—
A labor union is an organization that acts as an intermediary between its members and the business that employs them. The main purpose of labor unions is to give workers the power to negotiate for more favorable working conditions and other benefits through collective bargaining.
Many people have benefitted from labor unions improving working conditions, safety in the workplace, higher wages, better hours and more. Hats off to these labor unions who are greatly benefitting their members who rely on them as representatives to act upon their best behalf.
The main focus of this article is about the cons of being a union member.
Yes—there are reasons you may want to reconsider joining a union or do some research before you join one.
First, if you are considering becoming a union member, do your research. Are family and friends part of the union? This matter may be a valid concern. Many people report that they have concerns that a union officer or steward is a family member or friend of their management. The danger may become apparent when you are reporting an issue about your manager doing something wrong or illegal, and you reach out to your union representatives for support. Will you get support or will the union representative share unnecessary and personal details with the manager or supervisor in question?
Will the union representative be able to act in an unbiased and professional manner on your behalf? Wouldn’t you feel better if your union personnel was not friends or family members of your management? Many employees have shared they want fair representation when they join a union.
Second, I have witnessed a union member who was in good standing with their union, be denied legal representation when they needed it for a discrimination matter. Simply put—the legal counsel was not willing to engage or represent the employee over the issue. The costs of belonging to a union can be significant. If you pay union dues, wouldn’t you want legal representation or at least legal advice, for a discrimination case? This element is why it is vital to understand what you are paying for by becoming a union member.
Third, quite a few employees and I watched a labor union officer give out thousands of dollars as a door prize at a Christmas party. Ok—maybe giving out some money may have been great for morale, but this massive amount of money could have been better utilized in training the union officers and stewards with additional training that empowered the employees or improved their benefits if applicable.
Last, I made a mistake in not doing my research when I joined a union. There were quite a few times when I would ask a union officer for support or an answer—I was deeply disappointed. Why? The union officers provided me with wrong information that could have profoundly impacted my career, but I knew better.
Armed with over 20 years’ experience working in Human Resources at the time, no one was going to share wrong information about HR policies or programs with me. I often called out the union officers for providing faulty or incorrect information that could damage an employee’s career if they did not know better.
In wrapping up, there are terrific labor union I would endorse and encourage others to join, but there are some unions where I would not want to spend five minutes with their officers or stewards.
Be wise—take your time to make a wise decision on whether to join a union or not. Many times, you may have to sign a year contract. This could be a costly mistake, or it could be the best thing you ever did to protect your benefits and more. Make your decision to join a union carefully, because it does matter and so do you!
—
—
Photo by Fancycrave on Unsplash
—
The post Should You Join A Labor Union? appeared first on The Good Men Project.