6 ms·

Here's a question for the community -- has anyone here ever been in a union? What was it like? So much of this thread is theoretical concerns, but I'm wonderin

by YCode 9y ago

Here's a question for the community -- has anyone here ever been in a union? What was it like? So much of this thread is theoretical concerns, but I'm wondering what the actual on the ground experience is like.

bitJericho 9y ago
I have. Mine had little power, but even still, someone on your side was there for you for any problem you had. It's almost like having a lawyer. He may or may not do much, depending on the case, the location and the situation, but he's there for you so you're not alone. My pay was also very good because of the union negotiation power.
EnFinlay 9y ago
A relative of mine is in a union. From what I've seen, it's mostly used to combat times where the management uses their leverage over individual people to get free / unfair work. I'm sure there's room for abuse, but it seems to act as positive force for both sides.
brightsize 9y ago
I haven't been in a union, but back in the day my retired father was (and still is) a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) which represents "over 93 percent of all working letter carriers"[1]. At one point he served as "shop steward", a role where he was empowered to present member "grievances" to the local management while having immunity from retribution, certainly for himself but I believe for the member in question as well. As a result of NALC representation he was entitled to a modest pension upon retirement - slightly more than break-even in small-town Vermont, but cannot receive Social Security benefits. He also received a form of medical coverage for life, something he pays some amount of money for but nowhere near what its market price would be if it could even be obtained at all (doubtful). This coverage has likely saved his life several times (cancer) and has been a firewall between himself and the financial disasters that can result from age-related diseases. Being in a union gave him a voice in how his workplace was run locally and to some extent how the USPS functioned nationally. Union members had a modicum of power in an environment where, but for the union, they'd have had none. Contrary to what anti-union propaganda would have people believe, the union most definitely did not negotiate sky-high pay rates far in excess of other blue-collar workers at the time. I think he earned a good wage for the era for a semi-skilled non-professional job but not a remarkable amount. That said he did have job security as a result of union representation, something that mattered more to him I think, with a stay-at-home wife and three kids, than the numbers on his paystub at the end of the month. Union membership resulted in my father having financial security while employed and during retirement and also having a certain amount of respect/power/dignity in the workplace when dealing with management. I sometimes wonder how blue-collar workers of his sort today (and many skilled white-collar workers for that matter) manage to keep their heads above water or have hope for the future. Do they have any idea how much they've lost as a result of the union-busting of the past 30-40 years? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Letter_Carriers#Membership_and_politics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Letter...
jsweojtj 9y ago
I've been in two (maybe 3) unions. Postdocs unionized and made it so that very-short-term postdoc contracts weren't allowed. After I got my PhD my advisor wanted to pay me as a postdoc for the 2 months before my postdoc at another university began -- this would have been EXCELLENT for me. But, union rules, he wasn't allowed to do this. So I had to float my own way for a couple months. Thanks United Auto Workers (the people who ran the postdoc union).

by YCode 9y ago

bitJericho 9y ago

I have. Mine had little power, but even still, someone on your side was there for you for any problem you had. It's almost like having a lawyer. He may or may not do much, depending on the case, the location and the situation, but he's there for you so you're not alone. My pay was also very good because of the union negotiation power.

EnFinlay 9y ago

A relative of mine is in a union. From what I've seen, it's mostly used to combat times where the management uses their leverage over individual people to get free / unfair work. I'm sure there's room for abuse, but it seems to act as positive force for both sides.

brightsize 9y ago

I haven't been in a union, but back in the day my retired father was (and still is) a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) which represents "over 93 percent of all working letter carriers"[1]. At one point he served as "shop steward", a role where he was empowered to present member "grievances" to the local management while having immunity from retribution, certainly for himself but I believe for the member in question as well. As a result of NALC representation he was entitled to a modest pension upon retirement - slightly more than break-even in small-town Vermont, but cannot receive Social Security benefits. He also received a form of medical coverage for life, something he pays some amount of money for but nowhere near what its market price would be if it could even be obtained at all (doubtful). This coverage has likely saved his life several times (cancer) and has been a firewall between himself and the financial disasters that can result from age-related diseases. Being in a union gave him a voice in how his workplace was run locally and to some extent how the USPS functioned nationally. Union members had a modicum of power in an environment where, but for the union, they'd have had none. Contrary to what anti-union propaganda would have people believe, the union most definitely did not negotiate sky-high pay rates far in excess of other blue-collar workers at the time. I think he earned a good wage for the era for a semi-skilled non-professional job but not a remarkable amount. That said he did have job security as a result of union representation, something that mattered more to him I think, with a stay-at-home wife and three kids, than the numbers on his paystub at the end of the month. Union membership resulted in my father having financial security while employed and during retirement and also having a certain amount of respect/power/dignity in the workplace when dealing with management. I sometimes wonder how blue-collar workers of his sort today (and many skilled white-collar workers for that matter) manage to keep their heads above water or have hope for the future. Do they have any idea how much they've lost as a result of the union-busting of the past 30-40 years? [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Letter_Carriers#Membership_and_politics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Letter...

jsweojtj 9y ago

I've been in two (maybe 3) unions. Postdocs unionized and made it so that very-short-term postdoc contracts weren't allowed. After I got my PhD my advisor wanted to pay me as a postdoc for the 2 months before my postdoc at another university began -- this would have been EXCELLENT for me. But, union rules, he wasn't allowed to do this. So I had to float my own way for a couple months. Thanks United Auto Workers (the people who ran the postdoc union).