I joined a union today.

[ZombieNixon]

I got a summer job at Safeway, so I joined the union. The Safeway Employees Association. Is that a branch of the fod-workers union? I'm not sure. Can I start calling my co-workers "brother" and "sister" now? ;)

[sasquatch]

1. I guess it's better than Comrad like we say to each other

:sarcasm:

[bluestateguy]

2. I don't know what your situation is...

but if this is just a summer job, I'm not sure if this is a good deal for you. You know the provisions of your membership contract, I assume, so I'll defer to your judgement.

Ten years ago I was home for summer after my freshman year of college. I took a job as a cashier at my local drug store (I had worked there before as an ice cream scooper). It was just a three month job to earn some money before going back for my sophomore year. Well a few weeks into the summer I got a letter in the mail from the local retail workers union "asking" me to join the union. Not that I objected to being in a union, but the union wanted a $200 "initiation" fee to join, plus $24 a month in dues. That would have ended up being a big chunk of my summer earnings--for a temporary summer job that paid little more than minimum wage. And I already had health insurance anyway. The manager told me that techincally, yes, I would have to join under the store's contract with the union, but that I could stall them out for the whole summer before they made an issue out of it. That's what I did.

Unless the minimum wage is substantially raised, summer workers should not be compelled to join unions and pay all of their fees.

[ZombieNixon]

4. I'm really OK with in (edit: I mean "it").

Same situation, pretty much. $200 fee + some monthly figure in dues. The $200 fee is basically covered by four full days work at my hours. I'm working in the deli, so I start off at $6/hr and get a $1.25/hr raise once I complete the food safety exam. It is a chunk out of my earnings, but I should still make about $2000 before I leave for college, which will really help. Plus, I can now say that I have been a union worker when I run for president in 30 years!

[gizmo1979]

3. welcome aboard union brother.

I think you should say union brother or sister,and they'll still think you are weird.Better to pay your dues and drink the free beer once a month.

[Hand]

5. Well Done--Solidarity Forever! nt