I hated being part of a union for ten years and I always balked at being forced to pay my dues. But one day my employer tried to fire and rehire me to reset my benefits and seniority to zero and the union straightened them out really quickly.
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Also, my old non-union coemployees get no pension and I am going to receive $600/month from my union pension; not bad for a high school/college grocery store job.... The US middle class could massively benefit from unionizing, starting with opportunistic, crap employers like Walmart, but these corporations aren't dumb and they demonize the idea of unions.
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Right, @the_grinch? I've heard Walmart has a special task force that mobilizes and takes over stores that even whisper the word "union" so they can destroy the idea before it gains any momentum.
I'm not sure why I've been downvoted for stating the argument. That being said I don't understand this big hatred for unions in the US. Some unions are counter-productive but many aren't.
I was also in a union when I was very young. I hated my union dues and had thoughts like that poster- that my money could buy me “better things.” But the union had my back on numerous occasions and defended me, and I also got paid more (take home pay) than most of my non union friends in similar job levels. However- I also pulled some bull shit that adult me thinks I should have been fired for, and the union let me get away with it whereas without it my employer could have and should have fired or disciplined me. Things were often very rigid and stand offish in many ways.
Rules were hard rules and often simple tasks couldn’t be done or were complicated and delayed because like it or not- agree to it or not- management and the union were dead set to follow the letter of the agreements to the T. Supervisors were non union and getting promoted from inside to supervisor was not only harder for union workers, but there was often drama with people treating you different or like a “traitor” especially since as a new supervisor you had to now follow the non union rules and we’re looking out for the company dime. Since few long time union members were willing to “flip” to non union supervisor- that created a greater divide where supervisors were mostly outside hires who had little or no experience especially in the company.
But in the end at their core unions are about protecting employees and protecting your ability to pay bills and live and have job security and retirement. Like anything they can be perverted or corrupted. They tend to walk a line in between in reality- doing good and bad all at once. In a perfect world we wouldn’t need unions and companies would look after employees. Most of the arguments against unions aren’t against unions themselves- but about people who don’t have anyone getting their back being mad that others do have that extra protection.
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Also, my old non-union coemployees get no pension and I am going to receive $600/month from my union pension; not bad for a high school/college grocery store job.... The US middle class could massively benefit from unionizing, starting with opportunistic, crap employers like Walmart, but these corporations aren't dumb and they demonize the idea of unions.
,
Right, @the_grinch? I've heard Walmart has a special task force that mobilizes and takes over stores that even whisper the word "union" so they can destroy the idea before it gains any momentum.