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Let me pose a question/request......

Can you name me one thing that a union does for you, or could do for you, that does not involve pay, paid time off, or benefits.......................?

i'm not a commie and i'm no longer union but the union that did represent me did help us negotiate a good grievance procedure, instigated a peer review panel for disciplinary stuff and helped with some health and safety stuff on the job site.

What's wrong with pay, time off & benefits?

Doc

Doc wrote:What's wrong with pay, time off & benefits?

doc

People used to be envious of the benefits union members received.
And wish everyone could be so fortunate.
Now they hate the people who receive such benefits.
And wish no one did.

buoyhead wrote:

Doc wrote:What's wrong with pay, time off & benefits?

doc

People used to be envious of the benefits union members received.
And wish everyone could be so fortunate.
Now they hate the people who receive such benefits.
And wish no one did.

That is certainly not my perspective.

My point is, the only use for a union is to 'bargain for' or 'extort' money.
That's it.

Every other purpose a union once stood for is pretty much covered by various labor and occupational safety law. Anyone who has ever worked anywhere near an HR person knows this is true.

So their only use is...greed.
That same animal they claim to be fighting.

The unions themselves....are all about money.
And trust me, no matter what protection you think they offer you, if there is a benefit for them...they will eliminate you.
The union...cares less for you than the very companies they are claiming to fight on your behalf.

That's my point.

So the unions had no part in establishing those various labor & occupational safety laws?

Doc

Perhaps where I am living the unions function a slight bit differently than there, however their effects are felt all over here. This country was build from labor reforn and union involvement. One plus would be that if you were fired with any suspicion based on race, religion, sex and what not they may stand up for you long before the state labor department would. If they would.
Here I have used the union to double check final pay and things like that, but then again the whole contract and labor aggrements are a bit more complicated. But then again there is maybe another reason to use them. If you have any kind of contract there and are unfamiliar with labor law, the union could check over all of that to make sure you are getting a fair shake. Nothing more frustrating I am sure than to be ready to leave a job, expecting you X amount of salary only to find that due to a loop hole in the contract you dont get what was agreed upon.
I never used a union when I was in the USA, and most likely wouldnt as I think the system there in general is a bit out of touch and to involved in the politics with their own agendas in mind and not the workers. But here, I have relied upon them and been quite happy I did. Business is the same I guess all over in the sense that if someone thinks they can hoodwink you out of a couple grand in back pay or things owed, they will. Im glad to have someone double checking everything to make sure its correct.

Wilbur Kookmeyer wrote:Let me pose a question/request......

Can you name me one thing that a union does for you, or could do for you, that does not involve pay, paid time off, or benefits.......................?

Mind if I flip that question back at you Wilbur?

Can you name one thing that a Non-union business does for you that doesn't involve trying to pay you mininum wage when ever possible or as close to it as possible, give you as little paid time off as possible and if you have a pension or medical benefits, they want YOU to pay for either most of it or all of it.

I have never been in a union but have worked along side many trades that were. Well not worked per se more like I worked and they either leaned on something and talked or chain smoked or sometimes even both at the same time. They just couldn't seem to ever figure out how to work and talk/chain smoke at the same time. The one thing I do envy is if they get hurt they will be taken care of a lot better than me. Tools down take a break...

SooLoo wrote:I have never been in a union but have worked along side many trades that were. Well not worked per se more like I worked and they either leaned on something and talked or chain smoked or sometimes even both at the same time. They just couldn't seem to ever figure out how to work and talk/chain smoke at the same time. The one thing I do envy is if they get hurt they will be taken care of a lot better than me. Tools down take a break...

Funny how many buildings are built by Union only workers yet they still manage to get built. I guess gremlins must come in at night and do the work for them.

deleting all my posts.

Sparky wrote:

SooLoo wrote:I have never been in a union but have worked along side many trades that were. Well not worked per se more like I worked and they either leaned on something and talked or chain smoked or sometimes even both at the same time. They just couldn't seem to ever figure out how to work and talk/chain smoke at the same time. The one thing I do envy is if they get hurt they will be taken care of a lot better than me. Tools down take a break...

Funny how many buildings are built by Union only workers yet they still manage to get built. I guess gremlins must come in at night and do the work for them.

Well they hire twice the required labor needed for one and yes the gremlins do the rest

Had a union job as an intern once. It was the only internship I had in which I was paid a living wage.

Had another job at a company that had a big union fight in the 60s. Union was a dirty word at that job, but we also got paid superior wages with excellent benefits so no one was tempted to say "union." The union in my industry pretty much died a few years ago and what do you know, the pay and benefits have been slowly disappearing.

Yup, it is a proven fact unions are corrupt and demand extra pay and benefits for its workers, driving up costs for employers. Really, we should put our faith in the employers to treat us fairly and pay us well.

I worked for the IBEW as an electrician and yes,. money is a big thing, but so is a voice.
People in management positions always hate unions becaus they typically cannot be in them.

If you get laid off a project, the union sets up another job for you.

In the construction industry this can be pretty valuable.

And Doc is correct in that the standards you hold today for a work environment were established by unions...not kind hearted employers. The USA is one of the least unionized countries on earth.