Collective Bargaining?

[twinoaks207]

Anyone on here actually a member of a union or a collective bargaining unit? Pros/Cons? If the higher eschelong in your company were going to cut your benefits/holidays/salaries, wouldn't you be seeking someone to speak out for you to try to protect those things. When you are hired, you are given a benefits package, but slowly it's being taken away. Some people have already invested 20+ years into that company and they can't take their leave with them if they were to change employees. What's an old lady to do?

For what it's worth:

I'm in the teacher's union although technically, we are not a union because we are not allowed to strike in Maryland as public employees. We are an association. The good parts -- I have some recourse if I end up working for an unreasonable Principal who directs me to do things that are not part of my job on a routine basis and those things negatively impact the job that I was hired to do. (For example, supervise children eating lunch for 3 hours per day instead of teach, and yes, it does happen.) This guarantees me a lunch break, although not "potty" breaks (we all have strong bladders, you know!). It also provides that my salary is equal to someone else's if we have the same qualifications and amount of experience.

The bad parts -- since we cannot "strike", the association's rhetoric really has no "teeth". The result of that is a culture where the "union" people are looking out for possible future jobs with the school system and are very careful about who they "tick off". It is all incredibly political and they will throw people under the bus with no hesitation.

I grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, daughter of a steel worker. I know unions and I've seen them work. A good union can walk the line between getting the best deal for their members and keeping the company in business. Sometimes, you just have to take a stand. Investigate the union that is seeking to represent you, talk to others who are represented by them, and then make your own decision.

 

[kwillia]

I've worked as a contractor in the private sector since the 80s.... 6 different companies over the years.... never had accrued sick leave been a leave that paid out when you left the company. The sick leave benefit was put in place so that an employee had access to "auxillary" leave in case of an illness or injury without having to touch their vacation leave. And what a nice benefit that was...

A few years ago, many private companies have had to do away with sick leave altogether because a benefit that was factored into overhead as a "might get used on occassion" became a huge draw on overhead because it became the "I can't take it with me so I'll fudge an illness in order to use my sick leave up before I tap into my accrued vacation" leave.

For the companies that I know of that did away with sick leave, I do not know of one person that quit the company or threatened to unionize because they lost this benefit.

 

[kwillia]

I grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, daughter of a steel worker. I know unions and I've seen them work. A good union can walk the line between getting the best deal for their members and keeping the company in business. Sometimes, you just have to take a stand. Investigate the union that is seeking to represent you, talk to others who are represented by them, and then make your own decision.

My granddad was a Pennsylvania coal miner... I too know why unions can be important. However, I no longer believe unions in genearl are willing to be reasonable.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

A few years ago, many private companies have had to do away with sick leave altogether because a benefit that was factored into overhead as a "might get used on occassion" became a huge draw on overhead because it became the "I can't take it with me so I'll fudge an illness in order to use my sick leave up before I tap into my accrued vacation" leave..

The leave was already factored into the employer's budget for the year, so if every last bit of it was used, there should be no negative impact.

 

[kwillia]

The leave was already factored into the employer's budget for the year, so if every last bit of it was used, there should be no negative impact.

The point I was trying to make was that sick leave was not a "cash out" benefit and because employees were abusing it it was at the top of the list of overhead expenses to go when it came time to tighten the belt. Boy you are annoying.

Though sick leave is budgeted for and can be covered should every last hour get used, unused sick leave can go back in the pot and keep overhead down... it's original design which got lost in this entitlement day and age.

 

[twinoaks207]

My granddad was a Pennsylvania coal miner... I too know why unions can be important. However, I no longer believe unions in genearl are willing to be reasonable.

It's like anything else... you get out of it what you put into it (or garbage in = garbage out). That's why I said to check out the Union that wants to come in and investigate it thoroughly. Nothing worse than going from the frying pan into the fire and paying good money to the group that's throwing you into the fire.