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Old 06-12-2008, 12:27 AM
 
3,758 posts, read 8,413,878 times
Reputation: 873

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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoRon View Post
I am not pro nor am I against.

But my experience with working in a union job was, as long as I paid my dues I had employment. I forgot to pay my dues one month and I received a termination letter from the union. Basicaly my experience was, as long as I paid the union their dues I was employed. I was paying just to keep my job, no other benefit. I really felt like I was paying for "protection" like the legal mafia...go figure.
My sister had the same situation as you. She worked for a candy company where it was mandatory or you were terminated and the dues were really high for someone making a lousy $8.00 an hour. The only time the union people came around was to get their money. It was useless to go to them for anything. They worked the crap out of my sister 24/7 (and this is not an exaggeration) for weeks and weeks on end and then laid her off and the union did nothing.
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Old 06-12-2008, 01:52 AM
 
9,091 posts, read 19,132,740 times
Reputation: 6967
in NY with construction jobs it can be really difficult as well - only so many union spots available and those who don't get hired on are pretty much forced out of a job - nothing like having a union 45 miles away show up and picket a job site because it's unfair to local workers, despite the fact the truely local non-affiliated employees are getting the job done

they are pretty much dinosaurs IMO - even in union shops defined benefit plans are getting converted and ran through sunset - any employee with marketable skills and the determination to negotiate can get as much if not more than what the union can offer
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:11 AM
 
Location: The Garden State
1,332 posts, read 2,978,130 times
Reputation: 1387
Its pretty simple.......Live better work union.
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Old 06-12-2008, 07:27 AM
 
Location: West Michigan
12,082 posts, read 38,702,294 times
Reputation: 17006
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stone28 View Post
Its pretty simple.......Live better work union.
Not always. I am an Electrician and have gone both non-union and IBEW routes. I personally live better non-union than I ever did union.
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Old 06-12-2008, 09:07 AM
 
Location: Wheaton, Illinois
10,261 posts, read 21,645,257 times
Reputation: 10453
Statistics show that union workers make more money and have better benefits. Then there's the fact that union wages set the bar---the non union employer meets union wages to keep the union out. Take away the union and the bar goes down. And note that in areas with strong unions wages, both union and non union, are higher.

Now that there's a shortage of skilled construction hands non union employers are often paying union wages. But not union benefits. Lots of younger guys don't worry about benefits and think they can run forever; wait until you get older and slow down, then the non union employer may drop you like an old rubber.

I retired at 55 with a union controlled pension paying better than working 40 hours a week. I expect a raise in the pension this year.

I worked out of a hiring hall and never had to find my own jobs. And when I was unemployed in addition to state compo I got an extra $200 a week from the hall in SUB. I never minded being out of work.

Talent chases money in the blue-collar world as well as in the white-collar one.

Being a union man was undeniably in my interest.

Last edited by Irishtom29; 06-12-2008 at 10:15 AM..
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Old 11-21-2009, 08:46 PM
 
4 posts, read 6,272 times
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I worked both union and non-union, in the ny construction field, and i can tell you i live alot better being in the union hands down... Im very thankful for the union.
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Old 11-21-2009, 10:38 PM
 
Location: NYC
305 posts, read 1,001,230 times
Reputation: 151
I for one have never had the opportunity of being protected by a union. However, I have worked in right to work states as well as unionized states and with my spouse once being protected by a union and now no longer having that protection I have seen both side of the fences and I will be the first to say I prefer the protection of a union. I would rather bargin with a union and take the bad with the good than to have no protection at all and be at the mercy of an employer especially in this economy were employers are looking out for number one which is themselves.
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Old 11-22-2009, 03:18 PM
 
Location: CA
1,716 posts, read 2,487,871 times
Reputation: 1870
How do you spell "GM"? The union (high wages and benefit costs) took down GM, and unions are very costly to cities, counties, states, etc, (oh, I mean taxes!!) - and citizen taxes will pay those tax and bailout bills.

I just wish unions would be "man enough" to allow voluntary membership - you know, freedom of choice, and freedom of association, and then we could see how really popular they are - and let our dues dues the talkin'.
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Old 11-23-2009, 04:16 PM
 
13,811 posts, read 27,300,534 times
Reputation: 14244
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zelva View Post
How do you spell "GM"? The union (high wages and benefit costs) took down GM, and unions are very costly to cities, counties, states, etc, (oh, I mean taxes!!) - and citizen taxes will pay those tax and bailout bills.

I just wish unions would be "man enough" to allow voluntary membership - you know, freedom of choice, and freedom of association, and then we could see how really popular they are - and let our dues dues the talkin'.
So you're saying union workers designed, sourced, and marketed GM's cars? Or was that management?

Seems to me what killed GM was the fact their cars just were flat out pieces of junk from the 80's to early 2000's. At the same time Toyota and Honda were increasing their quality. Workers built what they were told to build using parts that they were supplied. They had no decision in what was actually being made.
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