would you join a union if you had the chance?

Question

what do you feel are the pros and cons of working in a union shop.

Answer 1

Absolutely NOT! An employer should decide pay raises and benefits based on merit, job performance or evaluation of that individual.

Unions do more harm than good for the company. And most companies all the way from retail to big business offers very competitive salaries and benefit packages anyway.

You are talking about an organization form years ago when employees, both adult and children were over worked and paid very little. It's no longer like that.

Major transportation can come to a stand still due to "unions" wanting more benefits for the employees as a whole? Thus putting the operation of a public utility or service in the hands of the Unions instead of the Company. It harms us all as a society that requires the use of public transit systems and airplanes.

Even truck drivers will stop the flow of retail and food delivery. Which can stop thousands of company's across the US and the world from providing us as the consumer with our daily needs.

Next time you go to catch a plane to visit a family member and see that big "ON STRIKE" sign? Or you live in New York and wake up one morning for your commute?

Ask yourself THIS question, why does such an antiquated organization as a "Union" still exist?

Answer 2

You definitely want to join a union if you have a chance. The major differences (benefits) of joining the union revolve around the fact that all employees of the union are a group with a governing body. This means that you will have meetings with a representative for your group that will deal with the employer. So if you have a problem or concern you don't deal directly with the company but with the union. You job description is very specific and you are only required to follow your guidelines. ( you won't be asked to do functions outside of your job) Finally one of the nicest benefits is that your salary, benefits are all negotiated as a group, and finally it is hard to get fired on the spot.(Must have multiple infractions)

Answer 3

Unions are obsolete. They were started at a time where there were no labor laws protecting workers. No medical benefits. No nothing. They did a great job, now the are just as corrupt as the companies they are "protecting" their workers from.
My brother is an apprentice in the union and they are messing with him right now because they say he doesn't go to their meetings. He is working and can't go to meetings, and that is their rule, but it pissed of his coordinator and now he's been layed off. Well, he has like 20 more hours to make journeyman but no one will hire him because this awful coordinator is sabotaging him in the union. All of his supervisors have said, to the union, what a great worker he is and they want him back, but the union won't let him go back to work, because they believe what the awful coordinator is saying and not the supervisors who work with my brother.
Thanks Local 3 in Sacramento!!!

Answer 4

No.
I used to belong to Teamsters 957 and they took money from my paycheck each month and I got nothing.
The union was decertified, which means that it was up to a vote whether we kept the union or not. I asked the head union guy (I forget what they call them) why I needed a union.
He told me that I could look at his success...here I am without a high school education and look at what I have become.
Well I decided that I didnt want a guy that couldn't graduate from high school to negotiate my pay for the next three years!
Bottom line is that when you are in a union you make just as much as the biggest loser in your union.
It works out if you are the loser, sucks if you are productive.
Besides look at what the unions have done to the big 3 automakers.

Answer 5

I think I would join a union because they help to protect workers and keep them working at the job. Many unions have helped workers to get better pay, insurance, and time off.

One of the disadvantages I can think of is that with unions, everybody gets a raise at the same time, there isn't "merit" raises given.

Answer 6

I wouldn't. My boyfrien is in a union. He was hired at a company way under his ability. The union rep came out to the job site and told him he should get back pay for some reason (I can't remember all the many details) but then the union rep told him good luck with it, they'll probably just fire you if you try.