Tell Us Your Union Experiences

[mudwhistle]

When I retired from the military I started working for a air-conditioning equipment plant in TN. I joined the union shortly after getting the job. I noticed several things in the 8 years I worked there.

We had two union Presidents while I was there. The first contract re-negotiation took place the first year I worked there. At the time the company had hired alot of new employees and the people that had been there for years wanted some time off and wanted to go on strike. Well us new employees wanted to work, so the strike vote failed.

Four years later our contract was up for a vote again. This time the company did some strange things. One thing I noticed is they took every chair out of the plant. Even the run-testers had to stand up 8 hours a day. In order to do that job you ether had to sit or work on your knees. The company took every chair and put it out in the back 40. When it came time vote the union Prez recommended a strike. The employees voted to strike, and the strike lasted for about a month.

After the strike ended we found out that the company didn't want to go through with their agreements because new management had been hired to run the place. When we went out on strike every concession or benefit that had taken 3 years to negotiate was completely wiped off the table. We later found out everything we had lost. Around the time the strike ended one of my friends that worked on the line said his wife worked at the bank the union Prez banked at, and she said he cashed a very large check that week.

Here at Ft Campbell the union President works out of my shop. I call it work loosely because in the 4 years I've worked there he's never done a day of work. All he does is go to the union headquarters and smoke. Drink coffee. Shoot the shit. Even though no building on post is a smoking area, the union leaders still smoke.

In almost every case the union Steward, union Representative, or the President was lazy as hell. They never worked like the rest of us. They got the job and it gave them an excuse to screw off. I've never needed a union-rep to sit in on a meeting because I did my job and wasn't a trouble-maker. Only the lay-abouts need union representation just to keep their jobs because of calling in sick too much, insubordination, or not doing their job in a satisfactory manner.

This has been my experience with unions. I was wondering about other's experiences.

 

[Agit8r]

In 2002 i briefly worked a second job at an in-flight-meal contractor (where I met the perverted TSA agents that tagged the meals before they went out to the tarmac). i made minimum wage minus union dues. That was my only experience

 

[xsited1]

My grandfather worked for the Arkansas Gazette newspaper for 45 years. (You read that right. 4-1/2 decades at the same company.) He paid his union dues diligently and was supposed to receive a pension. Guess how much he got. Zero.

True story.

 

[mudwhistle]

My grandfather worked for the Arkansas Gazette newspaper for 45 years. (You read that right. 4-1/2 decades at the same company.) He paid his union dues diligently and was supposed to receive a pension. Guess how much he got. Zero.

True story.

My retirement is also gone. The company ate it.

Government workers have it so good. They don't even need unions. But in the private sector the union can be a good thing. Problem is the lazy fucks that represented us oft times never did their job.

 

[mudwhistle]

I remember applying for a job once at a union shop.

They talked to me, had me fill out some forms, then informed me that I needed to be a union member to work there. I said where do I sign up. They said you can't. I said why not. They said I had to work there to join. I said then hire me. They said they can't. I said why not. They said because I'm not a union member. I pissed on their front door when I left.

 

[Anachronism]

I AM a Union steward, and trust me I do as much work as anyone else in my department. I also get to deal with all the headaches of trying to make sure that people on both sides follow the rules. For this I get to pay $17.43 a week in dues, just like everyone else in the Union.

My experiences in the two and a half years I've been a Union Employee..... (I worked for this company previously as a non-union employee in the same capacity before the department was Unionized in Dec. of 2008)

Lowered my medical costs from 33% to 20%
Guaranteed me a 2.5-3% raise every year (it's changed due to a contract extension)
Guaranteed me that my job wasn't being moved from Massachusetts to Syracuse, NY
Guaranteed me reasonable OT compensation for Storm work at my regular office and out of town
Guaranteed my job as now a full 20% of the non-union workforce is being laid off
Guaranteed me the right to sit at the table and grieve/negotiate issues in the workplace

So far as I'm concerned it's the best thing that has happened to me in the 10 years I've been with this company.

 

[HUGGY]

Upon graduating HS in 1967 I was hired by the US Postal Service as a letter carrier in January 1968. After a year I was nominated and elected the union rep at the Queen Anne Station in Seattle.

When you see a mailman in short sleeves, short pants and comfortable shoes in the summer you can thank me. When I was hired a mailman had to wear long sleeves, a tie, a military style cap and polished black shoes with flat no tread soles.

I worked very hard to prove to the Seattle regional office the benefits of more comfortable clothing and all surface footwear. My demonstration was carried out with Nike style cross country trainers with knobby rubber soles. I proved to two different route inspectors that carrying the mail was faster and safer with more comfortable high traction footwear. I got them to drop the military style clothing in favor of safety and efficiency.

