Do you truly feel like your union represents and respects YOU as an employee?

Question

I'm not anti-union. I know that unions have made and continue to make life better for millions of people around the world. The problem is that it seems to me (after 10 years of forced membership in a union) that there's a certain 'type' of person that gets involved at the upper levels of union local executives. (Or at least there are in our office!)

I work in government - in a great department that's actually well liked by the vast majority of Canadian citizens. Sure every office has some room for improvements here and there, but we're not exactly hard done by. Most of us love our jobs and the work we're doing. We get along well with each other and management. It doesn't seem like there are very many glaring offences for the union to address here, (certainly nothing to get vicious about) they mostly just need to monitor at this point I'd say... and yet ANY time we get within a mile of a strike vote the union execs of our local seem to suddenly have this bullying, power thirsty, 'stick it to management' mentality.

We've been on strike once. I've never seen anything like it. Sure not the nice Christian values I was brought up with. It was ugly. Fortunately I could afford to stay home most days so I didn't cross the line, but I didn't picket either. (In some cases THAT wasn't even good enough for some members. 'Rah rah - brothers and sisters unite! If you're not with us your against us!') I did the best possible thing I could to be true to myself. I stayed home - losing sleep and thinking of little else sure - but at least I didn't have to witness how they were acting.

I lost SOOO much respect for some of my colleagues because of their behaviour that four years later their 'strike' actions are still the first thing I think of when I think of the person. I'm a grudge holder - I know that about myself and I CAN'T see people behaving like that and forget about it just because our new collective agreement is signed.

After seeing all that, I have absolutely no feeling that my union represents (or respects) me as an employee. I know that sometimes we all have to band together to protect each other, but I just don't see many more offences that warrant the level of response that our 'issues' generate. (What's that called when you defend yourself from assault and the force you respond with has to match the force that you're being faced with? It's a phrase I heard a lot when I was taking criminology courses in university... can't think of it right now...)

I get an email about union meetings or negotiations now and I immediately have a physical reaction to it. I clench my teeth. I get a headache, I get a little nauseous. My throat closes up a bit, it gets hard to swallow - like my gag reflex is kicking in. I get angry. I can't concentrate on anything other than hating their behaviour. And worse I hate that ANYTHING has the power to make me feel like that! Especially one little word. One sentiment. One group - that I'm FORCED to be a member of no less.

Some advice please.

Answer 1

Labor Unions ought to be relegated to entities of the past. they were useful once, but not any more.

In my opinion, a union starts out with the best of intentions, to protect the workers from the evil management. However, the unions often end up hurting the very people they are supposed to protect. When unions demand concessions from employers, it makes it harder for employers to complete in a global market place, and everyone endsw up out of  a job. Take for example US airlines and auto manufacturers. Airlines are having a hard time competing due to high union demands, and the auto manufacturerers like Honda and Toyota can make a better car cheaper because they do not have to plow thourhg rules of the uion to do it. And finally, teachers unions. They are the worst. they are no more for supporting the children than child catcher in "ChittyChittyBangBang". Unions have one goal, to protect the union, and they do that quite well.

Take for example, the school district in Washington State. They were offerred millions of dollars of private money to help bring math and sciences to a higher level. The money would not be controlled by or subject to the rules of the union, therefore, the union would not allow it. never mind that the money was for the children. The union couldn't control that purse string, so they blocked it.