United steel workers

Someone in our factory contacted the usw about representing our factories 500 or so employees, went to a meeting, liked the guy and what he said. Anyone here union members? Offer thoughts on them?

glenn where are you?

I’ve been in the laborers union since 06, definitely different t being a factory worker so I don’t know what your contract looks like. But I have been happy with the union. And I have great benefits and pay.

Bearcat89 wrote:

I’ve been in the laborers union since 06, definitely different t being a factory worker so I don’t know what your contract looks like. But I have been happy with the union. And I have great benefits and pay.

the union rep is meeting with employees now, had a series of meetings, nothing happened yet

The benefits and Healthcare make union membership worth it.

MX1825 wrote:

glenn where are you?

I’m here.

As bearcat said, there is a jig difference in being in a shop vs field construction.

I have a shop background, both as a shop worker and a rep for shops.

Regardless of what nay sayers say, when you do get an agreement it’s been agreed upon by BOTH parties. Company and members.

The other and main reason to choose union representation is YOU have as say in your wages, hours of work and terms and conditions of employment

A y specific questions ask, just remember every union represents a different type of labor

It’s a good thing that people have the right to decide on whether they want a union or not. I myself am not in a union. My dad was a union member – IBEW – and worked for Western Electric for over 40 years. He said the unions help establish the middle class in America.
He would also say that how the company treats the employees was just as important as the union – maybe even more so. W.E. treated the employees well as management wanted to attract and keep the best local workers. Near the end of his career at W.E. he would often wonder out load if the union was really necessary at W.E.
That’s how well the company treated the employees.

I’ve worked union and non-union jobs. There are definitely perks to being unionized(and drawbacks), but a million variables as well. I’ve heard the horror stories and claims of crookedness from guys who are non-union employers/contractors but I don’t know what to believe. I’ve also experienced lazy, worthless, sellout union reps/stewards more than once, who were well-known and disliked amongst the majority of workers. I’m sure it varies but I still don’t hear a common consensus among the back-breakers and money-makers, though. Split decision? Idk.

Glenn- I know(think?) you were a rep, so maybe you have better input. But you seem like a really great guy who’s honest and kind. So that’s all I’ll say.

Interested in others’ thoughts on this.

btyreprich-

If companies just appreciated and treated their workers well, there wouldn’t be a need for unions! Unfortunately that’s not often the case because some humans will always be greedy, slimy, and mean.

labdaddy…..yes i was a rep for 13 1/2 years….a union steward in the shop for over 24 of my 28 years being employed by the same company.

first…bad reps stewards……now i only speak for the Union i belonged to. bylaws state union stewards are appointed by the local leadership…..in out local they let the membership elect them. if they not liked they get voted out.

the leadership at the international level………they get graded and renewed on a yearly basis. out international just did a major house cleaning….to the point of cutting 20 million in payroll and put new reps in !

as far as lazy..bad union members workers…… both parties have agreed to 2 different types of work rules….immediate discharge and a progressive discipline work rules. these rules are to either change the employees habits or eventually get them terminated for not changing there habits in the workplace.

your comment on honest and kind….i kinda laughed……in a good way. there was nothing more i enjoyed then arguing with management and $400 an hour lawyers companies hire to negotiate contracts. the first thing you learn as the rep is…its not your contract…….its the members that work there.

someone made reference to if employers treat there people well…..why use is a union. i had a shop like that….they were union when i took over…….still are. actually there were 2 unions representing that faculity…us and the Machinists…..yes they treated there people well.and was the easiest negotiations ever. it just keeps employers from preferential treatment of certain employees.

My only question in a Union shop why should I work my tail off as I cannot get a raise from my own efforts? There is no incentive to bust butt to get ahead of the rest in the shop.

Tom P. wrote:

My only question in a Union shop why should I work my tail off as I cannot get a raise from my own efforts? There is no incentive to bust butt to get ahead of the rest in the shop.

you can…….and i’ve seen it done to certain people. contract raises are a minimum and there is NOTHING in any agreement that i’ve ever been a part of that says a company CANNOT pay an individual more.

companies usually wont do it!!!!

some employer’s have profit sharing incentives, or PIP, profit incentive performance. its based off of how the company profits, usually on a 1/4erly basis, on delivery and getting the jobs out and done in less time then qouted.

but all i’ve seen that do is pit employees on the shop floor pointing fingers at how good they are to someone else not holding up there end……

Tom P. wrote:

My only question in a Union shop why should I work my tail off as I cannot get a raise from my own efforts? There is no incentive to bust butt to get ahead of the rest in the shop.

