I need to vent. Although this is pissing me off so much that I’m actually going to post from work(!), I don’t think it’s Pit-worthy. I’m sure the mods will move it if I’m wrong and it gets heated.
These people all know how I feel about this but because they are my co-workers–and my last evaluation mentioned how I have to be nice to them–I can’t really tell them as forcefully as I’d like.
You whiny little babies! You know that I was one of the most vocal opponents to the union*; however, the majority of our colleagues did not agree and they voted for unionization. We are now a union shop and a closed shop at that. Effective July 1, 2005, a condition of our employment is becoming a union member or paying an agency fee for representation**. You need to accept this and quit your stupid ‘I just won’t sign up—that’ll learn ‘em’ protest.
I don’t know what pisses me off more—that you are protesting this still or that most of you are Johnny-come-lately protestors. I went to every meeting at the office and asked the hard questions. I called the union offices and got more information and shared it out. I actually went around talking to people about the upcoming votes. After the union was voted in and the decertification effort was started, I went to more meetings, got more information, talked to more people. I don’t remember most of you guys doing anything. And I know you weren’t there to back me up when I got shouted down by the union-or-bust crowd.
And now here we are. I think suspension without pay*** should have been in order for every one of you who decided ‘I won’t join the union–I won’t become a member or pay the slightly lower agency fee—I won’t, I won’t, I won’t.’ Now that they are holding your sign-up-or-be-fired meetings, I fervently hope that every one of you has to pay dues retroactive to July. I wish there were a provision for fining you. I wish that we could stand you all in the middle of a room and ridicule you for your wah-baby stance. Most of all, I wish you guys would have put this much effort into not joining the union before the union was voted in—maybe then we’d still be a non-union workplace. Fuckers!!!
*I don’t want this to turn into a debate about unions; I’m all for collective bargaining. I am against this union because they suck; I’m against unionization of my particular place of employment because we are public servants.
**usual caveats for religious beliefs apply
*** the contract allows for immediate termination
But, going to meetings would have provided, like, facts and stuff. That wouldn’t have been nearly as good as all the rumors and stuff going around. Don’t you know nuttin’??
OK, wise-ass mode off. I sympathize with you. While I’ve never had to deal with union votes, I have been subjected to similar whines regarding changed work hours, reserved parking, mandatory training, and now, the new pay-band and evaluation standards. In each case, rumors abounded and no one wanted to believe what management was telling them. I shudder to think how many man hours were lost to the cry babies.
This is one of those times when some people really do deserve to be poked with a pointy stick.
Let me guess; you’re a Washington state employee. This has been all over the news. I feel for you, I really do.
The problem is that everyone thinks that everyone else will step up to the plate to stop whatever they want stopped. These same people are unwilling to do it for themselves because they “don’t want to get involved” :rolleyes: . Then they act all surprised when it happens.
Don’t we happen to have the right to be employed in this country without being forced to join a union? Couldn’t it be considered against our constitutional right for some sort of freedom to refuse to join a union?
I was in a union aeons ago, and other than sucking serious money out of my pocket it did absolutely nothing for me. Never negotiated any sort of contract, never did anything interfacing between me and anybody. I was thrilled when I quit the job and took an equivalent one in a different state with NO union … I had more money and was making the same as I was before <small happy dancing occured if i remember correctly>
::hangs head:: Yes, I’m a Washington State employee. We actually had it pretty good–until the legislators passed the [del]screw the employee[/del] collective bargaining/privatization/personnel rule reform bill. I’ve worked with unionized state employees who should be unionized–our tradespeople (carpenters, electricians). IMO, the desk jockeys I work with now really don’t need to be unionized and the union* sold out its current and future members by supporting the bill.
But as pissed as I am about the collective bargaining bill, I’m more upset to discover that the supposed adults I work with are acting like a bunch of petulant children. They are rapidly losing any respect I had for them and it’s pissing me off that they are on “my” side.
*specifically, the union that my co-workers then decided to become part of–morons.
Apparently it is not unconstitutional. There are many states that allow this. Some states are “right to work” states that do not allow closed shops. I am pro-union, but against closed shops.