Early this morning, I met with
a group going up to Madison for the rally against the "Right to Work"
legislation. For those who are unsure what this is, basically the
"Right to Work" status would first, make it illegal for a company or
work place make it mandatory to join the union. Currently, if a certain
employer has a union, you have to join. Second, it would force the
unions to fight for you, even if you decided not to join, because the
union would have to defend everyone, not just members. In other words,
those who aren't paid members of the union would be getting free
services.
At first glance, it sounds good, right? Some people may not believe in unionizing, and they don't have to join if they don't want to. I am actually ambivalent on this one, though we could use the Republican stance of, "If you don't like it, don't work there". On the other hand, the unions can be of huge help. Unions kind of act as the FDIC for jobs, setting the gold standard for what would be appropriate in certain fields. They help set the goals of keeping work places a safe place to do your work. Unions also set what kind of benefits vs. monetary pay would be fair.
At second glance, ethically, if you're going to receive a service, you should pay for them. Which is why I don't understand, since many conservatives believe that others shouldn't pay for health care, but think it's okay to accept free services from the union? Unions help make it so that the boss can't fire you without due cause, and even then, they help you keep your job.
So, okay, why is this a bad thing? Because when union bosses have to put out a lot for non-paying members, they lose money, and may have to fold. I don't think there is anything wrong with having separate categories, as in a full member vs. partial members, I don't know. Thing is, if we could ensure that employers do the right thing, we wouldn't need unions, but, let me tell you. Not all employers are fair about letting you go. It's not always for a due cause. I will come back to this later.
I can kind of see why it shouldn't be mandatory to join the union or you can't go work there. On the other hand, if you're not paying dues, you shouldn't get full services. This is a way to try to drive into the ground the rest of the private sector unions. They have a work load defending too many members/nonmembers. The union loses money, and eventually has to fold from each different employer, which brings down the number of people in the management of the union.
The other reason it is bad, is the fact that when these unions are going to be eradicated, it is only a matter of time before safety hazards, pay scales, and even the minimum wage will be attacked. Studies show that states that have "Right to Work" laws has lower wages and benefits than those who are "At Will" states. So is it really "Right to Work" or "right to steal from workers"? With Wisconsin having a sluggish economy, and S.E. Wisconsin being desperate for not just jobs, but good paying ones that are also full time with benefits, we cannot afford to lose what ever grounds we have as hard workers.
Now, back to the firing for due causes... I have never worked for a place that had a union. I have been terminated for a couple or so jobs. Out of these jobs, the VA was the only one that I was terminated with a reason. Technically, since I was still within my probationary period, they did not owe me an explanation. I'm not even sure if they would have owed me one after that. But, I was making mistakes, and they let me know. But, I've had other ones where the excuse was, "You're going back to college so it doesn't matter". Or "You're just not a good fit". Or "You love International Relations. So, you should do that". Huh, so I can't finish out the summer or the Christmas season, or what? It would be nice if they really told my WHY I wasn't a good fit, or why they weren't going to let me finish the summer out. I really don't know what I did at these places that merited being let go. I've gotten criticized about it by other people, as if I can read minds. No, I don't know why. A union would have been nice.
On the flip side, I have seen where a person really DID deserve to be terminated on several different occasions, and the Union saved his butt. He came to expect that he can do and act as he pleases, and as long as the job got done, he could just go ahead and curse like a sailor in front of the people that hired his company to do work for them. The boss had tried to rid him at least 6 times, and the union saved him every time. Unions need to practice their ethics, also. Insubordination is not something that should be tolerated if it will lose business for the owner.
What stinks, though, is that this isn't the only issue. Education is getting slashed on the k-12 level as well as the post secondary level. With lesser quality education during k-12, as well as fewer people going to get higher education, this means that lower pay could be merited by future employers. These are interrelated, as is how much goes into your social security and pensions.
It is also interesting to learn that home care agencies are exempt from unions to the point that they are not allowed. Yet home care personnel are the lowest paid health care workers. Not only that, but raises are also few and far between, and it's no easier than working at a nursing home. But, this isn't something that should be discussed in this blog...
Anyway, here are some pictures, just to give you some idea about how many people showed up. It was interesting, considering that I actually lost my group for the duration I was there, and I got to talk to welders, construction guys, other laborers, and a lady who wanted to see a copy of the Right to Work legislation so she could share the info with others.