I’m paid well over union top scale. There is nothing stopping your employer from paying you more.

I’m a member of one of the biggest unions around and since my job isn’t busting heads and taking names our opinion seems to mean precisely squat. They do manage to give us a tasty picnic of walmart burgers every year while they tell us about the leadership woes and who we should elect to represent us in the union. I don’t have to pay my dues or be a member, however if I ever do get in trouble for something at work the first thing I will do is ask for my union rep, so wage negotiation isn’t my primary reason for being a member.

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I’m paid well over union top scale. There is nothing stopping your employer from paying you more.
[/quote]

Depends on Union my daughter runs the HR department for a 9,000 employee business and their house cleaning staff is a union. They are constantly understaffed and she cannot offer a higher wage to attract new hires as the union prohibits it. Dumb I know but that is the way it is.

you can…….and i’ve seen it done to certain people. contract raises are a minimum and there is NOTHING in any agreement that i’ve ever been a part of that says a company CANNOT pay an individual more.
[/quote]

I spent many years working at a law firm representing companies who are a party to a collective bargain agreement (CBA). Fed labor law explicitly says parties must bargain over “all terms of employment.” If CBA does not explicitly allow individual bonuses, I don’t see how they can get paid. Sure fire way to get hit with an unfair labor practice is doing anything the CBA (or Fed law) does not allow.

as i have been taught…..by our labor lawyers, mediators, and in arbitrations, its considered ambiguous language, if its not specifically mentioned it can be done. most agreements, have language that says “merit” raises, which i try to argue against, but never works!

but then the Union is NOT in the business of taking benefits away from its members either!!!!!

If you like your job be careful how “involved” you are in the process. I suggest keeping your head down and vote the way you feel when the time comes. I know of people (one very recent) who were very vocal about unionizing and their employers made an example out of them. And this isn’t just one employer, many employers will do this to keep unions out.

munchy wrote:

If you like your job be careful how “involved” you are in the process. I suggest keeping your head down and vote the way you feel when the time comes. I know of people (one very recent) who were very vocal about unionizing and their employers made an example out of them. And this isn’t just one employer, many employers will do this to keep unions out.

There’s a process, yea spouting off isn’t a good idea.

That process is called a protected converted activity. You need several interested employees sign cards. That gives you the protected activity. It needs to be done off the clock, etc.

I helped organize a shop, yep they fired a bunch. Union faught it, and the company wrote out some 5 digit checks and had to hire them back.

This might get dusted as political but were you guys as shocked as I when the Teamsters guy was at the Republican convention saying non republican things? I sure couldn’t figure it out.

3rdtryguy wrote:

This might get dusted as political but were you guys as shocked as I when the Teamsters guy was at the Republican convention saying non republican things? I sure couldn’t figure it out.

i know our union hasnt endorsed anybody for prez for at least the last 3 elections. last one was Obama.

our PAC has donated more to R’s at the state level in recent years……so NO it didnt surprise me one bit!!!!

glenn57 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>munchy wrote:</div>
If you like your job be careful how “involved” you are in the process. I suggest keeping your head down and vote the way you feel when the time comes. I know of people (one very recent) who were very vocal about unionizing and their employers made an example out of them. And this isn’t just one employer, many employers will do this to keep unions out.

There’s a process, yea spouting off isn’t a good idea.

That process is called a protected converted activity. You need several interested employees sign cards. That gives you the protected activity. It needs to be done off the clock, etc.

I helped organize a shop, yep they fired a bunch. Union faught it, and the company wrote out some 5 digit checks and had to hire them back.

I know they were already going through the process. Not sure what step they were on but a vote with the employees is scheduled for later this year.

munchy…..if they caught this guy doing all the union hustlin on company time….yea he’s toast. definite no-no!!!!!

glenn57 wrote:

munchy…..if they caught this guy doing all the union hustlin on company time….yea he’s toast. definite no-no!!!!!

Nope, they found a completely obscure rule and claimed they broke it. Never an issue in the 20 years before