Any "NEW" unions forming in your area?

[vaberella]

Okay, first off, I realize this might not fit in this particular section. However I mainly post here, and I know most people in the GDP section, than any other. And I wanted your thoughts.

Now, I'm a big union fanatic. I sometimes feel like I come from the State with the Most Unions. I'm a New Yorker---100% My daddy, when he was alive, was an active member of the I.L.A.(International Longshoreman Association) GO ILA!!! Yup, he was still working as a Longshoreman, until the age of 75 when he passed away. And my mummy is part of the 1199SEIU (Service Employees International Union) GO 1199SEIU!!! So yes, as a kid I was told about the marches. I wasn't taken on any---and the ILA didn't really have a lot of protests, if any when I was growing up. They were treated great. The 1199SEIU---had a lot of protests, but my mum never allowed me to go and she didn't go. At the time she was a Green card holder, and we all know how immigrants are about protesting in political things when they're standing isn't citizen.

And I can tell you, as a Haitian, they're even worse. My mum, still warns me that if I keep going to protests that the US government is going to rescind my citizenship and send me back to Haiti.

So I'm the proud union baby! :D I need a shirt like that.

In any event...what's the point of my post. I was talking to someone I know. Who work in the non-profit sector. And because of all of the news about unions and how the government is trying to tear down unions in other states. This person I know was actually invited to a meeting with a few colleagues---where they were discussing unionizing and they are already talking to lawyers.

I was bloody excited. I used to work in the non-profit sector in Queensbridge and I always talked to a few of my friends about unionizing. How do we go about doing it and the legal issues behind it. We loved our job but had some issues as to how the treatment of the workers are going. Now this person I know is a bit dubious upon rereading their contract which states that they actually can't unionize ---well at least during work. However, it says nothing after work.

This was mainly brought also when it was understood that the senior staff has a completely different contract from themselves. So they are not under the same sort of protection or mobility.

And a few of them are getting their lawyers together in order to go through the steps of forming a union for non-profit office workers.

So I was just wondering. Has anyone heard of people in their towns who are forming unions---if they didn't have unions before? Has anyone been part of newly established unions? What do you guys think of this?!

My sister was asking me for advice, since I was pushing this idea when I was 25 (that's when I worked with the non-profit). I'm 30 now. So of course I was an advocate for this move. Sad to say, I'm not working where this person is working---because I'd be gungho.

I think not only has these issues in other states start to cause problems overall for Republicans. But I think and this is based on one small group of people---that they'll have to deal with far more unions that will spring up in response. What do you guys think?

Edit: I edited the title to bring more clarity to my post.

[robcon]

1. No new unions. Unions have been weakened.

Bargaining power reduced.

[Armstead]

2. Where I live at least a couple of non-profits have been unionized in last few years

They're both large non-profit health care institutions.

In both instances it got ugly. But in at least one institution, after a threatened strike and long negotiations, they got a certified union and a decent contract and caused a shake up that brought on a more reasonable management team to the organization.

So it can be done. But it's not easy.

[vaberella]

4. Thanks for letting me know.

Is it possible you can give me the names or the links of these institutions. I'd like to pass this on to my friend. Thanks again.

[bigwillq]

3. Not that I am aware of (nt)

[Brickbat]

5. If there are, it's going to be a long, slow slog that won't be readily apparent.

These things take months.

[Imajika]

6. I am in Virginia, unions are pretty much a non factor here...

No collective bargaining rights for public employees at all, and VA is a right to work state so unions have a very difficult time.

Our VA Democrats pretty much do nothing to change things either, even when Mark Warner and Tim Kaine were governor.

So no, not many new unions are forming where I am.