Have you ever helped start a Labor Union at work?

[palad]

My employer (large PC manufacturer, I won't say which one) has really been shafting the employees lately as far as benefits and paid hours go, and I'm thinking it would not be a bad thing to talk with a union rep about organizing. Has anyone ever been a part of this type of thing? Can you give me any advice?

By the way, please, don't make this into a flame war. I used to be adamantly against unions, but now that I see how little representation the employees get where I work, I'm will ing to consider them as a necessity. I only want honest advice and experiences as they pertain to the subject, not a bunch of rhetoric, either pro- or con-. Thanks.

 

[Russ]

<< My employer (large PC manufacturer >>



...that is, apparently, still in business.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Capn]

Go for it, but in this economy, especially in the PC industry where there are a lot of layoffs. I think that there might be any number of people that would take your job.

Unions are only powerful if they can control the workforce, if there is a high influx of non-unionized people looking for work then they are powerless.

 

[Thegonagle]

<< <<My employer (large PC manufacturer>>

...that is, apparently, still in business. >>

And has a location in KC, MO. . . Please, do go on. . .

 

[Ameesh]

jimmy hoffa is alive!

 

[Antisocial Virge]

Unions have a place if your getting screwed but they also protect slack-jaw crapheads that should be fired. Last company I worked for had a big hiring blitz. One guy was late to work 21 days out of his first 30 on the job and the boss had to jump through hoops to get rid of him.

 

[palad]

<< ...that is, apparently, still in business. >>



Well, for the time being, at least. Give it a couple of years.

Seriously, the company used to have a great employee- and customer focus, which it has lost in the last year or two. I have no doubt that the change in corporate attitude is being reflected in the loss of market share and stock prices. I really think something needs to be done to get the company back on track, and for the life of me I cannot think of anything else to try. Management just keeps feeding us the same politically correct, spin-controlled crap, and never seems to take our suggestions seriously. Anything we send up gets returned with basically the same response: 'That's a nice idea, but here's why we aren't going to change anything.' Oh well, maybe I'm just becoming disillusioned with the corporate structure.

 

[Russ]

<< Well, for the time being, at least. Give it a couple of years. >>



Frankly, I wouldn't give them that long; at least not as an independent entity. They've been quietly shopping the company, and the situation is so bad they can't even get any bites. Hell, even Compaq is doing better.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Fatdog]

Hell, even Compaq is doing better.

Not for too much longer though. As soon as the merger goes through, 15,000 are getting the axe and anyone left standing gets to help put HP stickers on all the servers.

 

[Russ]

Fatdog,

At this point, the merger has become very iffy.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Fatdog]

I hope it doesn't, but the EU gave it's blessing the other day which gave Mike and Carla the warm fuzzies. They're redoubling their efforts to smooze the remaining fence sitters. It's going to be an interesting month for some very nervous Compaq employees to say the least.

 

[Ornery]

" I only want honest advice and experiences as they pertain to the subject."

If you're not treated to your satisfaction, why not just leave? I never could figure that out! They don't owe you any more than a paycheck, and you don't owe them any more than a day's work for a day's pay. Simply business. From what I've been hearing, the Japanese have even started to figure that out!

 

[Russ]

Fatdog,

The problem at this point are the HP founder's family members. They are aggressively opposing the merger and being very vocal about it. In total, they control about 18% of the stock, so about 2/3's of the total outstanding would have to be yes votes in order for it to happen.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Fatdog]

<< I only want honest advice and experiences as they pertain to the subject, not a bunch of rhetoric, >>



Sorry about going off on a tangent there.

I have to agree with Virge. I was a non-union driver for a lot of years, and I've seen unions at their very worst. Without going into a lot of useless anecdotes, I'll just say the negatives far outweigh any positives IMHO. If a place I'm working for votes to go union, I would be the first out the door looking for a new job.

 

[Fatdog]

<< they control about 18% of the stock, >>



Russ,

That's the little ray of sunshine keeping us optimistic. I read somewhere, that in stockholder votes like this, if you get 40% to vote your doing well. So the 18% already no, is a silver lining.

 

[Geekbabe]

no, but I worked in a hospital while the union was first being brought in.. it was some rough sailing there for awhile

 

[tcsenter]

<< Have you ever helped start a Labor Union at work? >>

No, but I've helped defeat a few of them.