I don't care how "decent" your employer is ... you still need a union.Michael Moore's website has a link to this article about the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) from the Washington Monthly. It offers a cautionary tale.
Here is our personal cautionary tale:
Mr. Ether worked for a small upscale remodeling firm. The owner and his family became friends of ours. They contributed to the local community radio station as well as to a community children's theater group. Nearly everyone who worked there was politically progressive. They ate (and grew) organic food. Our kids socialized with each other when they were younger. And when people in the company experienced hard times, we jumped in and helped out, because that's what we do.
Mr. Ether used to joke that he should begin an effort to unionize. And then he'd say, "Nah, it's a small business and they're good, decent people. We don't need a union." And they were/are good decent people. Except when the recession really started to hit a year and a half ago, they looked at the bottom line and only at the bottom line when they laid off Mr. Ether.
When work picked up briefly last summer, rather than hiring Mr. Ether back, they hired another younger woodworker at less pay. They have expanded the physical plant of the business, building 2 new buildings on the grounds. It makes me wonder if they were truly in financial trouble, or just experiencing diminished profits -- a different thing entirely, in my opinion.
Oh yeah, and few of these "friends" has bothered to call and see how things are going. When I see someone from the company they don't ask me how Ed is doing. I think the answer makes them uncomfortable. We could have lost our house and they wouldn't know.
Ask me if you need a union. Hell, yes!
(The image that illustrates this post is available as a poster from the wonderful, labor-friendly Northland Poster Collective. Please give them your business when you can.)
7 comments:
Suzy- I could not agree with you more.
Honestly - unions have become so demonized and in some cases for good reason.
That said, they are essential to a just workplace. No. Matter. What.
My husband is in a union, albeit a weak one in an industry that is not very tolerant of them. However, the thin veil that currently separates him from unemployment is due to said union.
I am so sorry for the situation you guys are in.
You bring up an excellent point and one that I have been ranting about since it became a more public issue in the 80's in business... that is the difference between a business that is truly struggling and one that is just not as profitable as before.
And that difference has a lot of people out of work right now and it looks like Ed may be one of them.
That is really wrong and very unjust.
I'm sticking to the union till the day I die.
When I taught in Illinois, the union was with me when I had a small but significant issue. Here in GA we don't have collective bargining. However, we do have the NEA, which is helpful. They provide us liability insurance and some backing when issues come-up. But since there is no collective bargaining there are multiple teaching associations - divide and conquer.
People in the south seem to be set in their ways against unions. I don't really understand why. Our has been bleeding manufacturing jobs for the entire that we have lived here.
Suzy that is sad to hear. I dont know where people in general come from this situation but its not easy when its a friend. I know things will get better for you two and he will find something but for right now you are right about the unions. They protect your job.
I know once when I worked for this one restauarant back home my husband was on there union but for some damn reason they wouldnt allow me to join and I had been there just as long as he had been.
So I know what he means with being jobless. I didnt lose my job but I could have and no one would have cared.
My dad was a union guy, even serving as shop steward for a while. MathMan is a union guy. I would rather chew glass than be anti-union. And I'm decidedly unpleasant to people who speak ill of unions.
You guys are all so sweet. I was in a particularly bad mood about it this morning. I just don't know what is going to happen as the bottom continues to drop out of the economy.
My teachers' union is really strong, for which I am SO grateful. I don't always agree with things the leadership decides to do, but I shudder to think where we would (or wouldn't) be without it.
I agree. Samba needs a union. Right now the management is blaming everything that goes wrong on the gauchos, and their boss is treating them like crap. When tables aren't getting meat fast enough on Saturday nights, it's not because the gauchos aren't working hard enough. It's because the managers are greedy and take every reservation that gets called in, so the restaurant is pretty much overflowing. But they blame it on the gauchos slacking off. Also last sunday, one of the managers took a walk-in after we're supposed to stop seating, which meant that everyone had to stay about an hour later than usual and all the people who were working a double shift didn't get a break between shifts and worked for like 12 hours straight, which is highly illegal.
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