Are unions outdated? Is striking really effective in our current society?
oftenreading
Posts: 12,844
Where I live, public school teachers were on strike from the middle of last June through the scheduled first three weeks of this school year. Prior to going on a full strike, they took job action for several weeks, during which school days were shortened and extra-curricular activities were limited. Once they went on strike last June, classes stopped and there were no end-of-the-year activities for the little kids, and no exams (except required Provincial exams) for the high school kids. No marking was done, and so no grades were given and no report cards issued. That work will never be made up, which means that, while kids were passed on to the next grade level, there are no official marks on a transcript. There was no summer school, nor was the distance education program running to allow kids to make up classes they were missing or had failed. Although the teachers were on strike over the summer, negotiating stopped at the end of June and didn't resume until early September (a huge source of frustration for parents). Classes finally resumed three weeks late. In the end, the teachers ended up with a contract similar to what they were offered and rejected in the spring, with a few additions. Many of them have been vocal about the fact that they are angry and bitter at how this all played out. Public opinion was mixed, with many in support of the teachers getting more of what they were demanding, while many others feeling that the government was right in holding the line on raises/changes to working conditions that were out of line with what other public service unions had settled on, and some argued would require tax increases. Neither side seemed to behave particularly well, but the students lost a lot.
Obviously I have simplified many of the issues; this post is already too long. It seems to me, though, that few unions that strike these days actually end up with anything to show for it. Many employees lose days, weeks or months of income, and public support is limited when the public is inconvenienced. So what do people think - are the days of effective strikes in the past?
Obviously I have simplified many of the issues; this post is already too long. It seems to me, though, that few unions that strike these days actually end up with anything to show for it. Many employees lose days, weeks or months of income, and public support is limited when the public is inconvenienced. So what do people think - are the days of effective strikes in the past?
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The thing that really sucks about this is that small business owners aren't nearly as mobile as your average multinational. Striking may be ineffective with large companies with a global network but it can be brutally effective with smaller enterprises that are struggling to survive. If you're running a company with 40 employees in Delaware, there's a good chance that you are in no position to simply uproot your business and move to where the labour is cheaper.
1998: Barrie
2000: Montreal, Toronto, Auburn Hills
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2004: Boston X2, Grand Rapids
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2006: Toronto X2
2009: Toronto
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2023: Chicago X2
2024: New York X2
And I bet you would find a correlation if comparing union membership to social activism. Student groups and unions lead the way in most serious protests. Both groups have been pretty much marginalized by more powerful ngo's on the government lobby stage...a big part of how we've become so damn near fascist...
Our local has been forced to strike twice in 12 years, and while our wages still do not even clome close to keeping up with inflation, striking has definitely been key to us maintaining certain important benefits.... No, that doesn't mean improvements, but at least it's helped to prevent a decrease in benefits, which is what the admin is contantly gunning for, and using incredibly shady tactics in doing so.
With that said, unions have their problems. Strong performers are not compensated and weak performers are protected to the detriment of other members. There needs to be models of accountability for performance. In short, unions need to evolve.
Strikes can have an impact if the company is losing profits as their employees don't attend to their jobs. In such a case, the company is motivated to rectify grievances and employees stand the chance to make gains that a stubborn employer might not have offered until pointing a gun at their heads.
In the public school teachers' strike (their 3rd in a decade), once again, teachers forfeited their wages and funded their own raise. Not to mention they kept kids out of classes for a month.
It became apparent that the Government wanted to squash the teachers' union and seemed hell bent on doing so. They may have succeeded: many teachers are steamed that the offer they accepted after striking for 4 weeks and having been 'locked out' for a month with a 10% wage garnish,,, was WORSE than the one they could originally have accepted.
Poor leadership and old school tactics created much hardship for teachers in this dispute. The union is trying to sell a victory to its members- but only the very naïve feel it has been one. Most are very angry at the cliff the executive drove them to and pushed them over.
And as for RG's post... the teachers' union collects $41 million a year. A YEAR! They paid out $3.5 million in strike pay and claimed they had no more to pay members. How interesting is that?
Reckless.
But I feel differently on bigger commercial and governmental contracted projects.I want union folks on these big projects.Electrical,steel workers,pipe fitters,etc.And I do see a need in professions with a large number of active members like Fire Fighters,law enforcement,teachers,etc.
i also think their blind support of bad workers is a huge problem that does nothing but make them look bad. too often times everything has to be a fight with unions even when no reasonable person can understand them supporting certain members or certain ideals.
and i would say don't judge most or all unions based on the teacher unions. while i understand the importance of teachers i think often times their ideals of what teachers should make and get border on the absurd.
So what value do you place on the people thattake care of and teach your children? You value them less than your accountants, lawyers, and bankers? What is the person who does your job as a parent for you worth? I'd say it's worth quite a bit more than what you would think is absurd I guess.
Pensions in general are such an outdated concept and are placing cities in huge financial trouble these days. We need to get out of the Pension business for local and state employees.
Edit: Just because i disagree with how their union represents them doesn't mean I don't value them. These opinions are based on a business perspective. you can't have a healthy debate when any dissenting opinion is somehow labeled anti- whatever group you are talking about. i am not anti-teacher.
Godfather.
Good post.
Oh ... and their really good at keeping lazy people employed ... sure the have a process in place to remove those people ... but here in Ontario it is well know if a grievance ends up in arbitration they generally side with the union and most employers will not spend the $$$ to go that far just to lose.
"Life Is What Happens To You When Your Busy Making Other Plans" John Lennon
Godfather.
An Asphalt Paving Sealcoating union has lots of leverage if they strike in the middle of summer when half the roads are torn up for repair. If the housing market is down and the Carpenters Union goes on strike, they don't have leverage and members fortunate enough to have work at the time get screwed. I've witnessed both in the last several years.
Also, the reason we have 1,500 reality shows today is because the Writters Guild went on strike with presumed leverage and totally ended up screwing their trade when producers figured out you could just stick 15 bozos in a house and get killer ratings.
I support good unions, not bad ones. The bad ones lend heavily to this kind of prejudiced anti-union thinking/union bashing.