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unions - are you a member of yours?

chile

chile

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Since I've retired from active duty, I've had two jobs that are unionized...both unions seem(ed) dysfunctional. Personally, I feel/felt like members use(d) it to avoid things they aren't willing to do or cry foul for the most trivial things. I know unions have their function in protecting employees but the two I've been in (one of those, I am currently in) have left me with bad impressions.

I know my perceptions are skewed, tho...

How do you feel about your union and how it works/advocates for you?
 
No. Teachers unions are jokes.
 
Yes for the past 12 years, and have to say that I've had a good experience thus far.
 
Yes and it’s one of the best locally. Retirement package is great and my family is covered on the benefits for my monthly dues of $130
 
Non union worker and have always been that way.
 
Not anymore - I had been but it was costing me £150 per year for NOTHING. In fact the only negotiation they have done recently they somehow managed to negotiate a worse deal than what was 1st proposed.

Unions operate differently in the UK to the USA from my understanding.
 
Been in a union since I started working. To be honest it’s not special we do get anything from them . Paying 48$ every 2 week to them for....not sure
 
In a lot of cases I think unions are bad for their workers and the companies. As a union Merchant mariner however I was fairly impressed with our union. Although I've been shoreside for the last 2.5 years I wouldn't hesitate to go back with them if I went back to sea. Our pension plan, unlike most unions is at 125% funded as of last month. They do a good job of balancing the benefits in favor of their members and their member companies. At their heart though they are a union and like when you make your political donations to them lol.

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Jman said:
No. Teachers unions are jokes.
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Couldn't possibly disagree more. Teachers unions are protection against getting fired because some school board member's idiot kid finished college and needs a job. They allow for freedom to do the right thing in the classroom instead of pandering to overprotective parents.
 
gonyr said:
Couldn't possibly disagree more. Teachers unions are protection against getting fired because some school board member's idiot kid finished college and needs a job. They allow for freedom to do the right thing in the classroom instead of pandering to overprotective parents.
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Lol, ok. Cool thing about opinions.

I prefer to avoid the political agenda of the major teachers unions, and always will.
 
My dad was in the carpenters union and my wife is a union employee. My dad is still collecting his union pension and I remember being a kid and his union fighting for OSHA/safety protection. He’d say the union was BS, I think he got valuable stuff out of it. My wife’s union is ineffective because it is comprised of service employees from many different areas. They are typically low wage and don’t have any sense of unity. That translates into an unwillingness to stick together or strike so the union doesn’t have any leverage.
 
I'm in the IAFF, International Firefighters. Its different than most union stereotypes. I.e. we cannot demand more breaks or stuff like that. My benefits and pay are regulated by the state so we cant negotiate that too much either. Every state and country is different but that's NJ. It is cool to be apart of an international brotherhood more than we already are as FFs.
 
I 100% acknowledge the historical need for unions at a time long ago. They accomplished a much needed task. I am not a fan of unions now.

I think I will avoid this thread moving forward. Haha
 
I was a member of the IAM union for 15 years. I liked the pay and benefits they got me, but hated the greed, corruption and the bickering with the company. Am no longer a union member and glad of it.
 
Jman said:
Lol, ok. Cool thing about opinions.

I prefer to avoid the political agenda of the major teachers unions, and always will.
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No issue with that. I was thinking much more at the local level anyway. I don't usually pay much attention to what NEA or AFT is raving about anyway. Even at the state level it's a mix of good and bad.
 
Im not because my workplace isnt union. My parents were in unions most of their adult working lives and they always said that a union is only as good as the people who are in them.
If you have people who truly want to fight for the rights of the workers, a union can be great. If those same people are greedy, petty and childish, a union can be a joke.
Im personally a fan of unions because many of the benefits that we all enjoy today such as fair pay, a fair number of working hours per day, weekends, vacation days, etc, etc, etc would not exist if it werent for unions. Some might say that unions arent really needed any more but I would say that there is an interesting corrolation between how much less common and weaker unions are today than they were in the past and how working people are facing lower and lower wages and fewer and fewer benefits every year. IMO, unions are needed today more than ever.
 
