According to Fox Business employees who work in a union earn better wages, have more access to benefits, and have job security. 1 Some of the drawbacks are that union dues, loss of autonomy because employees belong to a group, and less partnership and trust with supervisors. 1
My partner used to be part of a union and he is completely opposed to them. He had a negative experience where he was terminated from a job due to harassment and filed a BOLI claim for it. A union steward was present with him in a meeting where a manager said “this is the guy with the bogus BOLI claim.” After he sought legal representation, the steward was asked about this encounter, and he lied and said it didn’t happen and that he didn’t remember.
My experience with working in a union has been positive. When I’ve made a mistake at work, I don’t fear losing my job because I know my union will fight for me to keep my job. I pay union dues bi-weekly and wages are higher than several similar positions, so I feel it’s a fair tradeoff. I also have great benefits, paid time off, and a retirement plan.
What I learned this week is that some employees want to join unions because they are dissatisfied with certain aspects of their job, they believe this is the only way to make changes. This aligns with the article Why you Should Care About Unions in the New York times because they mention that “The average person in the United States has essentially zero power in society.” 2 I like being part of a union because our voices are heard when changes need to be made.
References
- Keller, Larry. Fox Business. The Pros and Cons of Joining a Labor Union. 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/the-pros-and-cons-of-joining-a-labor-union
- Day, Megan & Sunkara, Bhaskar. Why You Should Care About Unions. 2018. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/08/opinion/unions-missouri-janus.html