I was in a union for three years. This was from 2001-2004 during my time working at an assisted care facility in Pittsburgh. My union was the SEIU 1199P. And it sucked. Hard. It had nothing to do with the job. I liked my co-workers and being in the kitchen. There were bigger issues which irked me.
The biggest was the same pay raises across the board every six months for all cooks. That's bullshit, plain and simple. Why should I receive the same raise as the person who shows up late once a week with a hangover? Is it fair that the competent cooks get the same raise as the one who can't thicken soup, undercooks chicken and burns meatloaf? No, it's not.
Let me make this as clear as possible: IF I AM BETTER AT MY JOB THAN YOU ARE, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER BELIEVE I WILL BE PAID MORE MONEY!
The second issue was the union did everything they could to make sure the most unreliable and incompetent employees didn't lose their jobs. Let me tell you all something about the kitchen: one incompetent cook screws the entire staff. It's a fact of life that some people aren't cut out for certain jobs. It's another fact of life that firing these people is the best thing to do for everyone, including the one being fired. It doesn't do any good to allow people to continue believing they have skills which aren't there.
The union also took it's good ol' time responding to grievances. I filed one against a supervisor over the way I was spoken to and six months later a union representative finally came to the workplace to ask about it. By then I had forgotten what was said to me. Maybe not all unions act so slowly but mine did and that also was bullshit.
I think it should be required by law for unions to report to members down to the penny for what their dues are being used. Maybe some places are now doing that, but I never knew where my dues were going. I have a suspicion a large percentage of the dues collected were funding the campaigns of politicians with a (D) next to their name. And as many of you know, those politicians have as much chance of getting my vote as Ben Roethlisberger does of speaking at a NOW rally.
And no-one should be forced into union membership. It should be voluntary. This is America, after all.
I haven't worked a union job since then and I never again will. Pay raises should be determined by job performance, punctuality, reliability, cooperation and dedication. Pay raises should not be determined by some stupid contract. I like the idea of being able to receive a merit raise. I never heard those words while in a union. I don't need union thugs to speak for me. My job performance will do just fine on its own.