I have been a member of four different unions. I have seen both side of the table as a union Rep. and a salaried manager of a union shop. Admittedly my experience was mixed, the worst work place transgressions took place in a non union environment including acts of appalling racism, in cruelty. I could go on and on but as an example I once witnessed a manager curse and threatened on fellow worker as he had a heart attack on the shop floor. Of course the union shops payed better but the non union shops generally kept up wage wise especially when the industry was thriving.
I could just as easily recall instances where union bullheadedness and a lack of business understanding led to shops going out of business or fleeing to other states just to survive.
One thing I wish people could understand is that whether my or your experience was positive or negative the labor movement is responsible for many of the work place improvements over the last 200 years.
 
Jman said:
No. Teachers unions are jokes.
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Are you a teacher? I teach in New York, our unions are strong and have advocated for teachers and students.
 
Jman said:
No. Teachers unions are jokes.
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Also provides a layer of protection from nepotism, otherwise the majority of each district would be related to a board member or administrator.

Blanket statements like that are ignorant.
 
Long Shot said:
Are you a teacher? I teach in New York, our unions are strong and have advocated for teachers and students.
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He is. I found another thing that @Jman and I see eye to eye on.

I agree with someone above who said unions had their place a long time ago, but not so much anymore. Also, the person who said member use them to avoid doing stuff they don't wanna do. Mostly their job.

As far as ensuring fair pay, I've always figured of unmade myself worth the pay I'm being paid, then I don't have anything to worry about. If I feel ill worth more, it's on me to negotiate more. Just because I'm worth more, though, doesn't mean my peers are... and vice versa.
 
Long Shot said:
Also provides a layer of protection from nepotism, otherwise the majority of each district would be related to a board member or administrator.

Blanket statements like that are ignorant.
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Or, a personal opinion. I disagree with yours, but I’m not calling you ignorant.
 
OGputtnfool said:
He is. I found another thing that @Jman and I see eye to eye on.

I agree with someone above who said unions had their place a long time ago, but not so much anymore. Also, the person who said member use them to avoid doing stuff they don't wanna do. Mostly their job.

As far as ensuring fair pay, I've always figured of unmade myself worth the pay I'm being paid, then I don't have anything to worry about. If I feel ill worth more, it's on me to negotiate more. Just because I'm worth more, though, doesn't mean my peers are... and vice versa.
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As a teacher there are times the union is frustrating, in regards to worth and such, I at times get frustrated when a colleague doesn’t pull their weight. But in NY we have very local school districts and unions do much more good for the teachers and the community than not. We are fortunate to have strong unions here. I think unions in other parts of the country have suffered and degraded with the anti union movement and the Janus decision.
 
Jman said:
Or, a personal opinion. I disagree with yours, but I’m not calling you ignorant.
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only calling blanket statements ignorant, not calling you ignorant at all.
 
Long Shot said:
only calling blanket statements ignorant, not calling you ignorant at all.
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My “blanket” statement is mine though, so....

There’s nothing that will change my mind on this one, the major associations have ulterior motives I want no part of.
 
I have no personal experience with teachers unions per se, but plenty of experience dealing with unions or more accurately dealing with employees shenanigans because they know the union will protect them. I think there should be a fine and suspension levied for anyone who threatens "maybe I'll call the union" (or similar threat) and doesn't follow through.
 
I think all unions are obviously different, and have changed over time. At least in my area they sure are not fighting or bickering like they did in the past. Protection is not what it once was either. My union is not as big as some and quite honestly we easily have one of the better complete packages. Pension, benefits, pay and so forth. They do not get overly involved. We make a little less than some of the trades but we get paid vacation and sick time. In addition to the fact that I could retire with enough of a package after only 10 years. Our fine governor thinks he is going to start school up in June. The teachers union here is pretty strong and I seriously doubt it will happen, nor do I blame them.
 
OGputtnfool said:
I have no personal experience with teachers unions per se, but plenty of experience dealing with unions or more accurately dealing with employees shenanigans because they know the union will protect them. I think there should be a fine and suspension levied for anyone who threatens "maybe I'll call the union" (or similar threat) and doesn't follow through.
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This one is funny to me. We have that guy at work. Its his response anytime something comes up that he doesnt want to do. Now they wont fire him for it, but they can ship him to a less desirable site or location. You know, like San Francisco. :ROFLMAO:
 
All the good teachers I ever had didn't need a union and probably could have made more money without one. The plethora of bad ones I had most definitely needed a union, especially that geometry teacher that had us watch movies and listen to music 3 classes a week.

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