I honestly did not know that. I’ve been wondering how, for example, UAW workers can afford to strike for weeks.
Comment on Amazon anti Union propaganda
Spuddaccino@reddthat.com 8 months agoFor union dues, I’ll sometimes bring up strikes. People know that when unions strike, they aren’t working, and when they aren’t working, they aren’t getting paid. What they don’t realize is that most unions pay the employees during strikes, and that money has to come from somewhere.
magnetosphere@kbin.social 8 months ago
TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id 8 months ago
The downside is that you won’t get paid as much as you would working. My union pays $200 a day to anyone on a picket line, but as a strike goes on, the money starts to run out.
Fortunately it hasn’t come to that for us.
Elivey@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Better than getting nothing during that time! $200/day for me would be a lot of money.
TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id 8 months ago
My local went on strike once in 2019, it lasted one day and everyone who picketed got $200.
Last year we threatened to strike, had an authorization vote, but our signatory contractors association wanted nothing to do with it and we basically got everything we asked for with no work stoppage.
The deal in my part of the country is that what with the CHIPS Act, there’s literally billions of dollars on the table and our signatory contractors can’t afford to get bogged down in labor disputes.
The upshot is that it leaves the unions sitting pretty since they can’t access these incredibly lucrative contracts without using highly-trained union labor.
There’s more to do with EMRs and the like, but I won’t bore you with the details.
CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 8 months ago
I know this might not apply elsewhere as I’m in Australia, but I always bring up that your union fees are totally tax deductible so you get it all back at tax time.
SARGEx117@lemmy.world 8 months ago
You’re literally partially making sure you still get PAID when shit happens.
Very good point, and I honestly wonder how common that knowledge even is.
Then again, almost all anti-union propaganda hinges on people not knowing enough about the subject to call it out. As with most propaganda.
Gyrolemmy@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I personally never realized that striking employees get paid for time they were on strike. Kinda seems weird if you ask me. Like they didnt do any work and what if the company had someone else fill their spot. Seems like that wouldn’t really make sense.
Perhaps if the union end of strike terms were to fill backpay then it makes sense.
SARGEx117@lemmy.world 8 months ago
Hmm. It’s been a thing for every union I’ve been a part of, but it makes sense it wouldn’t be ALL of them that do it. I’m sure some just simply aren’t large enough to do it like that.
Touching_Grass@lemmy.world 8 months ago
I would be worried the Union management isn’t corrupt though.
TheSanSabaSongbird@lemdro.id 8 months ago
That’s something to worry about in every arena that involves money, not just unions. It’s just a fact of life that there are crooks and liars in the world.
Touching_Grass@lemmy.world 8 months ago
That’s true. I think that’s just what I’m trying to say. Unions are best for most jobs but are not great for all jobs. And they do have s lot of problems younger people might not realize. Some unions are bad for stiffing younger members giving work to older more experienced guys while younger guys pay the same dues. They can become the same shit different structure. So I’m not saying don’t unionize. But I am saying make sure the union serves its members and does not become just another thing that fucks you.
In the end I prefer things like cooperatives over unions but we’re a long way from there. But they also suffer the same old boys club. In the end I think we overlook that we’re all just evil corporation’s without power and money. In the end we should look at the culture itself because there’s a reason corruption is king
intensely_human@lemm.ee 8 months ago
In every arena that involves authority.
phobiac@lemmy.world 8 months ago
No concerns about the company management being corrupt and working against your interests, though?
intensely_human@lemm.ee 8 months ago
The company is openly for its own interest. Corrupting the company would mean using the company for something other than seeking profit. A union, which is on your side, is the thing where corruption makes it go from serving you to not serving you. A company wasn’t serving you in the first place.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 8 months ago
so get involved and make sure it isn’t? tell people if you think the management is corrupt so they can be tossed out on their ass.