[mcmama]

This was inspired by another thread in another section:

http://forums.families.com/no-leave-...for-me,t111612

Back in the day, before unions were powerful, my uncle worked as a teenage immigrant in a machine shop where he lost his arm due to improper safety precautions and an incompetent company doctor. Unions became powerful because folks like Mother Jones knew that regular people like my uncle needed them back then.

But today, some workers do not feel like they are getting their money's worth for mandatory union dues. This feeling is particularly acute when they see retirees and new hires losing benefits, or they lose benefits that previous generations took for granted. And small businesses can really feel the pinch when having to hire union workers or participate in trade shows where no one turns on a light bulb without getting a union worker at an inflated price.

Do we need labor unions today? What would your job be like without a union? Could you negotiate benefits and salary on your own?

[MissyChrissy]

I vote no. Unions don't serve any useful purpose whatsoever. In this day and age, you can band together & lobby for law changes, and you don't need a union to do that. The law current protects us from being hurt on the job, or working ungodly amounts of hours for .03/day or whatever. Just because unions did a wonderful job 50 years ago doesn't mean they're still needed today. Model T Fords were great too...but we don't drive them any more.

Without a union, there wouldn't have been a civil service contract. Without that contract, I would still be employed, and the lazy woman who was late every day & couldn't complete a single task without assistance would have been let go. I wouldn't have been out nearly $5400 either. The union hasn't saved job, and it hasn't helped with the increasing cost of insurance for employees. Anything they have done, the NY Labor Laws could have done the same...and they're already paid by tax dollars.

Better workers should get pay raises...NOT just because you've been there longer. Length of employment does not necessarily mean a good employee...especially where a union is involved. It's too difficult to get rid of someone, easier to turn a blind eye & dumb the workload on those who care about their reputation & doing a good job. So, the older employee can float along, safe from lay off, not working...thanks to union.

[mrs_ray]

I vote yes. My husband works for a company that has a union. The union is currently pushing for a contract that get's him a $4.00-$4.50 an hour raise. If you're living frugally, you know how big of a deal this is to him and I. It can mean the difference between living in a nice duplex or living in a crappy part of town when we move. Right now he works in managment and he's making the same thing I do as a CSR at another company - how fair is that? And from what I rememberI started out making more than he did after his promotion at first too, he didn't get the .20 cent raise immediatly. My husband has medical, dental, vision and life for five dollars per paycheck - because of his union. Seriously, do some people have ANY clue how much his insurance (all of that) would cost us if he wasn't on a union? His medical alone was a lot - he didn't have dental at ALL before this. MY insurance with my company is $72.11 per pay check for medical, dental is $20.00 something the first paycheck of every month and they don't offer a vision deal other than discounted glasses with my dental and eye visits with my medical (nothing like say.. a cheap whole set with my husbands).

Originally Posted by MissyChrissy

Better workers should get pay raises...NOT just because you've been there longer.

I think my husband being in managment means he's a better worker, he hasn't been there as long as most of the people in the department that he helps manage (drug/general merch.) and HE was picked for that position. When you're his age (25), busting your butt for a company and working somewhere that should be paying more than say a retail sales position (or my job when I basically handle customer service on a phone all day) - you deserve better pay. And some companies, like the one he works for, don't give the better pay easily. The only reason why the people below him are making more than six dollars and hour is because minimum wage went up.


Let me make a note - his union is for department managers as well as regular workers, just not the suit and ties. He's one of the "gray shirts", so they stick up for his bunch as well.