unions and such

[Jigga-Scrooge]

i work at ups part time and there is a union. i have no desire to join it. it costs so much per paycheck and i do not want to give them my money.

i know that unions are powerful because ive seen it in action. some guy walked on a moving belt and he got fired. his friend left with him for no reason. the union got them both hired back.

if anybody cares to tell me why i should join, then please do.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

If you can, avoid going union at all costs. Look at what the unions have done to GM. Then tell me how they're going to help you.

If you cannot avoid it, use their training and/or mentoring programs for all they're worth. Then get out as fast as possible.

What the union is going to do is make sure everybody is paid the same. Everybody from the most worthless pile of fish guts to the most productive worker, you get the same deal. It's unfair to those that work hard and want to get ahead. It's a sweet deal for those that dont' want to do anything. Ask youself, do you want to be the one that has to carry the bucket of fish guts? Or do you want to be the one not restrained by union rules and allowed to rise far above what any of them can ever achieve?

[ragnar_ii]

I had to join the Union to get my job. Although the benefits for me greatly outweigh paying 10 bucks a week. I work in a kitchen and right now I get paid $11.86/hr. with $2/hr nighttime and weekend differentials. Considering this is only 85% of my jobs payrate, and that I am only a part time employee, it works for me. Plus I dont have to worry about people who dont work and are just there because of the union, because anyone who doesnt work hard doesnt get past 1 month anyway.

But for you, I cant really say if you should join or not. It depends on how much it will benefit you. If you dont really need it then dont. I had no choice, plus I would have anyway just to get paid as much as I do.

[Anakha1]

This is creepy. This is the second time I've agreed with Smeg in two days.

I used to belong to a union in a job I worked a long time ago. What a waste of my money. Not only did I never find cause to need them, I know for a fact that they were useless. Anyone who complained to the union for anything got screwed by the company because they suddenly found themselves scheduled for almost no hours. The union couldn't do anything, and didn't try, because the company was still employing them and still giving them some hours. Just not enough to live on. So of course the person ended up having to quit to find something else. Big help. And that was one of the largest and most powerful unions in the country. Totally useless.

[Yaboosh]

All I know is that the Man doesn't want you to join the union. Take that as you will.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

This is creepy. This is the second time I've agreed with Smeg in two days.
It's that pesky right vs. wrong thing popping up again. Stick to left vs. right and things will be back to normal.

[Anakha1]

It's that pesky right vs. wrong thing popping up again. Stick to left vs. right and things will be back to normal.

Good to know. I was worried that the end was nigh.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

Good to know. I was worried that the end was nigh.
That can be arranged. Let's see, how to burn the OTF down...

Hockey sucks more than Candian beer:jig:

[Anakha1]

I've never tried Candian beer. Where do Candians live? Are they all strippers? Like people named Candy? If so, tell me quick and I'll meet you there.

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

Candian beer is drnk by the smrt Canadians

[Anakha1]

Are they also the vowelly-deprived Canadians? :grin:

[Sir EvilFreeSmeg]

Immigrants from Kyrgystan. They left due to a severe vowel shortage

[Drosselmeier]

It's that pesky right vs. wrong thing popping up again. Stick to left vs. right and things will be back to normal.

:rolleyes:

Joining the union is not inherently wrong.

If you want to or don't want to join you should go with that. However, if you don't join and unionized employees end up getting a better deal than you, you can't really complain.

People think all wrong when it comes to unions. Essentially, it's nothing but combining worker interests in order to get real influence in the workplace. If the union in question is corrupt or incompetent it's a bad idea to join, of course. Otherwise it's a tradeoff between a more secure employment with a bit of a say and a couple of extra bucks in your pocket.

[Dondrei]

Try to work out the balance of cost vs. benefit. Simple as that.

[Yokomohoyo]

this is a very touchy subject here at work now... hehehehe I work for a long distance telecomunications company and they are now having a union tring to enter... inshort the union can make promisses and so can the company; all I can tell you is that a union can be good as it can be bad it all depends on the employees not the union managers since its the employees that tell the union what to do, not the other way around. Union dues vary from job to job and so do the union benifits, as do the union flaws. Just remember to read everything before sighning or you might end up with something that you dont want... hear both sides (the employers as well as the union's) of the story and their promisses before taking judgement of the situation... and remember that a union can only make promisses but can garantee your job security (by means of force, and what I mean by force is that if a unionized employee is unrightfuly fired the union threatens the employer with a strike) making sure that you can not be fired by unjust means (if you read your contract most employers state that your contract can be terminated at any time for any reasons)... and yes the union will get you a payraise so that they can charge you a union due without effecting your life style... wich in most cases they will get you a higher pay rate even after the dues...

I cant tell you to go pro union or anti union, all I can tell you is listen to both what union and employer have to promiss before taking judgement

[myleftfoot]

It's that pesky right vs. wrong thing popping up again. Stick to left vs. right and things will be back to normal.

When we start the Good v Evil debate? Or is that too general.

[corax]

Australian unions aren't worth the ink the money deductions are written on your paycheck with. they have no power anymore. the majority of jobs now have a "if you strike we sack you nubs" thing written into the contract.
Also the bosses permission is required for the union rep's to even enter the store. so if they ever get off their butts to help someone the boss can just bugger them off. the end.


also the whole 'union fair pay deal' load of crap. i work alot harder than the people i work with and get paid less than half.


so in australia all unions do is suck up your money. besides. i've got the government backing me :thumbsup:

[PatMaGroin]

If this is just a job in between now and your future career, you don't need the union. Simple as that.

[jmervyn]

It's that pesky right vs. wrong thing popping up again. Stick to left vs. right and things will be back to normal.

Unsuprisingly (for those of you who aren't purely one-dimensional beings), I'm on the other side of the fence here.

First, I'm a union member, though I despise the union as it is a subset of the NEA (teachers' union). The immediate reason to be a union member is if your organization suffers from malevolent managment, as does mine.

Secondly, unions have a definite role to play along the lines of the Non-Commissioned Officer's role in the military. Organizations are often not in touch with reality, since management tends to become increasingly insular over time. Would the brutality of market economics take care of the situation? Sure, if you want to have a bunch of people screwed as badly as Ken Lay did to Enron.

Additional functions of unions with regard to company and process health can be found in Just-In-Time and Quality Management literature. This, combined with the tendency of corporations to behave as psychopaths, make unions a useful and important portion of any company.

That doesn't mean they should do what they've done in the U.S. or many places in Europe, nor does it mean I agree with their most regular tendencies (more money & benefits for less work).