a union is a group of employees who band together to bargain for better terms in their contract.
better wages, better benefits, workplace safety. Hours and priority. Stuff like that.
When you work for a company, you have a contract to provide that work in exchange for payment. Everyone has a contract. Without a union, you’re on your own negotiating that contract- among other things leading to income inequality and bullshit managers underbidding the job to shit employees.
the union bargains that contract collectively, giving them more bargaining power and -ostensibly- getting you a better contract. Not every union is as interested in actually doing their job, mind you. most are at least ‘okay’.
The union also ostensibly provides representation in disputes with management. If you’re being written up or harassed, or management is making you work someplace unsafe, they have legal resources on tap to help, and for example, if I want to discipline an employee (i.e. write them up,) I have to offer setting the meeting up with their union rep. and we can’t “just” terminate you for being an incompentent lunatic- we have to document shit. this leads to management usually documenting every stupid thing you do- including being 1 minute late and going to the shitter too frequently. so we can show “a pattern of behavior” that gives cause- because we don’t like paying unemployment.
*unions are broadly effective. but there are one or two that in my experience don’t give a flying shit about their people. one way to tell is getting a hold of their financials and seeing where the dues go. excessive political contributions, leadership pay, vs strike fund or legal rep for employees.
a union is a group of employees who band together to bargain for better terms in their contract. better wages, better benefits, workplace safety. Hours and priority. Stuff like that.
When you work for a company, you have a contract to provide that work in exchange for payment. Everyone has a contract. Without a union, you’re on your own negotiating that contract- among other things leading to income inequality and bullshit managers underbidding the job to shit employees.
the union bargains that contract collectively, giving them more bargaining power and -ostensibly- getting you a better contract. Not every union is as interested in actually doing their job, mind you. most are at least ‘okay’.
The union also ostensibly provides representation in disputes with management. If you’re being written up or harassed, or management is making you work someplace unsafe, they have legal resources on tap to help, and for example, if I want to discipline an employee (i.e. write them up,) I have to offer setting the meeting up with their union rep. and we can’t “just” terminate you for being an incompentent lunatic- we have to document shit. this leads to management usually documenting every stupid thing you do- including being 1 minute late and going to the shitter too frequently. so we can show “a pattern of behavior” that gives cause- because we don’t like paying unemployment.
*unions are broadly effective. but there are one or two that in my experience don’t give a flying shit about their people. one way to tell is getting a hold of their financials and seeing where the dues go. excessive political contributions, leadership pay, vs strike fund or legal rep for employees.