When a union is ran properly people don't regret being in the union.

When a union is ran properly people don't regret being in the union.

 

Talk about generalizations.

Talk about generalizations.

 

Because you know oh so well with your extensive knowledge on a properly ran union.

What's ironic is unions are suppose to protect it's workers from the big bad soulless corporation. But when the opportunity presents itself the Union heads will protect their own interest/money/power first. Unions are big business and they are run as such.

 

PP92, this is not meant a generalization to all unions or union leadership. There is not a doubt in my mind that as the president of your local union you do everything in your power to help you members. My comments are more directed towards higher positions then you hold. That said I want to present you with a scenario.

 

Your contract is set to expire and the new contract your company is offering would is better for 95% of the members but 5% would lose their jobs including you. As the president how would you steer your members to vote? Also are your contract votes done out in the open?

I was a union steward and eventually a union vice president for 10 years at my last job in the telecommunications industry. From that experience, I can tell you that I will never, ever take a job that is connected to unions again. Unions were a necessary thing when originally formed but that was a long time ago and times have changed significantly. Laws are in place now to prevent the injustices that unions fought to correct. Unions now make it hard to fire inadequate employees and demand outrageous wages and benefits that put a strain on company profits.

No offense, PP92, that's just my take on unions from personal experience. I'm sure you do a great job in your role and I wish you all the luck in the world.

What's ironic is unions are suppose to protect it's workers from the big bad soulless corporation. But when the opportunity presents itself the Union heads will protect their own interest/money/power first. Unions are big business and they are run as such.

 

PP92, this is not meant a generalization to all unions or union leadership. There is not a doubt in my mind that as the president of your local union you do everything in your power to help you members. My comments are more directed towards higher positions then you hold. That said I want to present you with a scenario.

 

Your contract is set to expire and the new contract your company is offering would is better for 95% of the members but 5% would lose their jobs including you. As the president how would you steer your members to vote? Also are your contract votes done out in the open?

 

Our contracts are done privately between what is called the UEC which is the Union Executive Committee and consists of an elected representative from each department along with the 10 elected Union officers. The UEC votes on the contract and not each member. We keep the votes private so there isn't any backlash towards dissenting voters but normally people know who voted what. So far each department has good reps that are doing their jobs in a satisfactory nature.

 

As for your situation it's hard to answer that because that scenario isn't a possible scenario. Because of seniority I wouldn't be in the 5% and union workers would be laid off and not lose their jobs. It would take the entire plant to shut down before any union workers lost their job. As president I have also not steered my UEC to vote my opinion. I let them come to their own conclusions and vote how they feel. I am only allowed to vote as a tiebreaker so I stay clear of trying to steer anyone in a particular direction. That is when things get messy. My job is to serve the people not satisfy my desires.

I was a union steward and eventually a union vice president for 10 years at my last job in the telecommunications industry. From that experience, I can tell you that I will never, ever take a job that is connected to unions again. Unions were a necessary thing when originally formed but that was a long time ago and times have changed significantly. Laws are in place now to prevent the injustices that unions fought to correct. Unions now make it hard to fire inadequate employees and demand outrageous wages and benefits that put a strain on company profits.

No offense, PP92, that's just my take on unions from personal experience. I'm sure you do a great job in your role and I wish you all the luck in the world.

 

None taken. And thank you. I think a post like this is much easier to take than having all unions castigated. I work very hard to keep things fair and equal for my union as well as maintaining a great relationship with the company. We don't always agree(and the union doesn't always agree, bigwigs and the people,...trust me) but ultimately at the end of the day we have the same goal which is company prosperity.

If unions never existed in our history, we wouldn't be "doing well enough." Labor organizers decades upon decades ago laid the groundwork for the good-paying middle class jobs of today, because the "job creators" would be more than happy to have you spending scrip at the company store and going further in debt to the company, if they even paid you at all.

 

Please tell me how in the hell unions laid the ground-work for my accounting job? Or other professional jobs?

Please tell me how in the hell unions laid the ground-work for my accounting job? Or other professional jobs?

 

Think Bob Cratchit.

Our contracts are done privately between what is called the UEC which is the Union Executive Committee and consists of an elected representative from each department along with the 10 elected Union officers. The UEC votes on the contract and not each member. We keep the votes private so there isn't any backlash towards dissenting voters but normally people know who voted what. So far each department has good reps that are doing their jobs in a satisfactory nature.

 

As for your situation it's hard to answer that because that scenario isn't a possible scenario. Because of seniority I wouldn't be in the 5% and union workers would be laid off and not lose their jobs. It would take the entire plant to shut down before any union workers lost their job. As president I have also not steered my UEC to vote my opinion. I let them come to their own conclusions and vote how they feel. I am only allowed to vote as a tiebreaker so I stay clear of trying to steer anyone in a particular direction. That is when things get messy. My job is to serve the people not satisfy my desires.

Thanks for the info and yours works differently then others I know about. As far as my example, here's a more specific example of what I'm talking about. Your in maintenance right, if I remember correctly. Let's say you company is doing away with the maintenance department and contracting it out. This would cause your job to be eliminated. Would that mean you would move to an different position and someone lower would be laid off? I ask this because it is an exact situation that happened at a local factory.

Think Bob Cratchit.

 

 

:lol: I ask for an example and you give me a ficitional character. :lol:

Please tell me how in the hell unions laid the ground-work for my accounting job? Or other professional jobs?

 

I work for CPA firm now and I love it! (Except accountants have the strangest sense of humor I've ever seen!)

Thanks for the info and yours works differently then others I know about. As far as my example, here's a more specific example of what I'm talking about. Your in maintenance right, if I remember correctly. Let's say you company is doing away with the maintenance department and contracting it out. This would cause your job to be eliminated. Would that mean you would move to an different position and someone lower would be laid off? I ask this because it is an exact situation that happened at a local factory.

 

Yes. That is exactly how it would play out. The maintenance department refugees would go back to the entry level spot and plant seniority would rule the roost so if the numbers needed fell the right way I could be out of the door as well.

I work for CPA firm now and I love it! (Except accountants have the strangest sense of humor I've ever seen!)

 

If you've found some WITH a sense of humor, you're in the minority. :lol:

When a union is ran properly people don't regret being in the union.

 

Law changes in the last fifty years have eliminated the need for unions. They were once needed, and due to legislation, no longer are needed.