Awright, let’s talk about unions. First off, a lot of the negative associations with unions are either anti-union propaganda or relics of the past. Organized crime hasn’t been a major player in anything in decades, so that’s not really a thing anymore. Is there still some ties?

Probably, but, let’s be real, no one is making a fortune like they used to before society got way smarter than a bunch of thugs. Secondly, these conversations always pop up primarily talking about two things:police unions and autoworker unions. Auto unions didn’t destroy the car

industry. The car industry destroyed itself by outsourcing for cheap parts and labor, moving their plants to “right to work” states, and not evolving past the needs of society. The auto unions bargained for pay and benefits in return for labor that they provided and then were

the scapegoat for a bunch of suits and bean counters and shitheads with MBA’s being greedy motherfuckers.

Police unions are notorious for protecting shit cops and abandoning the ones who do the right thing. Fuck those assholes, but their an anamoly.

The truth is that most

unions are boring and benign. You have to look at unions through a couple different lenses. First, as the bargaining unit. Very simply put, we bargain for pay, benefits, and workplace protections in return for labor and management rights to act within certain discretions.

Secondly, as service and social organizations. We raise money for causes. We donate to politicians. We advocate for local, state, and national laws that cover workplace protections and rights. In my business, that’s a big one, you know, cancer and shit. A strong public service

Union is almost always a net positive for the citizens they serve. And lastly, we’re non-legal representatives for employees during internal disciplinary processes.

It’s this last one that people largely don’t understand. Typically, in a union contract, the processes that

Management must follow to discipline an employee are spelled out explicitly: what rights both entities have, specific timelines for notification and grievances, etc. More often than not, unions catch flack for these processes when they end up protecting a bad employee, but

the steps in the contract almost always mirror the rules that are already in place under the law and HR. We get the blame, but we put it in the contract because management has routinely tried to say that HR rules don’t cover us exactly as we’re bargaining unit members.

As a (former) steward and E Board member, of you are facing a disiciplnary issue, my job as your rep is to make sure your rights, as prescribed by the law and in the contract, are not violated. I’m not there to advocate on your behalf or keep you from facing consequences.

I can. As a peer I can speak in your behalf, and I have, or I can let you make your own case, which I’ve also done.

Here’s the thing, union membership is almost always not mandatory for hiring, especially in public service, but the contract covers all employees. As a union

member you are entitled to some extra above and beyond, but as a non-member you’re still entitled to the rights as prescribed within the contract. So, for ex:, in Sara’s case where the management blamed the union, that guy may or may not have been a union member, but he was still

Entitled to the protections and processes that are in place to keep management from abusing their power and abusing their employees. That’s how the system work, sometimes unfortunately, and it’s designed that way. We’re all about firing the shithead, rightfully so, but without

those protections, how many of us would be unemployed because our boss doesn’t like us? Show of hands. I’m a mouthy SOB who doesn’t mind telling a Chief to reach down, grab his nuts, and make a decision; that’s a true story.

Bottom line is this. Unions have and are a net

positive. If you judge a person by their friends and enemies, why are corporations and politicians stroking themselves to the though of dismantaling, preventing, and slandering unions? All the workplace protections you enjoy under the law, your vacation, hours, wages, etc.

have been fought for by unions. Can unions be corrupted? Sure, any organization can, but those cases are as few and far between as voter fraud.