Union or no Union Poll

[watkinsd]

I came across this Forum and thought it would be interesting to put this question out there. I work for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada and we are currently in Union Drive. I'm on the organizing committee and constantly here from people, my uncle, dad, brother etc workplace has a union and they say its evil blah blah blah.

 

I thought I would take this poll and see what the good people of Ford think.

[twintornados]

I am not an employee of FoMoCo, but I am a proud union member. There will be all kinds of reasons from both sides of the debate but bottom line is, wouldn't you rather have clear and concise instructions (aka, the collective bargaining agreement) to deal with issues instead of relying on someone that has a personal agenda. Everyone will tell you that Union members are greedy, that is incorrect. What we want is fair and equitable treatment under the CBA and not to be treated like second class citizens.

I know a lot of people that will angrily charge that Unions are the demise of this country, but lets look at that statement....with the steady decline of union membership and the rise of non-union manufacturing...when will the middle class begin coming back?? Answer; It hasn't and it won't until the blue collar hard working Americans( and Canadians...and for that matter, the Mexicans) that build the products we buy are properly represented and enjoy the positive aspect of Union membership.

Edited January 18, 2014 by twintornados

[RangerM]

I've always believed that hard work speaks for itself.

 

People who value me don't need to be reminded; because the ones who matter know me, as me. Once that personal connection is lost, my value becomes a much simpler calculation.

 

Where I perceive a union valuable is with issues of safety. Beyond that, I don't perceive much worth. Because eventually the union (as I perceive it) comes to value its own bureaucracy as much as (if not more than) its individual members.

 

And I'd suggest a fourth option in the poll; one that doesn't make the choice all or nothing.

Edited January 23, 2014 by RangerM

[WaterDR]

There are three stake holders in a bsuiness relationship: The customer, the company, and the employee. Unions are 95% concerned with the later. That is fine. However, you can't operate a business in a vacuum. The customer must be happy, the product must be competitive, and the busiess must be profitable. If the Union is not addressing these requirements too, then the business fails. Unions are inherently selfish. They are not only internally focused about the employee, they are also much concerned about themselves. Unions have become a business.

 

Unions have been a BRILLIANT part of our history and have done much good. However, you have to ask these questions: Do unions help or hinder the customer experience? Do unions help or hinder profit?

[Ford truck guy]

I am in the steel business and have scene many bad unions.... We are not union and believe that if you treat the employee properly one is not needed. There are many well run unions , the kind that you would have to question if they were actually union or not union. The unfortunate thing is that there are a few poorly run unions that put a bad name for all the rest... So in a nut shell , if properly managed , the unions are a great thing....

[Scott Carlton Windell]

I am not a union member (ENGINEERING) but we have a strong union for me technical staff. I agree that safety is a large benefit, however would add that it forces management to reflect on quality issues such as task touch time/ level of effort/ and staffing. It's easy to swamp too few folks when operating with a tightened budget!

[twintornados]

There are three stake holders in a bsuiness relationship: The customer, the company, and the employee. Unions are 95% concerned with the later. That is fine. However, you can't operate a business in a vacuum. The customer must be happy, the product must be competitive, and the busiess must be profitable. If the Union is not addressing these requirements too, then the business fails. Unions are inherently selfish. They are not only internally focused about the employee, they are also much concerned about themselves. Unions have become a business.

 

Unions have been a BRILLIANT part of our history and have done much good. However, you have to ask these questions: Do unions help or hinder the customer experience? Do unions help or hinder profit?

You have forgotten then one "stake" that is a bee in the bonnet so to speak...the shareholder, they demand ever rising profits and to hell with the employee, the customer, and sometimes even the company itself in their never ending quest for ROI...if the company is more profitable split up and assets sold off, that is fine for them, if the employee cannot afford their own expenses, too bad, and if the customer complains about the service...who cares, there are always other customers in the eyes of the shareholder....that is the forth leg that upsets the milking stool of profits.

[Langston Hughes]

It is easy to be believe in the ideals of the union and yet be turned off by the reality of the union, which is that nothing run by humans is free from graft, corruption and politics. I still believe in the ideals and hope that we can overcome human nature and represent ourselves better.