Anyone ever worked for a Union?

[Stg-Flame]

I have two job offers and one of them is a union job, but the thing is, I have no experience with unions and would like some input. Some people say they are the best thing in the world while others say to avoid them like the plague.

I'd appreciate all thoughts. I did one of my interviews today and I'll be doing the interview for the union job Friday. Regardless, I'll be moving from my current job to one of these two since they both have much higher pay.

 

[Cappuccino]

100k salary elitist?

 

[ImpulsE69]

I've worked both union and non union. Unions are a tough thing because, they ARE mostly why we have what we have today when it comes to jobs. I also believe that if unions went away, with our current corporate owned government, jobs would become much worse quickly. We are already in a scenario where employers have most if not all of the power.

However, my experience is unions these days help the lazy stay lazy. They aren't as useful as they once were unless you are a dirtbag that doesn't want to work.

 

[sdifox]

it really depends on the type of union as well. some are militant to a fault, others work with management and resolve most issues without fuss.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Probably depends a lot on the job. Teacher's union or police union? $$$

But I've worked in union shops where being in a union means that you're paid only according the job you do. Nothing to do with how qualified you are, or how well you do the job. And advancement (and job retention in the case of layoffs) is usually based on little more than seniority.

Definitely some pros and cons. Can be great if you're a retard with little ambition or education, but I also have some genuine horror stories.

 

[Ns1]

It sucks when you're a noob. It's great when you got seniority.

 

[BoomerD]

Worked FOR a union...or worked a unionized job?

I worked out of a union hall for much of my working career. I also worked FOR the union as a business agent.

I've heard the stereotypes about lazy union workers that can't be fired...with the possible exception of several years working for a quasi-governmental public utility, those were never the case. If you couldn't do your job....BOOM! fired...if you wouldn't do your job...BOOM! back to the union hall where You MIGHT not get redispatched...or you might have to recertify on the piece of equipment.

 

[Smoblikat]

Never worked for a union, but if youre a teacher and you get your tenure, you cannot be fired for basically anything. Even the principals and school board cant touch you.

 

[Svnla]

I worked part time at UPS for a while as an unloader/driver helper and was a part of Teamsters. They took part of my salary as union due. I did not have anything good or bad to say about them because I was part time for a short period of time (on and off).

I also worked for a few years at a large (Fortune 100 company) manufacturer and I did have to deal with UAW members as a management rep. Let just say most of the union folks were ok but some of them were beyond confrontational and unreasonable. Some of them were employed just because of the union cloud/seniority and not because of their work ethic/skill.

Keep in mind that some places you are REQUIRED to join a union while other places, you could choose to join or not. If you join a union, they will take some of your pay each paycheck as due.

 

[daveybrat]

I worked for a Unicorn once and it was no picnic. With that horn of theirs they can be a real pain in the ass.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Most jobs I've worked were unionized. In general they are good, as they keep everything fair and structured, and may stop management from doing bad stuff, like forcing unpaid OT, or sketchy crap like paying someone more money for doing the same job because of some weird deal or something etc.

They do have downsides especially when they get too bureaucratic though. If it was not for the greed of companies, unions would not be needed. But without some kind of authority to keep the company in line they'll just do whatever the hell they want. The boss can easily fire you if he's having a bad day but with a union there is a due process. Downside is if you have a coworker that screws the pooch it's very hard to get rid of them. So it has it's up and down sides.

 

[sdifox]

I worked for a Unicorn ounicornd it was no picnic. With that horn of theirs they can be a real pain in the ass.

Please elaborate on the job that requires you topresent your ass to the unicorn.

 

[cbrunny]

I worked a union job for four months in the summer between years of university. No issue.

I also chose not to use by B.Ed. to be a teacher mostly because the union here is absurd.

Currently non unionized in a unionized environment. There are no fewer than four distinct unions operating at my current employer plus a host of non-unionized and a host of management. Yes, that's correct. Yes, four. No, I'm not wrong. Yes, it is possible. No, they aren't run by the same organization & just labelled or managed differently. Yes, they do all bargain separately. etc.

IMO Entirely depends on the union itself & the job you'd be doing.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Unions are great if you want to get paid to sit around and do nothing without the thought of reprocussions while part of your paycheck goes to a fattie that does nothing.

 

[Exterous]

it really depends on the type of union as well. some are militant to a fault, others work with management and resolve most issues without fuss.

This. In SE Michigan there are quite a few unions and they run the gamut. I have several friends who work for the same Big 3 auto manufacturer and the stories they tell are awful. I worked at a unionized company for a while and, on my first week, got a grievance filed against me because I pinned up something on a cork board. Turned out I had to give anything I wanted on a cork board to someone to hang for me instead of just pinning it up myself.

My wife has worked for a few unions. One was worthless but her current one is pretty good. They have a good working relationship with administration and they work collectively to better the organization. Sure there are some disagreements but they are generally handled constructively.

See if you can get your hands on the union contract. It won't give you a complete picture but it might help

 

[soulcougher73]

From everyone i know whos been in a union they wouldnt have it any other way. And everyone i know who has never been in a union hates them. Id say go union personally. Wish my field had one lol

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I've worked both and, it depends entirely on the industry. The one industry that unions have no place in is the service industry.

 

[TeeJay1952]

Unions don't suck, people do!
You get elected because you won't horse trade and equality for all.
You get reelected because you do. Pragmatism and peer pressure.

 

[highland145]

I've worked both and, it depends entirely on the industry. The one industry that unions have no place in is the service industry.

