All for one and One for All

All for one and one for all - this is the basis on which Unions promote themselves.  The premise being that if the "we" ban together to stand against the "them", then better workplace practices will prevail. Better wages, better benefits, a safer environment, and long term job security. Once upon a time..........And they all lived happily ever after. Isn't that the way all fairy tales begin and end?

I've experienced both union and non-union work environments, and I much prefer the latter.  Let me explain why.

Based on my own personal experience, I believe unions are no different than any other big business in America, making a profit off the low wage workers they claim to represent. Unions sell themselves on the precept of negotiating the best wage and benefits possible for the body they represent, but if you've ever worked in an environment that transitioned from non-union to union while you were actively employed, you may not have seen it this way.

For the lazy worker who just wants to be paid for showing up, the Union is a gold mine. Unions promote equality and tenure. If you remain with an employer long enough, you are protected against layoffs, because that working single mother who was hired last summer and puts in long hours and works twice as hard as you, will be the first on the list to go. Last hired, first fired.

For those who aspire to be great, to do their best, to shine, you won't find any recognition and praise in a Union environment. Unions promote mediocrity. Promotions, salary increases, opportunity.....they are all determined by tenure, and your actual performance is of minimal consequence. You will receive the same salary increase as that guy sitting next to you who spends his time surfing the net, playing games on Facebook, clipping his fingernails. You arrive on time everyday, reliable, ready to work..he shows up late if he shows up at all, he uses every last hour of sick and vacation time he accrues, and he spends the first hours of his day, going for coffee and a doughnut. You work through lunch to meet your deadline, he never misses a lunch and they are usually long., Is that beer you smell on his breath? You stay late to make sure that project is ready for presentation first thing in the morning, he asks you to finish his presentation slides and sneaks out early to go for happy hour and to watch the football game at the sports-bar around the corner.  The awesome thing is, in the eyes of the Union, the two of you are equal, worthy of the same pay. Next year when cutbacks hit, you'll get the pink-slip because he was hired 6 days before you. 

So what does the typical worker who makes $11.50/hr (not even a living wage job) get for his $50/month union dues. The union uses the money to support politics. That's right politics! They even try to influence who you should vote for and they contribute HEAVILY to campaigns.  They claim they use it for litigation purposes while defending employees against unfair practices, but how often does the employee win, and what compensation do they really see?  They use money to pay Union negotiators to work with your employer when contracts expire and new ones need to be put in place, billing the members of the local chapter for hundreds of hours to make little if any change to the contracts, few of which are beneficial to the "we". Most changes swing favor to the "them".   Billions of dollars a year are paid to these big business bullies who play on the weakness of people in need, and the truth is,  they are no more about the "we" than the "them" they claim to protect you against.

The days of Jimmy Hoffa unions, beating down opponents with a baseball bat to the knee caps, may be a thing of the past, but they are just as sly, and just as greedy, and just as corruptible as always.

I would rather take my chances with the employer directly. I would much prefer to negotiate my own contract specific to my needs. I think fostering a healthy pattern of open communication, working hard to prove myself, fulfilling and exceeding the obligations and expectations placed on me can do much more for me than a Union Representative.  I think hard work, and a strong ethic can go a long way to fueling a healthy relationship with an employer. If it doesn't work then perhaps its not where you belong and you should seek a new opportunity.

I know some people are huge supporters of the Unionization of American workers, but I am staunchly opposed. What are your thoughts?