| > So real example in their case, a guy that makes a minor non-critical mistake after 20 years of loyal service gets punished equally as the guy who has 1-2 years of service and bad mouths the company at every chance. Is that fair? I don't think so, maybe you do. If that's the case, and the other employees share the same sentiment, then they can talk to the union leaders to try and change the rules. If the union leaders refuse, then the employees can vote them out. > To be up front, I generally dislike unions, but feel they did have a place in a previous time when employers abused their employees, and in rare circumstances still do. Just because there are laws on the books right now to assuage employer abuse, doesn't mean that companies and third parties aren't actively trying to repeal said laws. Last election we saw a presidential candidates suggest that we get rid of janitors and replace them with children. It's really not "rare" for employers to treat their employees bad, unfortunately. > Please don't get me wrong, people in unions are generally good, hard working people; but I feel the union itself on the other hand is only out for its own interests (not yours) and that means raising dues and collecting more money, which they do by getting higher wages and more retirement benefits etc. Coming from a union family, I couldn't disagree more. My dad is 53 and has worked for a major telecom since he was 18. Without the union bargaining for proper healthcare and dental insurance, we would be screwed. Every time the bargaining contract is up, it's a great deal of stress for my family because management is always fighting to give less and less in terms of benefits. I don't blame them, their job is to cut costs. But someone needs to represent the workers and this is why we have unions. Are they perfect? Not at all. But they have changed my life for the better. > See what it costs taxpayers. If you really want to talk about cost to the tax payers, let's look at the amount of Walmart employees on food stamps and other aid programs because they aren't making enough money to make ends meet. If employers treat their employees well, then their is no need for a union. Unfortunately, there are many industries that don't treat their employees well and you are really underplaying that. The Internet is a major game changer when it comes to unions and we haven't really seen it utilized at all.
Good web software could cut down on a lot of the overhead costs associated with a union today. It could also help keep accountability and what not. |