I was the union rep for almost three years. I never proposed higher wages or benefits. We already had a very good deal. None of the letter carriers I worked with ever complained about my efforts except a few of the old timers that liked the military styles. They were also the carriers that never had to deliver mail to residences going up and down steps. The administration fought hard to reject the proposals I eventually made a reality.

I know the work I did as a union rep has saved the country millions in increased efficiency and spared countless letter carriers injury due to dangerous footwear. I am proud that over the last 40 years my job as union rep still matters.

Oh...and I never got a dime for my union work.

 

[shintao]

When I retired from the military I started working for a air-conditioning equipment plant in TN. I joined the union shortly after getting the job. I noticed several things in the 8 years I worked there.

We had two union Presidents while I was there. The first contract re-negotiation took place the first year I worked there. At the time the company had hired alot of new employees and the people that had been there for years wanted some time off and wanted to go on strike. Well us new employees wanted to work, so the strike vote failed.

Four years later our contract was up for a vote again. This time the company did some strange things. One thing I noticed is they took every chair out of the plant. Even the run-testers had to stand up 8 hours a day. In order to do that job you ether had to sit or work on your knees. The company took every chair and put it out in the back 40. When it came time vote the union Prez recommended a strike. The employees voted to strike, and the strike lasted for about a month.

After the strike ended we found out that the company didn't want to go through with their agreements because new management had been hired to run the place. When we went out on strike every concession or benefit that had taken 3 years to negotiate was completely wiped off the table. We later found out everything we had lost. Around the time the strike ended one of my friends that worked on the line said his wife worked at the bank the union Prez banked at, and she said he cashed a very large check that week.

Here at Ft Campbell the union President works out of my shop. I call it work loosely because in the 4 years I've worked there he's never done a day of work. All he does is go to the union headquarters and smoke. Drink coffee. Shoot the shit. Even though no building on post is a smoking area, the union leaders still smoke.

In almost ever case the union Steward, union Representative, or the President was lazy as hell. They never worked like the rest of us. They got the job and it gave them an excuse to screw off. I've never needed a union-rep to sit in on a meeting because I did my job and wasn't a trouble-maker. Only the lay-abouts need union representation just to keep their jobs because of calling in sick too much, insubordination, or not doing their job in a satisfactory manner.

This has been my experience with unions. I was wondering about other's experiences.

I joined the Union in 1964, and couldn't have found a better occupation. High risk & high pay for working high on steel. I helped build a lot of energy plants, ships, refineries, and storage tanks. Part of my dues paid for my retirement, medical, dental, legal fees, and other small items. The big paychecks & lots of hours carefully invested insured my retirement. I took off two years for US military, and returned to the Union where I worked until 1990. They credited me the two years.

I never lost a days work because I paid for a dispatcher who had our jobs lined up for us. I was never intimidated by the boss, and the majority of the time the boss was also a Union member, or I was the Union member boss. If you did your job no one hassled you, and I was never hassled by the employer, boss or pusher man. Everybody I worked with were work oriented people, and were usually never the same people from job to job.

I have no complaints with the Unions and I have worked close with a lot of various other Unions and their members. We come to do a job as safe as we can, as best we can, and in the shortest amount of time we can. Some employers gave us bonuses above our high wages for finishing jobs early, and had the uttermost respect for us. Many of the employers were made up of ex-Union men, so that made a difference.

 

[mudwhistle]

I AM a Union steward, and trust me I do as much work as anyone else in my department. I also get to deal with all the headaches of trying to make sure that people on both sides follow the rules. For this I get to pay $17.43 a week in dues, just like everyone else in the Union.

My experiences in the two and a half years I've been a Union Employee..... (I worked for this company previously as a non-union employee in the same capacity before the department was Unionized in Dec. of 2008)

Lowered my medical costs from 33% to 20%
Guaranteed me a 2.5-3% raise every year (it's changed due to a contract extension)
Guaranteed me that my job wasn't being moved from Massachusetts to Syracuse, NY
Guaranteed me reasonable OT compensation for Storm work at my regular office and out of town
Guaranteed my job as now a full 20% of the non-union workforce is being laid off
Guaranteed me the right to sit at the table and grieve/negotiate issues in the workplace

So far as I'm concerned it's the best thing that has happened to me in the 10 years I've been with this company.

Pat yourself on the back. You're an exception.

Course no steward is going to say he fucks off. Neither is that President I mention in one of my posts.

 

[syrenn]

My husband and 10 union things in the parking lot...guess how that went?

