As a union member I have listened to a lot of anti-union slurs over the years. I’m tired of hearing it. I’ve been simmering but now I am boiling over.
By accepting a job with my employer, I accepted membership in my union. I see this aspect of my life as no different from being a member of a congregation or having a particular body shape. Society thinks it’s wrong to discriminate or harass someone based on their religion or weight, so how is it OK to be called lazy or greedy simply because I am a union member?
I’ll admit it, I haven’t always helped matters. I’ve agreed with people who have said, “that person would have been fired in the private sector” or “you’d never get that kind of flexibility in the ‘real world’.”
I just nodded, because it’s true, and I can see the other side. But you know what? In most cases, we bargained that flexibility. We negotiated a more detailed method of discipline that I honestly believe allows for people to correct behavior, or clarify work responsibilities, or whatever needs to happen to enable work to go forward. Sometimes it requires a compromise, sometimes it requires a change in procedure, sometimes it means an attitude adjustment, and sometimes the worker is removed from the position but in all cases the process is as fair as we can make it.
I have also understood when people complain that “union workers make too much” — because in comparison, sometimes those salaries do seem high. However, I can also tell you that right now, many of those in tech and other high-level support positions where I work make considerably less than the market average. I can also tell you that after years of zero or insignificant wage increases there are members whose wages fall below BC’s poverty line.
It’s time to stop the us-and-them of unionized vs. non-unionized. Instead, let’s look at the policies and budgets that are hurting everyone. Let’s look at things like the chronic underfunding of education and the erosion of worker’s rights — did you know in BC that high tech workers are exempt from many aspects of the labour code including overtime?
Overall, I get it. I get that in some cases, unions have done themselves no favours in the public eye. I get that not everyone understands, believes, or agrees that unions can, through organization and activism, change everyone’s work environment for the better. I get that picket lines are a pain in the ass (for the record, no union member ever looks forward to picket lines or job action either). But, please, stop painting all unions and all union members with the same brush — it doesn’t help anyone.
Image: “Boiling over” by Andrew Seaman on Flickr CC-BY-NC-ND