Then, I actually heard that they stuck it into a committee last night. Don't know how true, if so.
At first glance, it sounds good, right? Some people may not believe in unionizing, and they don't have to join if they don't want to. I am actually ambivalent on this one, though we could use the Republican stance of, "If you don't like it, don't work there". On the other hand, the unions can be of huge help. Unions kind of act as the FDIC for jobs, setting the gold standard for what would be appropriate in certain fields. They help set the goals of keeping work places a safe place to do your work. Unions also set what kind of benefits vs. monetary pay would be fair.
At second glance, ethically, if you're going to receive a service, you should pay for them. Which is why I don't understand, since many conservatives believe that others shouldn't pay for health care, but think it's okay to accept free services from the union? Unions help make it so that the boss can't fire you without due cause, and even then, they help you keep your job.
So, okay, why is this a bad thing? Because when union bosses have to put out a lot for non-paying members, they lose money, and may have to fold. I don't think there is anything wrong with having separate categories, as in a full member vs. partial members, I don't know. Thing is, if we could ensure that employers do the right thing, we wouldn't need unions, but, let me tell you. Not all employers are fair about letting you go. It's not always for a due cause. I will come back to this later.
I can kind of see why it shouldn't be mandatory to join the union or you can't go work there. On the other hand, if you're not paying dues, you shouldn't get full services. This is a way to try to drive into the ground the rest of the private sector unions. They have a work load defending too many members/nonmembers. The union loses money, and eventually has to fold from each different employer, which brings down the number of people in the management of the union.
The other reason it is bad, is the fact that when these unions are going to be eradicated, it is only a matter of time before safety hazards, pay scales, and even the minimum wage will be attacked. Studies show that states that have "Right to Work" laws has lower wages and benefits than those who are "At Will" states. So is it really "Right to Work" or "right to steal from workers"? With Wisconsin having a sluggish economy, and S.E. Wisconsin being desperate for not just jobs, but good paying ones that are also full time with benefits, we cannot afford to lose what ever grounds we have as hard workers.
Now, back to the firing for due causes... I have never worked for a place that had a union. I have been terminated for a couple or so jobs. Out of these jobs, the VA was the only one that I was terminated with a reason. Technically, since I was still within my probationary period, they did not owe me an explanation. I'm not even sure if they would have owed me one after that. But, I was making mistakes, and they let me know. But, I've had other ones where the excuse was, "You're going back to college so it doesn't matter". Or "You're just not a good fit". Or "You love International Relations. So, you should do that". Huh, so I can't finish out the summer or the Christmas season, or what? It would be nice if they really told my WHY I wasn't a good fit, or why they weren't going to let me finish the summer out. I really don't know what I did at these places that merited being let go. I've gotten criticized about it by other people, as if I can read minds. No, I don't know why. A union would have been nice.
On the flip side, I have seen where a person really DID deserve to be terminated on several different occasions, and the Union saved his butt. He came to expect that he can do and act as he pleases, and as long as the job got done, he could just go ahead and curse like a sailor in front of the people that hired his company to do work for them. The boss had tried to rid him at least 6 times, and the union saved him every time. Unions need to practice their ethics, also. Insubordination is not something that should be tolerated if it will lose business for the owner.
What stinks, though, is that this isn't the only issue. Education is getting slashed on the k-12 level as well as the post secondary level. With lesser quality education during k-12, as well as fewer people going to get higher education, this means that lower pay could be merited by future employers. These are interrelated, as is how much goes into your social security and pensions.
It is also interesting to learn that home care agencies are exempt from unions to the point that they are not allowed. Yet home care personnel are the lowest paid health care workers. Not only that, but raises are also few and far between, and it's no easier than working at a nursing home. But, this isn't something that should be discussed in this blog...
Anyway, here are some pictures, just to give you some idea about how many people showed up. It was interesting, considering that I actually lost my group for the duration I was there, and I got to talk to welders, construction guys, other laborers, and a lady who wanted to see a copy of the Right to Work legislation so she could share the info with others.
Then, I actually heard that they stuck it into a committee last night. Don't know how true, if so.
I did, in fact, write a form discussing this to our senator. I also signed a petition to go to the governor, state senator and assembly person. Though I don't know if it will work, it's always good to let your representatives know where you're coming from.
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