Pay the dues or ELSE. The did not care if he joined the union or not. So long as the dues were paid they didnt give a SHIT.

Fuck the unions.

 

[syrenn]

Beer delivery man and time for the shipment.

There is a bar stool in the isle way and he yells at me to come and move it FOR him. Its not in his union contract to move my bar stool out of HIS way.

Fuck that bull shit. I told him to move it himself or i was refusing the delivery...and he could pack the 10 kegs right back on his truck...along with MY empty.

Word of advice to union beer man...dont EVER pull that union bullshit with me.

 

[syrenn]

School strike while i was in High school.

At the top of three flight of stairs, the teacher took her blow horn and yelled in my ear. I told her she pulled that union shit on me one more time she was going down the three flights of concrete stars.

I would have won that in court too...she assaulted my ear drums and i would have been defending myself.

 

[percysunshine]

Tell Us Your Union Experiences

They involve women, and are private subjects.

 

[Leweman]

When I was a student in college I tried to get a summer Job at UPS as a package handler. The way they did the interview was by showing us around in a group how things worked and what we would doing. At one point they told me I would have to pay some 700 dollars to the union first before I got paid. I asked again to make sure I heard that correctly. I had and of course I walked out of there. Hell for a summer job that 700 bucks was a big chunk of change.

 

[Tea Bag Partier]

The union I worked for believed in Marxism, and redistributing wealth from hard-working, high income people like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears to lunk-headed schmucks who work in coal mines and teach in public schools. Consistent with what Rush Limbaugh has reported, the union was a den of thuggery and violence, punctuated by long periods of laziness, and a pervasive selfishness that involved extorting exorbitant compensation from the noble titans of industry.

Just kidding. My experience is the union does a pretty damn good job of ensuring a fair living wage, routine raises, decent work conditions, good benefits, and they’re a good advocate if there’s ever a work place grievance. They got your back. I've seen that they're also willing to work with management and make concessions, if appropriate, when times are tough. I was surprised to learn in spite of what I learned previously from Mr. Limbaugh, that Unions aren’t bent on destroying their companies and bringing capitalism to its knees. And best of all a decent pension on top of 401(k) options. There’s a reason Republican congressmen won’t give up their federal pensions for some piddly 401(k). Pensions rule, comrades!

 

[Charles_Main]

When I retired from the military I started working for a air-conditioning equipment plant in TN. I joined the union shortly after getting the job. I noticed several things in the 8 years I worked there.

We had two union Presidents while I was there. The first contract re-negotiation took place the first year I worked there. At the time the company had hired alot of new employees and the people that had been there for years wanted some time off and wanted to go on strike. Well us new employees wanted to work, so the strike vote failed.

Four years later our contract was up for a vote again. This time the company did some strange things. One thing I noticed is they took every chair out of the plant. Even the run-testers had to stand up 8 hours a day. In order to do that job you ether had to sit or work on your knees. The company took every chair and put it out in the back 40. When it came time vote the union Prez recommended a strike. The employees voted to strike, and the strike lasted for about a month.

After the strike ended we found out that the company didn't want to go through with their agreements because new management had been hired to run the place. When we went out on strike every concession or benefit that had taken 3 years to negotiate was completely wiped off the table. We later found out everything we had lost. Around the time the strike ended one of my friends that worked on the line said his wife worked at the bank the union Prez banked at, and she said he cashed a very large check that week.

Here at Ft Campbell the union President works out of my shop. I call it work loosely because in the 4 years I've worked there he's never done a day of work. All he does is go to the union headquarters and smoke. Drink coffee. Shoot the shit. Even though no building on post is a smoking area, the union leaders still smoke.

In almost every case the union Steward, union Representative, or the President was lazy as hell. They never worked like the rest of us. They got the job and it gave them an excuse to screw off. I've never needed a union-rep to sit in on a meeting because I did my job and wasn't a trouble-maker. Only the lay-abouts need union representation just to keep their jobs because of calling in sick too much, insubordination, or not doing their job in a satisfactory manner.

This has been my experience with unions. I was wondering about other's experiences.

Mine are limited.

I have attempted to get work in Union shops in the past, and been told flat out. If you do not know someone or are not related to someone, You will not get the job.

Then there is the Shop I worked in, that was none union, But made auto parts. We spent 4 Months once on Unemployment because the UAW wanted even MORE OUTRAGEOUS benefits and went on Strike. Grinding the whole industry to a halt. Then Eventually out of business. LOL

Then there is my wife. Who is paid a crap wage to care for an elderly woman (cook, clean, take shopping ETC) and forced with no choice at all to pay dues to the SEIU and sit by wand watch them Give MILLIONS to Candidates she does not support.

