Do you think unions have lost their purpose in today's society?

Do you think there should be no more union positions? Thought this would make an interesting topic of discussion.

My job position that I have now is union. I've never held a job position that was union before. Though I see the pros of having a union position, I also see the cons. It got me thinking what my department would be like if it were non-union.

Don't get me going on this one

Granted the original concept of worker's unions was a good one, but what most have them have turned into now are money grubbing, hire restricting, got you by the balls (for employers), up there with mafia organizations

I worked for an electrical contractor for many years and to get the prime (and government) jobs you had to be unionized. He was an incredible boss with a crew of over 150 that were dedicated workers and employers.....many of them had been with him since he first started his business.

Long story short.......union called Strike, our guys (and our projects) were out of commission for 6 months.......no pay, no work, nothing. This was all in order to get higher wages, which were already very attractive. The majority vote came for newbies to the union, young guys who wanted it all without looking at the impact of a strike.

Six months of no pay, we had men lose their homes, leave for the US for work, suffer terrible financial issues. Within a week of the end of the strike, each and every one of them received a 'bill' from their union for six months back union dues......before they had even earned their first pay cheque. That six months without income totally negated the effect of any pay raise, lost people their homes and credit and cost contractors literally millions of dollars in fines for late or incomplete deadlines.

A good labor protection agency......NOT unions .......is what this country needs. Enough of the blackmail and greed.

End of rant :lol:

I too think that unions are just money grabs.. I've been to meetings where people were trying to get unions in and you could almost see the leader salivating over the potential new money. IMO, if you don't like the wage you have, then get a job that has the wage you want. All strike do now is debilitate peoples lives and in some cases create a sick violent mob that attacks people who cross the picket line.

Also, I will never understand the unions that strike for wage and benefits for future hires. Why are you losing money for people that aren't even hired yet?

Up until this year I was a union member. Granted, my union is much less active in the lives of their members than most (and dues reflect this), but they also don't help much when work is unavailable. Our local seems more interested in employing a select few than the rest of us.

That said, they did go to court over a case for us and won. I feel like it balances it out a bit, knowing that they will act if needed. In my industry, it's easy to get jerked around by employers.

I'm no longer a member because I've moved in a different, less intense direction with my career (to say the least) and I felt no need to continue to pay for services I no longer need.

I hear a lot of union employees (mainly those who work for the Big 3) say that the union does nothing for them, they're just their to collect their union dues. At one point in time, I think they did serve their purpose back in the early 1900's. When employees worked long hours for very little pay, and unsafe working conditions. Now we have labour boards, which I realize don't do a whole heck of a lot either but could be pushed to with the right political help. We also have lawyers for cases of wrongful dismissal. What I'm seeing in the company I work for are a group of people getting paid a very generous wage for doing a whole heck of a lot of nothing. Management can't tell them to pull their weight, because their positions are union. Then there is the group who get paid a very generous wage for an entry level position (way too much money if you ask me and a few others), but don't have the post secondary education to back up why they should get paid as if they had completed high school or obtained a post secondary education. Yet they are always bitching for more. Talk about greedy suckers.

Have you ever taken a serious look at the Teachers Unions? All four of my kids went to the same high school. Over that period there were three principles.

The first was a non functioning alcoholic.........working on the job DRUNK and smelling of it constantly. (This is not a slur or put down of alcoholics .......my father's side of the family was cursed with this disease.) My issue was the fact that this man came to work incapacitated due to his drinking problem. What kind of a message does this send to impressionable teenagers.

The third principle was also an alcoholic, but vodka was his drink of choice......which he added to his ever present cup of coffee. Much better at functioning (and smelling), but his decision making was questionable. It was no secret to any of the staff or worse yet, the students. His two ideas for raising money for the school prom when my son was on the committee were 1) create a football pool and 2) sell tickets on a 'glass turkey'..........ummm, both illegal in more ways then one considering the sellers and the potential customers.

Point being.......neither one of these men were ever removed from their positions (the second example was shifted from one school where his problems were theirs for years, to ours). They were fully protected by their bloody union......their jobs were secure no matter what they did, all the while students were under the 'guidance' of men who in any other situation would have been released from their position, at least until they had demonstrated that they were fit to be in charge of educating our children.

Talk about job protection

Rottnmom, I've had a couple of high school teachers when I was in high school that would come to work drunk. A grade school teacher that had so many complaints from parents, that she was transferred to my grade school to cause problems there.

I have to say that my kids have been lucky. I've liked all their teachers and principals, with exception of my one child's grade 4 teacher. It's a shame that there are a few bad apples that ruin it for the rest, because it really is a career that can IMO challenge your last nerve and there are some that really do deserve a raise.

I think they have a purpose, but their primary concern is their own finances and spreading their union business around the globe. It is a business.

(I have never encountered a drunk teacher or employee/employer, thank goodness. My understanding of my own workplace is that if someone comes to work drunk or high, you cannot fire them, as they are "ill" and you have to treat the ''llness.")