a benefit of being in a union

[mimitabby]

It was the year 2000. Our company had done very well for the year with record profits and lots of sales.
our contract was up, and after giving the other union a fair shake, they gave us a poison contract.
Take aways to medical, that was what I remembered the most. We had wonderful health care and they decided that would be a bargaining chip this time, no, they decided to take it away.
I was furious so when it came up to vote to strike or to accept the contract, I voted to strike. We went on strike for 40 days. The company changed its stance and we got our medical. We were the first white collar union to ever go on strike and win a better contract.

I'm sticking with the union.

[liberal N proud]

1. That is exactly what will happen if they break the unions

The corporations will systematically start dismantling everything that was hard fought for by the unions in the past.

What the non-union worker does not realize is, how much they will also lose.

[mimitabby]

2. you say "will"

they have been doing that from the start. every contract we have had since the 1980's has had takeaways. Corporations hire thugs (speaking of thugs) whose very job is to demoralize and stomp on unions.
WHile on the one side the VP of the company is saying nice things to us, this thug on the other side (who is working for the company) is stomping on our toes.
It's as sure a thing as gravity.
Without a union I can almost guarantee that I would not have a job today.

[liberal N proud]

3. All part of Reaganomics

[mimitabby]

4. exactly

in the late 70's every contract won us more stuff... then it turned around. The executives kept getting bigger and bigger bonuses, but they took ours away!

[Cleita]

5. Not only that, but when I worked in an open union shop

I noticed when the time came for lay offs because business was slow, it was the non-union members that got laid off first. There was no one to speak for them. Also, if you had a mean supervisor who tried to get you fired, the union stepped in to arbitrate. The non-union members had no such protection. The money and benefits were good too, but it was the job security that impressed me the most. I always had to fight my own battles with management alone up until then. It felt good to have others backing you up.