Month: March 2026

Option 1: Labor Unions

Labor unions across industries have many pros and cons, along with a complicated history. Some unions require you to join to accept the job you are offered. Some companies ban unions. Some require fees to be a member. All around unions offer benefits but they do come at a cost.

The reason workers form unions is to create leverage between them and their employer. This a company is not offer the benefits they want or not paying a sufficient amount for the work being done, in a worse case, the workers can go on strike and force the company to the negotiating table. The union will have delegates to meet with company execs to try to make a deal. The union is supposed to watch out for workers interest and work in the background to protect their benefits. This is the idea at least, sometimes this can not go to plan if their is corruption in the union or a company not willing to work with the union.

One of my friends is a part of the teachers union for the local school district. In her experience joining the union is optional and she has enjoyed being a part of it. From the fees the union is able to offer scholarships, discounts, financial / legal services and insurance. The union works with the state / county to protect employee pay and time off, along with other topics. She finds the union support beneficial and worth the small fee.

Well her union is worth it there are many stories about unions not working for the benefit of their members. In the end it’s very important to know what you are getting into and what you are paying for when joining a union. Overall I see them as a good thing when they are ran correctly, they keep companies honest and force them to treat their employees fairly.

Sources:

• https://oregoned.org/contact-us
• Week 10 Outline – Labor Relations

Personality and Stress Testing, and My Results

This week I took three different stress and personality related testing, Are You Type A?, Coping and Stress Management Skills Test and Life Stress Test. The first two are from Psychology Today and the last one being from the Job Center of Wisconsin. Overall I scored pretty average to below average on all the test but lets look into each and my opinion on it. We’ll also take a look at what I can do to manage stress and what companies are doing to help their employees.

For the Type A Personality test, I scored a 49 out of 100 meaning I am a mix of type A and B personalities according to the test. This score is leaning toward B personality but also a little below the average. Personally I see myself leaning more toward an A personality, based on my how I handle all my responsibilities and task tracking. Still interesting to see, cause I can find qualities of personalities in myself.

For the Coping and Stress Management Skills Test, I scored a 41 out of 100 meaning that I am somewhat stressed but below average, which is a 58. I think this is pretty accurate, as at this current moment in my life my biggest stress causer is school. Along with that I feel confident in my ability to manage my stress but I am by no means an expert. There are more steps I could / should take to lower my general stress. This could look like doing more calm tasks or doing things I enjoy. An easy one I could do more of is reading before bed instead on spending time on my phone.

Lastly I took the Life Stress test, I scored a 165 which was in the second lowest category out of 4 but was a bit above average. The category I scored is described as “1/3 of all persons in this category will experience illness or accident”. I worrying thing to read for sure, this test is based off the last year instead of my current mindset so makes sense why my stress might be a little higher. This test had the greatest effect on my mindset about stress as I want to avoid illness and or accident so that makes me want to take steps to lower my score.

These test are a good reminder that myself and employers should focus on stress and how to correctly deal with it. Left uncheck stress can have extremely adverse effects on someones health.

Take the test yourself:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/personality/are-you-type-a (Are You Type A)

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/tests/health/what-are-your-stress-triggers (Coping and Stress Management Skills Test)

https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/dwd/publications/dwsj/pdf/detj_9441_p.pdf (Life Stress Test)