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businessclass · Oct 29, 2007, 01:30 PM

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a union member

ballengerb1 · Oct 29, 2007, 02:23 PM

There are many of both. I will just mention a few. The negative would be paying dues and possibly going on strike over an issue that doesn't affect you. The pos would be more job security, better bargaining power. The next guy will add to this list I'm sure.

TroyC · Oct 29, 2007, 03:45 PM

If you have the opportunity to be part of a union you should join a.s.a.p. Though you will pay dues, it is well worth it. Unions are in place to look out for workers rights. Not only good pay and beni's, but on safety, fareness, seniority, and fighting all these things as one collective unit. Not on your own against the company. Check out different labor sites on the net. Remember, organized labor are the folks who brought you the weekend off!

ballengerb1 · Oct 29, 2007, 03:52 PM

TroyC you may be correct but there have been times when unions drove companies out of business and then the workers had no jobs left. I worked for a large aluminum company in the 60's, won't say the name but they made a lot of wrap. Our union was totally awesome and strong. We had benefits that would make you think I was a lair. We had it so good that they finally gave up and closed the McCook, IL for ever. I agree that unions are good but they are not perfect, there are two sides to this coin.

superbarnsley · Dec 14, 2007, 09:07 AM

Agreed ballengerb1. In the UK in the 70s and 80s the unions became so powerful and demanded so much that they completely obliterated the British manufacturing industry's ability to compete on a world scale and changed the industry landscape indelibly. Coalminers, shipbuilders, auto industry workers and countless others lost their jobs because the strain of kowtowing to union demands and negotiating their way out of strikes, coupled with fuel crises, took the business focus off the real objective of producing high-quality goods/working hard to make the company viable and giving everyone a fair paycheck.

Stringer · Dec 14, 2007, 11:52 PM

Agreed there are pros and cons;

Pros; all mentioned prior

Additional Con: It somewhat limits personal ambition given the idea of "what is good for the group."

I have benefited in the past from being with a union and I have had some disappointments with the unions when I was a member.

oneguyinohio · Dec 15, 2007, 12:23 AM

I was a member of a teachers union, and though I did benefit, I was also given the shaft by the union. My situation was that I taught 36 kids for the entire school year, which entitled me (through union contract) to $5/day extra pay for each student over 30. In other words, $30/day times 180 days in the school year. The school declined to pay me, and the matter was sent to the union. It was a year in which a new contract was to be negotiated with the union. The union hearing found in my favor, but declined to take any action, and all of the money I was owed was dismissed in order to wipe the slate clean and not have any outstanding issues for the new contract. So I believe that unions can be great, but they don't necessarily look out for the best interest of the individual.

KBC · Dec 15, 2007, 06:24 AM

Ask yourself, why the unions were founded.

Then ask yourself,where do they need to be today.

Are they close to each other in your life's goals/needs/morals?

Are there good and bad per your question, yes of course there are and I can only guess as to your ultimate question(are you looking to join a union?)

This is what I responded to.

KBC