What is your opinion about joining a union? Are you a union member?

[Mountainman]

I am starting a new job next week at an agency shop and I either have to join a union and pay dues or pay them a fee out of each paycheck.

My dad was a union member all of his working career. In the 50's and 60's as I was growing up, we would not have had as decent a life as we had if it hadn't been for the union he belonged to. We were poor but I didn't realize it until I got older. The benefits gained by the union helped make life better than it otherwise would have been.

We went on a two week vacation each year, the company provided lots of recreational facilities for the workers and their families. The pay was comparable to other companies in the area. My dad bought and paid for a modest house and drove newer car. We ate well and went to Catholic school and had music lessons. These cost a lot back then and my dad only brought home $60 a week. My mom was good at budgeting and she also worked at home doing typing.

So I am inclined to join the union just to add to the numbers of union members. The thing I worry about is being an adversary to my employers.

[porphyrian]

1. Your employers don't care about you beyond your ability to make them money. Join.

Unless, that is, you are in a "right to work" state in the South, in which case doing so may actually hurt you, until things change.

[BlooInBloo]

4. What porphyrian said.

[teamster633]

10. I forgot about that bogus "right to work" shit.

My knowledge of the intricacies of that scam are limited, so if one of it's many benefits is allowing employers to unfairly target union members, you may well have to take that into consideration.

[porphyrian]

25. It basically castrates unions and lowers the expectations of laborers.

The only people who benefit are employers, but they word it as if you should be happy to slave away for thirty year old wages with shitty benefits (if any at all). Sadly, the majority of the people most hurt by this have been brainwashed into believing unions are the bad guys.

[teamster633]

2. If they are a reasonable employer, your union membership...

...needn't be adversarial. If they are assholes, your membership is absolutely necessary, for your own sake. I don't see where you have anything to lose.

[NMDemDist2]

you're gonna pay the dues either way, might as well have a vote in the process

employers hope you will be afraid of "being an adversary to my employers." that's how they keep Unions weak

[SacredCow]

3. My type of employment doesn't have a union....

Personally, I don't think it's a black or white choice to make. Over the years, they've caused some good changes and they've also been bullies in certain situations. YMMV.

[monktonman]

5. why do you have to be an adversary?

[Mountainman]

11. I think that an adversarial relationship could already be established and by joining the union

I would be seen as an adversary.

[Demeter]

6. I Just Joined a Union

It hasn't turned me purple or polka-dotted (darn).

In general, unless it is demonstrably corrupt or incompetent, a union is a good thing. And you are by definition an adversary to the modern Corporation, by virtue of being an expense. At least with a union, you have some power, too.

[leftofthedial]

7. Many more Americans need to join unions

Next to armed revolution, unionization has historically been the most effective tactic we have in the class war against our wealthy capitalist oppressors.

[LakeSamish706]

18. Yep, as a Union Member all of my working life I agree with you!

[BridgeTheGap]

8. I have been member of several unions and say "JOIN!"

Not every workplace needs a union but such places are rare. Generally speaking, unions put workers in a much better bargaining position. It can be argued that if you don't have a union you have no bargaining position except as an individual.
If you join, participate - go to meetings and stay abreast of what's happening. Union leadership, as in any other human endeavor, should always be watched to make sure their words match their actions. Active participation by the membership helps to guard against any monkey business on the leadership's part.

[BobRossi]

9. Was once a shop steward.

I found out just how crooked the unions are. Living and working in the Detroit area I come in contact with a lot of UAW members, most of which voted for shrub.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. I Would Join In A Heartbeat

There are no unions in my profession, but I wish there were.

Here's the way I look at it - adjusted for inflation, the average wage of a non-supervisory worker (e.g., average Joe or Jane) peaked in the early 1970s, and has dropped pretty steadily since then. At the same time, the wealthy have gotten far wealthier.

Why?

The wealthy take money out of our pockets because they can. Unions are essentially the only thing in their way. Unions began to decline in the 1970s, so the wealthy could get away with cutting wages.

