I’ve known a fair share of people that have worked with or for a union. One brother in law, my old man (he loves the nickname), his dad, and four of his brothers all worked for unions at a paper mill at a given point. My dad also worked for a teachers union. My brother is on the other side of the fence and is a manager that works with the workers union. So suppose it to say, I know a few people that have voiced their opinions one way or another about unions and how they work. For most, their opinions with the union kind of matters depending on what’s going on. For my brother in law, he started at the mill early enough and is grandfather claused into a decent pay and benefits package so he’s happy there, but on the flip side, the new guys have to do all of the same hard work and earn little pay. Then there’s the medical side of things. My brother in law hurt himself and now when it comes to the workman’s comp, not only does he have to deal with his doctor, but he has to worry about the doctor from the company and the union all getting involved, it can be a pain.

My brother overall has an ok view with the union, but he also hasn’t been with the company for too long, so there’s still time. His main comments about it deal with the hiring and firing process. He works with a city so there’s a bit of headache from that, but he’ll have people that aren’t necessarily the best, but they’re difficult to get rid of. Fortunately this doesn’t happen often, but from time to time it does. I can’t say that i’ve really been surprised with what i learned in the reading or what i learned through my research. I’ve known people to strike and i’ve had a good friend that was a scab (line crosser). Depending on where i was working, i wouldn’t have any issue joining a union, but really it comes down to the position, the location, and whether or not the union is a strong or weak union. So it’s not just a sure or a no, like any job it really matters on the finer points and the details of everything.