I have personally worked with people who are part of a labor union. One, in particular, was employees that were part of a construction trade union. These people spoke very highly of being in the union and talked about the benefits that helped them be where they are today. As these employees are paid well and have great benefits regarding retirement, medical, etc. Although I can not speak for all unions this union the members prided themselves on working hard and are well aware of what outsiders might think of a union regarding terminating employees and how well they are compensated. The superintendent I worked with who was part of a union as well as his foreman and laborers, explained to me yes these guys get paid a ridiculous amount but they know what is expected of them daily to represent the union well. One of my favorite interactions with this person was while being in the job trailer he would daily look out the window at the site, and say things like, “Steve is going to pick up that trash, Travis is going to help so and so” and he was always right. And I believe that is why those employees believed in a union because they knew everyone in that group was going to do the right thing.
I think it is fair to say not all unions run like the one I explained above with that being said there can be lots of issues within unions regarding complacency and employees feeling entailed to a lot more than actually affordable to run a successful union.
An article from Maryville University goes into depth regarding the ongoing cost to run a union and what some of the pros and cons are. Some of the pros the article lists are higher wages, better benefits, greater upward mobility, better working conditions, and greater job security. Some cons it list are pricey union dues, less autonomy, improper use of funds, workplace tension, and slower advancement. I would recommend this article if you want to go more in-depth regarding these pros and cons as well as what industry you are going into and the pros and cons that come with that industry.
Work Cited
“What Are the Pros and Cons of Unions?” Maryville Online, 12 Apr. 2022, https://online.maryville.edu/blog/pros-and-cons-of-unions/.