Food? I imagine the profits are tight enough already without having to pay dues.

 

[Stg-Flame]

A lot of good information. Thanks a lot for this.

My current job is just a vendor for Budweiser and we don't get paid shit for the amount of work we do, but the main issue is there's no room for advancement. I've been offered a "promotion" from a delivery driver to salesman, but the drivers make more than the salesmen and given how little they already pay us, I can't make ends meet if I move to a sales position. Past the sales position, there's nothing else other than management and with the amount they get paid, they will never leave willingly and I can't wait around as a salesman for years and years hoping someone will get bored and quit or screw up and get fired.

The union job being offered to me is another delivery job and I would be just another delivery driver, but the pay is much higher and the benefits are much better as well. It would basically be a straight upgrade from where I am currently, but I'd be working extra hours. I'm currently salary (less than 40k), but this union job is hourly with guaranteed 40 - which at base-pay and 40 hours a week for the entire year still comes out to over 50k gross (not net) annually. I don't mind doing what I'm doing now but for more money, but I absolutely hate when my job stagnates. I prefer to keep learning and keep moving up, but with this union job, I would be just a driver with annual raises.

On the note of stagnation, the other job I'm being offered would bring me back to the oil field. I was laid off from my previous job back in 2015 when the oil field crashed, but I was employed there for 12 years and moved up to supervisor extremely fast. Not to mention how much there was to learn at the company, there was always something new to do and new to learn - I loved it. The pay was outstanding, the hours were horrible (26 hour rotational shifts), but I got paid for every hour I worked (being on overtime after two days was pretty nice too). This other offer I received would take me back to the same field of work, but with a rival company (the company I worked for closed the yard and moved out of town), but I would have the same opportunities as I had previously. New equipment to learn, new policies to learn, new ways to advance, and all the money/hours are still there.

So, it's a toss up between doing more of the same but for more money while working for a union (which don't seem so bad based on the comments), or doing what I loved doing in the past for way more money, but I'd have a lot less time to spend with my family again. I have to make my decision by next Tuesday so I'd love to hear more opinions on unions.

 

[Thebobo]

I worked at a local public access cable station (Wayne's World!) part time and I found after a while I had to join the IFPTE union. I worked there for fun although we got paid min wage but dues were almost as much as I was making.I quit. But in general I support unions.

 

[Thebobo]

Unions are great if you want to get paid to sit around and do nothing without the thought of reprocussions while part of your paycheck goes to a fattie that does nothing.

You have no idea.

 

[Carson Dyle]

My current job is just a vendor for Budweiser and we don't get paid shit for the amount of work we do, but the main issue is there's no room for advancement. I've been offered a "promotion" from a delivery driver to salesman, but the drivers make more than the salesmen and given how little they already pay us, I can't make ends meet if I move to a sales position. Past the sales position, there's nothing else other than management and with the amount they get paid, they will never leave willingly and I can't wait around as a salesman for years and years hoping someone will get bored and quit or screw up and get fired.

That's unusual, a business that pays sales people so poorly. No sales, no business. I'm guessing it's a business in which sales volume doesn't depend much on selling, so a salesperson there may be little more than a glorified clerk and order-taker.

Still, it might be a wise career move if you can stick it out for a year or two. The sky is the limit for a good salesperson being paid commission. You could possibly move on to sales for a distributor in the alcohol business, or do sales in another industry altogether. In most sales jobs, you'll be schmoozing with a lot of different people and making some good contacts. If you're any good at it, the opportunities really are endless.

 

[Stg-Flame]

It's a local distribution company - we are Budweiser's only distributor in the entire state. The salesmen are paid 70/30 split for salary/commission on top of their respective bonuses. You can make decent money as a salesman where I currently work, but since I live in an oil field town, beer sales are directly tied to how busy the oil field is in the area and since it's been dead since 2015, all our sales are way down. Nobody can even come close to their projected numbers, so every month the sales team loses their monthly commissions and their bonuses. If I'm going to stake my paycheck on the mercy of the oil field, I'd rather be working in the oil field and be making $30+ per hour and working 110+ hours a week again.

As for contacts, where I live, it's far better to know people high up in the oil and gas industry than in sales. Though I suppose it would be different if I lived in a place where oil field or industrial work was trumped by other industries. Sales people are a dime a dozen around here and usually consist of car or mobile home salesmen. That being said, I have thought about trying it out because even oil and gas companies need salesmen, but the people who get those jobs are generally the ones who personally know the owners of other companies - the ones who can give them lines on deals and under the table dealing. It's an extremely close-knit group for most of the cases.

Edit: Just noticed your quote says BoomerD, though that person hasn't even commented in this thread.

 

[chimaxi83]

I work for AT&T, field tech. I'm in Illinois, midwest states are part of IBEW (rest are CWA). We have some lazy fucks, but they're rare nowadays with GPS and performance metrics running the show. They're protected though, as long as they're where they're supposed to be, when they're supposed to be there.

I'll give it to the union, you have to be a total fuckup or do something wildly insane to get fired here. Most common issue is lazy fucks and their attendance, but even then you have to have 6 separate occurrences in a year to be terminated. Theft of any company property, tools, gas card, hell even scrap copper, will end you. Almost everything else can somehow be weasled out of.

Our leadership are lazy assholes though. This is our contract year, the bs they "bargained" for is trash. Yay for our healthcare nearly doubling over the course of 5 years, and yay for the shit pay raise. I'm currently in the $39 an hour range though.

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