1. As should be obvious by now, the number one reason employees join a union is because they feel their employer is treating them "unfairly." Unless you're required to join, you gain little advantage by doing so. We saw it as incompatible with our role as teachers to benefit from the sale of armaments. 5 reasons why you should join a trade union: Trade unions give power to working people by enabling employees to speak with one voice to their employer. Unfair dismissal; If you have a concern about your employment agency, you can contact the Labour Relations Agency for advice in making a complaint. A union die-hard might say all of the above objections are merely excuses, based on misinformation. When unions demand higher wages, employers with limited funds may have to cut staff to pay higher wages. But after years of campaigning (yes, it did take years -- I estimate five years of the most organized phase of our campaign) and fine-tuning our strategy, we succeeded in changing the culture, to such an extent that "ethical investing" is now viewed as common sense among BCTF activists. Although managers may not be prohibited from joining trade unions, there are some preventative measures an employer can take to protect its rights should a … Given those realities, adjuncts have to decide the question of whether to join a union on an individual -- case by case, institution by institution -- basis. To be sure, workload, in-group/out-group dynamics, political retribution, and conservatism are serious barriers to involvement. They can also discuss their problem with’ the trade union leaders. In states without right-to-work laws, however, unions can require employees to join within a specified time after being hired. Needless to say, the motion was defeated, and one of the main arguments put forward was that because unions are secretive and should remain so, we should respect government secrecy! TOP FIVE REASONS WHY PEOPLE JOIN A UNION. •   To influence decisions, you need to be with the "in crowd." However, when the strike (or other critical event) is over, newly engaged members often drift away, and the union moves back to its steady state of die-hards-only. This is usually because they represent people in specialist jobs. Perhaps it can taken from this that young people do not join unions because they feel as if they will not do anything to help them. In any event, yes, there can be "in-groups" in unions, and most unions seem to have them. In short, yes. Do you need to be in the "in crowd?" This might sound like an easy sell, but it wasn't: there was opposition within the BCTF to such considerations. Non Right-to-Work States, NOLO: Right to Work, Union Shops and Union Dues, Mackinac Center for Public Policy: Disadvantages of Union Representation. It’s proven that workers who are trade union members earn more than non-unionized workers. In the UK, students can join the National Union of Students, or NUS, which works to represent student issues at a national level. Join Unite and enjoy a whole range of benefits such as financial advice, funeral care and monetary rewards. This portion, the agency fee, pays for services such as negotiating contracts. By taking the time to understand why employees join unions, anti-union employers can work toward creating work environments that eliminate the need for unionization. When subscribing to a newsletter edition you'll also get early notice on Tyee events, news, promotions, partner messages and special initiatives. Nonetheless, you must pay to belong to a union. This is too bad, because I would argue it's far more important for union members to be engaged between contract terms, doing outreach work that could possibly mitigate strikes. Why Join. Possibilities: 1. Not all adjuncts are the same. For example, membership in the Teamsters Local 853 costs between $17 and $85 per month as of 2015. But, and that’s a huge but, it’s not always that black and white. To borrow the slogan of talk show host Thom Hartmann: "Tag, you're it.". A union means an end to … •   Being labelled an "activist" can hinder your career. All information submitted to The Tyee is only available to employees or sub-contractors who are bound by agreement with The Tyee to keep the information private. Union rules sometimes pit workers against each other, according to Fox News. In healthy unions, leaders encourage new members to get involved, embrace open debate and new ideas, and are not obsessed with protecting their positions. If you have concerns related to your privacy please contact us at info@thetyee.ca. Some unions have a history of adversarial relations with employers. As an example, my union local has what you might call an old guard, focused largely on the past, and a new guard who formed because they got tired of new ideas being blocked. If you are not, here is an example of how a union works. Greater Bargaining Power. As an example of such progress, in recent years a determined group of BCTF activists (of which I am part) advocated successfully to build support, within our union, for divestment of weapons stocks from our pension. This is where the importance … For example, supervisors may treat unionized workers more as underlings and less as partners, and workers may feel that their employers trust them less. Following from this last point, I will admit that during my years as a union activist I often thought I was wasting my time: that as an "agent of change," I might have done better to join the Republican Tea Party to convert them to the ideology of Karl Marx. In 2015, for example, union members earned about $200 a week more than those who don’t belong to a union, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although many union politicos are exemplary in their respect for fair play, I can confirm that negative campaigns and vicious tactical maneuvers are just as common in unions as they are in the larger political sphere. Patrick Parkes blogs at politicalsensei.wordpress.com. At the apex of my union involvement (as table officer for a BC Teachers' Federation local, and editor of a professional journal) I attended plenty of late-night meetings, and often worked on weekends and holidays. Unions offer workers stability and job security. Find his previous Tyee articles here. Related Posts. The chapter also charges an initiation fee ranging from $75 to $600, depending … You'll also lose