Labor unions are quite controversial in some work places, and have both pros and cons to them. Labor unions can be seen in a variety of fields from healthcare to manufacturing companies.
Personally, I work in healthcare and do not work under a union, although a large portion of hospitals like mine are unionized. While this may benefit those employees, I am content not being unionized. An odd thing I have noticed is the large amount of postings and information around the hospital advertising against unions. Funny enough, these have actually made me consider what having a union might do for us employees.
When my mom worked in healthcare, she was a part of a union and she did not like it. She told me that she had to pay many dues and never truly saw any benefit to the union’s presence. While they often bring guaranteed wage increases and rules, this may not do anything for places where increases are already occurring on a regular basis.
Also, in recent news I have seen a lot surrounding the strikes with Kaiser Permanente healthcare employees and going on strike. I think a scary part of being in a union would be the repercussions these required strikes would be for patients. I am very patient based in my work, and have difficulty standing up for my pay or rights if it comes at a cost to patient care.
