Are you in a Union?

nfanel

i'm not in a union, but am considered management in a union company. our union contract expires in a few weeks and if there's a strike i can basically kiss my august goodbye. i'm not the biggest fan of unions right now. :mad:

it's kind of crazy...union employees have much better benefit packages here than management - don't pay a dime for health care, full pensions (which we had taken away a year or so back). i came in as management but i can't imagine what incentive anyone would have to be promoted into management with benefits as they are right now. it'll really be interesting to see what happens come august.

TransplantedNewf

I'm in a union at my part-time weekend job and i LOVE it. I constantly make sure the managers follow union rules and they just hate me for it.

jamie uk

I've been in unons, still am in fact, and can honestly say they've done very little for me ever. The power was taken away from the unions in Britain years ago, they're still lumbering around, out dated, over sized oranisations mostly, they survive on reputation and fear, and unfortunately it seems to me that the folks who take jobs at the union simply look after their own interests. Take care of yourselves is my advice.

TransplantedNewf

nfanel wrote:

i came in as management but i can't imagine what incentive anyone would have to be promoted into management with benefits as they are right now. it'll really be interesting to see what happens come august.

I was offered a management position at my union job last year and just about laughed in their faces. There are zero incentives in most companies for leaving a union to be "bumped up" to management!

skimaster77

Unions definitely have their good and bad and it really depends on the trade and the union itself. At the company I work for all of the production employees are in a union and it is one of the laziest work environments I've ever seen. As an R&D engineer it is very difficult to get anything done since I have no authority over the union employees and even the foremen and supervisors can’t do much to get things done properly. The problem with the union is there is no incentive to do better work because there are no performance reviews or opportunities for a raise. What ends up happening is that everyone works less and often do things wrong intentionally to piss off management. The union protects the lazy fucks, drunks, and drug addicts because the management cannot fire them.

On the other hand my Dad is part of a firefighters union which is a pretty positive organization. There hard work is definitely appreciated and the union does a lot to ensure good benefits and a safe working environment for the firefighters; not many people take advantage of the system. The union has helped quite a bit considering my Dad has gotten hurt on the job several times and has always had a job once he recovered.

It really just depends on the people you are working with and how the contracts are written. It sounds like you are willing to put out the effort to piss off the union guys so maybe you can put pressure on the right people and get your job back to how it was.

JOEJOEJOE

skimaster77 wrote:

Unions definitely have their good and bad and it really depends on the trade and the union itself. At the company I work for all of the production employees are in a union and it is one of the laziest work environments I've ever seen. As an R&D engineer it is very difficult to get anything done since I have no authority over the union employees and even the foremen and supervisors can’t do much to get things done properly. The problem with the union is there is no incentive to do better work because there are no performance reviews or opportunities for a raise. What ends up happening is that everyone works less and often do things wrong intentionally to piss off management. The union protects the lazy fucks, drunks, and drug addicts because the management cannot fire them.

On the other hand my Dad is part of a firefighters union which is a pretty positive organization. There hard work is definitely appreciated and the union does a lot to ensure good benefits and a safe working environment for the firefighters; not many people take advantage of the system. The union has helped quite a bit considering my Dad has gotten hurt on the job several times and has always had a job once he recovered.

It really just depends on the people you are working with and how the contracts are written. It sounds like you are willing to put out the effort to piss off the union guys so maybe you can put pressure on the right people and get your job back to how it was.

You hit the nail on the head.....firefighters deserve a union to ensure they have safe working conditions, but it seems as if too many unions are just like the mafia, so their members become untouchable, even if they are dodgy workers.

robowski

i once lost my govt job a few years back - and the upper management basically ran me out the door just to get rid of me for speaking up. I was in the union and contacted them after it happened - they provided me a lawyer (free of charge) and this person worked with me for months and we worked out a settlement in my favor! i also got my job back after being wrongfully discharged and was given most of my benefits back as well!

say what you want - but i supports unions 100% - they saved me when i lost my job (support group) and fought to get it back. i can't speak for all unions - but if you are ever put in a bad situation and have your back to the wall - you want them on your side. i had no one to turn to when i was fired - without them i would be god knows where today.

say it with me again union is good. it's o.k. to say it out loud!

timroth

JOEJOEJOE wrote:

firefighters deserve a union to ensure they have safe working conditions,

I dont think the union can control the size of a fire...lol...I know what you mean. it just made me laugh.

JOEJOEJOE

timroth wrote:

I dont think the union can control the size of a fire...lol...I know what you mean. it just made me laugh.

touche'

Urban Hiker

skimaster77 wrote:

Unions definitely have their good and bad and it really depends on the trade and the union itself. At the company I work for all of the production employees are in a union and it is one of the laziest work environments I've ever seen. As an R&D engineer it is very difficult to get anything done since I have no authority over the union employees and even the foremen and supervisors can’t do much to get things done properly. The problem with the union is there is no incentive to do better work because there are no performance reviews or opportunities for a raise. What ends up happening is that everyone works less and often do things wrong intentionally to piss off management. The union protects the lazy fucks, drunks, and drug addicts because the management cannot fire them.

Lazy management is the problem when trying to fire an under performing union protected employee. They have to build their case. Documentation is their friend.


I'm in the Local 17. I have a rad union. They secured an amazing pay raise for our work group a couple of years ago. They are also straight shooters and have no problem telling a union employee when they are being a dumbass.

I'm thankful to be a union employee. My pay and benefits are not to be found for my type of position out in the non-union sector.