Comment on My new company let me join the union on my first day, within their onboarding app
Hikermick@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I got a job once that required me to join the union. It was bagging groceries part time for minimum wage at a grocery store. Sorry I don’t mean to be a downer, I see union membership as a good thing. Unions are like democracy. They are only as good as the people they are made of.
Yeah, my brothers first job in a grocery store, sane thing. He was required to join a union and the dues taken out of his pay, despite being part time minimum wage for the summer . All the union benefits were for full timers, so it was basically stealing money from people who could least afford it.
I’m generally pro- union but for sure there are some taking advantage
What good is the union if they can’t even get you more than minimum wage? Wow.
Yeah I didn’t work there very long. It was 1984 and unemployment was 10%. Being fresh out of high school I took whatever I could find
I’m sure the union rep made it sound like you must, but I wonder if you were actually required. The major US grocery chain I worked for, the union was shoved themselves down your throat but it was NOT required. It felt to me that their negotiations amounted more to collusion than actually fighting for the workers. I hope they’re the weakest union in the history of the world and that they don’t all suck as badly.
Why tf would you ever join a union for a minimum wage? What are they even doing for you in that case beside making you actually make less than minimum wage now after you pay your dues.
Things like sick pay, time off, healthcare etc.
My buddy kept a shift a week at the grocery store from his teens to 30s just for the benefits.
Protecting you from management.
A lot of times it is another way to “pay your dues”. Once you’re “in” the union, you probably get preferential treatment for higher level full time jobs…
I e. The company has to hire union workers first.
It’s a grocery store…
It depends on the state. Some states don’t have right to work laws, meaning that you can be forced to join a union to work a certain job. Unions are great ideas but some of them really do suck. My ex was sexually harassed repeatedly by her manager at a grocery store and the union reps told her to take a compliment and quit complaining.
Unions are only as good as the workers are willing to work together to make them
The way I remember it (40 years ago) the manager told me joining was required but I could be wrong. It was an awful union. Former employees were suing the union and grocery store chain for how bad they were screwed over
You can’t be forced to join a union in right to work states. In all other states you can.
Yeah, that could be the difference - I definitely lived in a right to work state. But they certainly sold it even there as if you must join.
InternetUser2012@lemmy.today 3 months ago
Yeah, I got really screwed by Pepsi and their “union”. Overall though, unions are great and we need more of them to combat shit employers. Just don’t let your union reps be company men…