Guess you could say I am a tad biased now.

 

[Dexter25]

First off, UPS does not require anyone to pay $700.00 to the union. You either misunderstood,or are fabricating reality.

My union experience?
I worked as a merchandiser for seven up. I made $12.00 dollars an hour. Cocacola was unionized as well. They paid $12.00 per hour as well. Both paid double time for over time pay, and offered a benefits package. The job itself was physically demanding, and at times required a tremendous amount of hours. Those "Awful" union dues that everyone is so afraid of came to about $40.00 a month for me.

Pepsi, on the other hand, was a non union job. The pay for them was $5.15 per hour. They did not receive any benefits. Furthermore, the overtime pay for them was time and a half, not even what I made on my regular hourly wages. On top of all that, there were many times where "bosses" would be on the job demeaning the pepsi employees cussing at them,and threatening their jobs. In my case,when I made a mistake, my boss would respectfully speak with me on the matter.

So yes,in my experience, a Union is great to have in many situations.

And what about the chamber of commerce? It is basically a corporate union,or a union to advocate the corporations against the work force. There are other organizations that defend corporations against the workforce. This is ok but labor unions are not? Why is it ok for them?

 

[MikeK]

There are good jobs and there are some bad jobs. There are good unions and there are some bad unions. I've noticed that people who have had the unfortunate experience of belonging to a bad union tend to denounce all unions as if they believe they are all bad, which simply isn't true.

My son-in-law works for UPS. He is very proud to belong to the Teamsters which he believes is responsible for his excellent hourly wage and his benefits, which include sick leave, vacation and a good pension plan. He drives a truck but is able to own a very nice home and I am very pleased with how well he supports my daughter and his children. But I know, as does he, that were it not for the Teamsters he would be working for coolie wages, as would every other American trucker.

I've heard it said that a union is only as good as its membership is capable of making it. If a union official is not doing a good job of running things he can be replaced. If the membership is incapable of getting together, determining what would be an equitable arrangement with management and imposing on union leadership to propose and promote it, who's fault is it?

Second to the Revolution unions are the best thing that ever happened for Americans, but both achievements were costly in terms of suffering and blood. What I see happening today is too many Americans losing sight of the value and importance of unions. Instead of working to correct the faults of poorly managed unions they are too willing to throw out the baby with the bath water.

 

[Leweman]

First off, UPS does not require anyone to pay $700.00 to the union. You either misunderstood,or are fabricating reality.

My union experience?
I worked as a merchandiser for seven up. I made $12.00 dollars an hour. Cocacola was unionized as well. They paid $12.00 per hour as well. Both paid double time for over time pay, and offered a benefits package. The job itself was physically demanding, and at times required a tremendous amount of hours. Those "Awful" union dues that everyone is so afraid of came to about $40.00 a month for me.

Pepsi, on the other hand, was a non union job. The pay for them was $5.15 per hour. They did not receive any benefits. Furthermore, the overtime pay for them was time and a half, not even what I made on my regular hourly wages. On top of all that, there were many times where "bosses" would be on the job demeaning the pepsi employees cussing at them,and threatening their jobs. In my case,when I made a mistake, my boss would respectfully speak with me on the matter.

So yes,in my experience, a Union is great to have in many situations.

And what about the chamber of commerce? It is basically a corporate union,or a union to advocate the corporations against the work force. There are other organizations that defend corporations against the workforce. This is ok but labor unions are not? Why is it ok for them?

Thats what I remember being a college kid. It was an initiation fee and a montly due fees.

 

[Momanohedhunter]

When I was home from the Navy in 94. At the time my oldest Son was 2. Me, Two friends from the Navy and my Son had been out all day and were hot, tired, and hungry so we went to Albertsons super market to get some stuff to eat and drink. I had another friend who was the manager and a non union member. As we went in a striking union member advised me I should go elsewhere. At some point while that lowlife had managed to elbow me in the mouth in front of my Son. Need less to say he got his ass beat by 3 Sea Bees. The other time was when I lived in Johnson City Tn, and worked at American water heater company. They had the sheet metal workers union in the plant and us temps. One thing I noticed was we had to drug test once a month, and after every accident that involved an injury or damaged company property. We took 15 min. breaks and a half hour lunch. The union guys had more accidents with injury, and damaged more property, yet drug tested less. They took 25 to 30 min. breaks and 1 hour plus lunches as well. They were also always at the time clock 15 mins. before any of the floor and line workers. No one there liked them. I do have one good union story though. My Wife's Step Dad worked the silver mines in Nevada. He was found to have tumors all through his body and the companey and union took real good care of him until he died.