autonomy by joining, and you may suffer additional disadvantages. In my workplace, I am aware of some in management who negatively target shop stewards, but that seems to be the exception. As a result, trade unions help working people to win a better deal at work. E-mail addresses are only used for the purposes of Tyee-related correspondence or comment moderation. But we can make incremental improvements, if not to the outside world, then certainly to the internal structures of our unions. On average, union members get higher pay than non-members. December 22, 2020 Early coronavirus vaccine recipient feels optimistic about what lies ahead. So despite the barriers, there really is every reason to get involved in your union -- and you should. Read More December 21, 2020 Saunders blasts COVID relief package as ‘a slap in the face’ to … Yes, but would like to learn more about the vaccine(s) first. One of the most important decisions you will ever make as an actor is whether or not to join the SAG-AFTRA Union. If for some reason you can't join a union but want to support your fellow working Americans and fight for good jobs and a just economy, learn how to join Working America. •   Political work can make one a target of personal attacks. First, of course, union members tend to enjoy higher wages and better benefits than the unorganized. In some cases, what the union bargains for collectively may not be in your best interest. The first step to joining a union is to locate your individual union and contact it for union facts and guidance on organizing; Get in touch with a union organizer. Membership types. But one can always ration one's involvement by not getting involved in too many things at once, and many activists have managed to balance their lives this way. One member, one vote. But, more than students, it is those young people that are currently in full or part-time employment that are the most vulnerable to exploitation under the current government without the help of trade unions. How to Join A Union & Why Join - Member Services. If you belong to a union, you lose the ability to negotiate pay or benefits for yourself. Why Employee Union is Necessary – Why Employee Join Union There are a number of reasons that can make an employee to join a union & these reasons change with the passage of time. At times, an employee joins a union under group pressure; if he does not, he often has a very difficult time at work. Sometimes new guards become old guards, old guards become really old guards, even newer guards get started, and so on. The most common reason why people want a union is because there is something that is unfair about their workplace. Copyright 2021 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. Why would someone not join a union? However, employers sometimes complain that unions are harmful to business and to the economy. Nevertheless, while this may at times be disheartening, it is no reason to stay out of the fray. Join a strong union and make your voice heard. Collective action cannot help me in any way. From salary and benefits to protection against bad bosses, there are numerous ways organizing a union can make life better for you and your co-workers. Union membership dues start at approximately $200 a year, and many unions charge more, according to Larry Keller of Bankrate.com. What’s even more mind blowing is the amount of wrong … Now at first glance, this seems like the most viable option for any actor with experience and credits. The "one step back" here is that we still haven't divested weapons stocks from our pension. That's because unions have smaller overall populations, and are therefore easier to be influenced by a small group of activists. Union membership dues start at approximately $200 a year, and many unions charge more, according to Larry Keller of Bankrate.com. Stability. For example, membership in the Teamsters Local 853 costs between $17 and $85 per month as of 2015. Measures have been enacted to ensure the integrity of personal information and to protect it from misuse, loss or alteration. As a union activist, could you be the target of internal political attacks? If you give your employees the same benefits and advantages as unions, your workers won't have to pay dues to a union and your workplace can remain union-free. Your employer has the right to hire other workers during the strike, but you have no guarantee of being called back immediately afterward or of receiving back pay. Pensions, medical insurance, paid vacation, holidays, personal holidays, sick pay, overtime premiums, shift differential, etc, are generally not only better in a union shop, many of these goodies don’t even exist without a union contract. Why unionize?While workers in Ontario have minimum rights under the Employment Standards Act (ESA), a union collective agreement builds on those rights, adds additional rights and, just as important, gives you a means to enforce them. Trade unions use their collective muscle to bargain for better salaries, pensions, holidays, health insurance, sick pay, overtime and more. Union members also … This is called a union shop. Ten good reasons to join Unite. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2014 median weekly pay for full-time workers belonging to a union was $970, compared to $763 for their nonunion counterparts. By this I mean that many unions are deeply resistant to change, and in some cases even reactionary. … Although union members typically enjoy higher wages, membership in a union has both monetary and nonmonetary costs. There are still eligibility … And for graduate students in the US, student unions have a completely different meaning—they’re labor unions advocating for fair and equal pay and benefits for graduate student instructors. Find a union to join. More than 84 percent of union workers have jobs that provide health insurance benefits, but only 64 percent of nonunion workers do. If there’s a union at work, you can ask the trade union representative (‘rep’) about joining. Collective representation is a tricky thing—people who agree about wages and benefits may disagree about politics or other things that are more important to them than wages and benefits. Can have some influence in improving our unions the integrity of personal information and to the structures. 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