I left NY, I had transitioned over to management!

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Yeah with Kroger, however my wage is pretty terrible even with a union.

 

[DwaynieAD]

Union jobs I've come across in my area pay less than non union. They claim that it's because they have better benefits packages, but that is subjective and I found it not to be true. In my experience they only thing they were good for was keeping the lazy and incompetent employed.

 

[fjadams]

Was in the BMWE union for over 38 years working at the railroad. No union can be perfect, but it helped provide me with a better job than if it wasn't there. Paid in more money for my retirement during those years than people on SS do, but now I have a comfortable living and medical.

Always wondered why people making minimum wage, with terrible working conditions, no benefits, leave or vacations think that unions are a bad thing for workers.

 

[Relic]

Union. I've worked in union shops and in non-union shops. As far as my preference goes, it's tough to say. I've seen unions who were too strong basically kill companies in the most idiotic ways, and I've also experienced some really crappy things done to employees because there was no union to back them up.
Balance. It's all about balance. If you can create a situation where the company and the union are well-balanced with neither having total dominion, then you're likely to have happy productive workers which translates to $ for the company. It's symbiotic. Once that balance is challenged, you get a lot of bad stuff going on. sadly, sometimes it takes just one idiot to unbalance things..

 

[BioDriver]

Not in a union, may join one down the road depending on where life takes me with school, work, et al.

My opinion of them is split and varies depending on the industry/union. While many have done wonders to help their workers, many others have exploited the system and used their sway decisions that are best for union higher ups while the workers' and/or company's benefits are negated. I.e, what Relic said.

 

[Kaa]

My wife was a member of a union for her previous job. It was, on it's best day, ineffective.

she currently is an employee of a union, non a member, and the union she does benefits for now has very good leadership. The president, who I know personally, is VERY good at balancing the needs of his workers with the needs of their industry.

It's all about the leadership.

 

[ErebusBass]

Used to be. I felt like they weren't earning the money they were taking out of my checks. So did a majority of my coworkers and we are no longer in a union. My wages have increased since we got rid of them.