Work unions

I have always believed in Unions. I work in the transportation industry as a public bus driver and we have a union. Not only do we have a decent living wage (top pay is $19 an hour in Florida), employees get free health, life, vision and dental insurance. We have a company paid retirement. After your first year, we get two weeks paid vacation, after 5 years it goes up to 3 weeks with the maximum of 5 weeks paid vacation a year. We also earn sick pay everyweek and get 4 paid personal days a year (it comes out of your sick pay). Our boss has often tried to bust the Union. He wants to pay $6.50 an hour with no benefits. Most jobs don't offer benefits at all. I think that my union dues are a good investment plus they are tax deductible.

I do not know what type of job you have, but the unions I have seen in the auto industry aren't much better. I personally think unions are a joke. They aren't out to help the working person anymore, they are just out to pocket as much money as they can. Most of the jobs around my area do not have a union, they are a big hindrance to the jobs and the people. Sadly, but true, most plants around here are ran & owned by the Japanese and they treat their employees very well without a union. They have strict rules, tardiness, absentees, and laziness are not tolerated and they will fire you on the spot. If you are a good hard worker that never is late or tardy, then you will have it made there.

I have always supported the theory of unions but unfortunately too many leaders have mucked up a good thing. What gripes me about union leaders is they always urged workers to strike. Normally going on strike means loss of pay for the workers but the leaders always get their salary no matter what. I would like to see individual unions in work places where the leadership is rotated among the workers with no added pay. It is the members who should make the decisions in "town hall" like meetings. Perhaps a more appropriate nomenclature would be "spokesperson" rather than president or leader. I feel that if the workers are forced to pay dues each individual must have a say in every action taken. Once a decision has been made as to what should be taken up with the company leaders by the "spokesman" representing the will of the workers. It is unfeasible under any circumstances but at least it would be more democratic and there would not be as many "millionaires at workers espense" in the unions today.

Most unions do not work in the right manner and only take care of the owners and not the workers, however with today that is all changing and they have a choice if you want to be with a union or not that is up to you personally, which I believe is a lot better.