My mother worked for Kern County Department of Human Services while I was growing up. After talking to her about if she was in a union or not, she explained the department had a union, but she chose not to join. Only around 30% of the employees were union members because many of the employees thought that the dues were too high. However, some of her coworkers thought that the cost was worth it because the union helped them during disciplinary meetings and pushed for better wages. One of the major reasons employees join unions, according to the lectures from this week, is to protect themselves from management decisions and to feel like they have a voice in topics such as wages, hours, or working conditions.
My mother later climbed the managerial ladder at the department, and her point of view was more complicated than before. She stated that a lot of the shop stewards were employees who already struggled with performance, and they often turned small problems into bigger arguments. This fits with the course materials that explain why employees resist unions. Unions slow down decisions, limit management flexibility, and create conflict during daily operations. The HR in her department found it harder to solve routine issues quickly when everything had to go through the union. In my own experience working for a general contractor, a lot could go wrong or stall up procurement of items if unions go on strikes. Unions are great for employee sense of security and working conditions, but they can also create issues for managers.