If we want to get back to where we were in the early 1970s - where a family could live a middle-class existence on a single working-person's salary (remember that?!) - we need unions back, and we need them with claws and sharp teeth.

[mvccd1000]

13. We voted NO to the UAW three times at my shop

But I would say it depends on the union. Some unions are not out to kill the goose that lays the golden egg; they just want a fair shake for the workers.

My mom was in the teacher's union - that seems like a good one. My best friend is a commercial diver, and the unions seem like a good idea there. I've had many family members in the auto industry, and I worked in it for seven years. You will NEVER hear me say a single good thing about the UAW. They should have been crushed decades ago.

[lonestarnot]

14. Unions are our only hope of ending slave labor! Go Unions!

[LittleClarkie]

15. I have an illogical answer

I have a warm place in my heart for the unions who helped us during the elections. They're always there organizing and with manpower when we need them at such times. They are our allies.

I'd probably end up joining just because of that.

[jojo54]

16. Used to be a union member at a factory 20 yrs ago

and when the company said we were "going to the bathrooms too much", that union was the workers' best friend. IMHO, a union is only an advantage to the workers and some companies even agree that it makes the workers more content, therefore more work is produced - at least, that's the way it used to be.

[pberq]

17. Please join the union

As others have said upthread, it is our best hope.

Yes, there are some unions with problems, but why not join and become part of the solution to those problems (if they exist in your union)?

As a local officer of the American Federation of Musicians, I can say that the AFM has been a great benefit to our members over the years.

We are affiliated and have a great relationship with our local labor council, which brings together local unions in many trades - strength in numbers.

[TahitiNut]

19. A union is only as good as the participation of its members.

Too many workers, just like in a democracy, think that by merely paying dues (or taxes) they should automatically have good union. The best unions are those wherein the members actively participate and maintain awareness of the inner workings of the union leadership.

Even though I was 'management' for the majority of my career, I strongly favor unions. I've been a member of two unions and despite some disappointing personal experiences I continue to support them.

[Heddi]

20. I would love to be a member of the union where I work

(I'm a nurse). However, the union dues are based on annual salary and last year the dues for my salary range was around $1200 per year. Okay, not ALOT, but considering that I've got $10,000 in student loans AND I'm the only bread winner in my family AND my husband is in school and he's got his own loans piling up AND it costs $350 a month to cover my husband's insurance through my employer, I just could not afford it.

I wish it were a bit more affordable to be in the union. Especially considering this year, when the contract is renewed in November, the union dues are going to increase by about 3%---but my salary isn't increasing by the same amount. My salary will increase by about $.50 this year. wooo.

Sadly, many nurses at my hospital are in the same boat as I am---I live in a very small community with 2 hospitals and low wages (comparatively speaking). The union doesn't have as many members as it should have because many of the people I work with are single parents and can't afford to insure their kids, much less be in the union.

I should also state that come December, I have to drop my husband's insurance. The out of pocket expenses are going to increase in January and the amount I'd have to pay for him will go up by $50 a month. It's cheaper to pay out of pocket for medical expenses than to pay nearly $5,000 a year for insurance. And the insurance is HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. HORRIBLE. It's really sad when a nurse that works at a hospital can't even afford to insure her family.

[Mountainman]

29. I know exactly what you are going through. I am leaving a medical clinic where I am the controller.

The nurses and other staff here can't afford medical insurance and can't afford union dues. One of the reasons I am leaving is because the doctors here demand more and more money and Medical, Medicare and the insurance companies reimburse less and less. The squeeze is put on the employees. I can't stand trying to make ends meet anymore and seeing people go years and years without pay raises while the doctors get great contracts.

[Heddi]

30. Thankfully, the majority of the MD's I work with are great

Our hospital is not-for-profit, and about 80% of our annual revenue goes to charity cases, etc. We service a large hispanic and native american population, as well as many poverty level non-hispanics and non-native americans. Our community is plagued with diabetes, heart disease, alcoholism, sadly, and even sadder is that most of the people we service have no insurance or are so pittifully underinsured as to basically have no insurance.

