Sometimes losing a day's pay is more than difficult. Sometimes it means being evicted or not being about to eat or not being able to take care of one's elderly parents or any other host of things. And what if the strike goes more than a day?
That's one problem I'd have with being in a union: if the union said to strike, I would be obligated to do so (or risk the wrath of my peers and cross the picket line), even if the hardship would be more than I could handle.
The union has a hardship fund to allow for such cases. All strikes are balloted and last for a pre-agreed period of time.
Not to mention that there are already people who can't make their rent, buy food or look after their family on the wages they are currently paid. The reason for the strike in the first place so that everyone gets a fair wage.
The unions protect us from unfair dismissal, bullying and discrimination in the workplace and unfair working practices as well as protecting the poorest workers. I would have left my job in the first year due to bullying if it hadn't been for the help of my union rep who forced my managers to do something about the situation (I had been telling them about it for months and they kept fobbing me off with excuses).
That is a way in which a union may have helped me: since HR is there to cover management's ass, I would have (ideally) had a true liason on my side when things got ugly on my last two jobs. Instead, I got shafted.
::coughs::
I mean, I am sorry things are so frustrating right now.
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That's one problem I'd have with being in a union: if the union said to strike, I would be obligated to do so (or risk the wrath of my peers and cross the picket line), even if the hardship would be more than I could handle.
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Not to mention that there are already people who can't make their rent, buy food or look after their family on the wages they are currently paid. The reason for the strike in the first place so that everyone gets a fair wage.
The unions protect us from unfair dismissal, bullying and discrimination in the workplace and unfair working practices as well as protecting the poorest workers. I would have left my job in the first year due to bullying if it hadn't been for the help of my union rep who forced my managers to do something about the situation (I had been telling them about it for months and they kept fobbing me off with excuses).
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