The MD's I work with do a large amount of pro-bono and reduced rate work. They also understand that us Nurses can't afford medical services because our salaries are so low so they tend to give us the "poor person discount" as well :-)

It irks me when the CEO of my hospital has no medical experience (he ran a bank before running the hospital) and makes more money in a month than I make all year. He is obscenely wealthy and at our yearly Company-Wide meetings is quite flip about our stagnant salaries, and how we should be proud to do what we do (we are), and that somehow personal satisfaction for taking care of people will somehow supplement our shitty incomes and benefits. Yeah, personal happiness is always welcomed by my landlord in lieu of rental payments.....

Our unit--the telemetry unit--deals with very unstable patients---we don't have enough blood pressure cuffs for the patients, so we RN's and the nurse tech's have spent our own money buying personal blood pressure cuffs ($45 each) so that we can take blood pressures. Oh, we just don't have the budgetary money for more BP cuffs (or thermometers, or blankets...) but that fucker CEO certainly doesn't have a problem getting his annual pay raise via the Board of Trustees....none of whom have ever worked on the floor as a health care provider. Oh, it's not in the budget.....yet we can find money in the budget every year for a 2,000 person birthdya party for the CEO....and a 2,000 person anniversary party for the CEO.....

[Wanet]

21. Please join the union

Good managers know that you are not an adversary because you are a union member -- you are exercising your legal right to organize with your fellow workers. Bad managers will see you as an adversary no matter what, and the union won't make a difference. I'm a proud union member; you will help all workers and strengthen the labor union movement if you join. -- Wanet

[murray hill farm]

22. JOIN!

I am retired now, but worked for many years for the state of michigan. i belonged to a union then...and was never sorry..and often times very grateful for the backing of the union. Do join the union. It is something you will never regret.

[madokie]

23. Unions are the working mans best friend, always was, always is, always will be

I was a union worker for a while early on but the down turn in the construction business back in the late 70's forced me out. From then on I worked as non union enjoying the benefits of the wages of the unions though. luckily I was able to demand the same pay or better because of my own capabilities.

[LSK]

24. I wish I could join up

What does this union provide? How much are the dues?

My father was in IBEW and always got healthcare from them and now enjoys a very nice pension.

I don't think he regretted his Union dues one bit.

[Mountainman]

28. It's the Service Employees International Union. I will be working for the County of Santa Barbara,

CA

[WinkyDink]

26. Proud retiree of the National Education Association.

[LeftishBrit]

27. I strongly recommend joining

I belong to a union, though one which tends to be ineffective IMO. But without a union, one can be left without any protection at all. Reasonable employers will not regard a union as their 'adversary'; unreasonable employers *need* the opposition if they are not to exploit people left, right and centre.

[trekbiker]

31. The engineers in my company unionized 7 years ago

before that I was in management for 15 years. Overall I have to say it was definately the right move for us and the chances of the engineers voting to return to management are nil.

On the plus side, pay is now a black and white issue with regular increases and no more management BS where favored employees advance thru the pay band faster than others. Management can no longer force me to work OT at straight time rates. There is now uniformity of treatment across the company where before we were subject to the whims and inconsistencies of different managers. If I get into trouble with management I have a union rep to represent me (this benefit has saved my ass already). My base pay is up over 50% in the last few years and we are in a strong negotiating position for future increases.

On the negative side, the quality of my engineering work group has gone down. A lot. Engineers that we used to be able to fire or transfer are protected and basically impossible to get rid of. Where I used to have a big say in who we hired I now have virtually no say and I am appalled at the low quality of engineers being graduated and landing in $100K jobs in my company. We are now only as strong as our weakest links. Incentives to excel are pretty much gone other than the incentive to get promoted to management and attempt to climb the corporate ladder. But that ladder is a whole lot smaller than it once was.

Still, all in all I am happy with the union and will stay union till I retire.