RANT I've noticed an uptick in the number of people at work asking me union/contract questions. Q: "Hey, do you know when I get another year of vacation?" A: You gain a week first year, second year, and then nothing till your eighth year." Q: "Black friday is overtime, right?" A: Your making double time. Plus holiday pay. You've been here 20 years, how do you not know this? Q: "If I don't work the Saturday shift, is Sunday just overtime?" A: It'd be straight time. Central region's supplement works by consecutive days worked, not calendar days. If you skip Sat and then work Sun, you make straight time until Friday, which'd be overtime and then Sat, which'd be doubletime. Q: "Why isn't the union ok with management servicing packages?" A: Because there is a finite amount of work to be done before they send us home. If management does it, they're stealing that work and associated time from unionized employees. NEVER LET MANAGEMENT WORK UNTIL THEY EXHAUST THE LIST OF EMPLOYEES WHO VOLUNTEERED TO DOUBLE SHIFT. I'm really frustrated. I get why I'm getting asked these questions instead of a steward. It's bullshit that the local allows the stewards to be present-but-not-really there. When you first start, you have to do some serious detective work to figure out who the stewards even are, let alone figuring how they can assist you.
I will probably give it a shot at some point. I don't feel like I'm calm enough under pressure to do that job right now, though. When I need a steward that'll get shit done I look for the ones that I know will get angry about the situation, but can still remain measured in their reaction. Right now, I just get angry. I honestly do believe in the union, and I respect the people who are stewards. It isn't that I think that they don't take their jobs seriously, I just think that the culture is shit. Part of the reason I think the culture is shit is because the rank and file is apathetic. 25% of members voted in this past IBT election. Which means local is even more depressed. My interim plan is to try and agitate.
Yes it is bullshit. I'm wondering though if the uptick of people asking questions has to do with It's bullshit that the local allows the stewards to be present-but-not-really there.
To be honest, I'd be OK with that being at least part of the reason. That said, I'm not so sure if that's what it is. Lots of people are worried about National Right To Work, but we've already got that here at the state level. Many part-time workers opt out of paying dues, but the people who draw in big bucks are pretty unified in paying. National Right to Work will hurt an already wounded labor movement, but the local here is already dealing with it on the Kansas side of the state line. It feels less pressing because we've already had a taste of it, and most of us haven't experienced the alternative. Odds are good that The Company is gonna hafta raise their starting wages significantly next contract, regardless of minimum. They've already started giving new hires 'bonuses' for showing up every day of their probation period in my building. Amazon and others are pressuring them into it. Here in KC, Amazon is opening up two facilities that will provide 2000 full time jobs (we are just part time) at a higher starting wage. I wouldn't touch non-union warehouse work with a 10ft pole if I had a choice, but if you are needing to make ends meet and don't care about unions Amazon and loads of others look pretty compelling. Good benefits are only good if you can make rent. The fear of ACA being repealed is also probably muted: the biggest change people remember from recent history is when the insurance switched from The Company managing the plan to the Union running it (and thus Atena to BlueCross). Not when the ACA went into affect. We've had amazing insurance for a really long time, and while there is fear that the union will mismanage it, there isn't fear that the union will use a repeal of the ACA as a reason to drop it. Which isn't to say that some of my coworkers haven't been complaining about Trump. Just not from that view point. People that have been talking about Trump are doing it about the general/racial/military aspects of why he sucks. Should we be worried? God, yes. Even if the union was iron clad, we should be worried out of solidarity with the rest of the country. I just think we are feeling too insulated at the moment to actually do so. Caveat: this following bit assumes people are voting in our elections (i.e. probably not relevant to part-timers and thus my coworkers) Most of the stuff that has happened to hit close to home recently has been blamed on the union leadership (split raises, pension fund in financial trouble, slightly worse health insurance w/ new provider) being too cozy with the company. Politically, I think that those who are awake and worried about the health of the union are looking inwards, not outwards. Hoffa's slate just lost the election in my region, but he stays in charge because he just barely squeaked ahead internationally. He'll probably keep catching that anger until Trump gets in office and actually does something worse.During the presidential race, Trump has spoken favorably of right-wing “right-to-work” laws, which weaken the best job security protections workers have—a union contract—by preventing employers and employees from negotiating an agreement that requires all workers who receive the benefits of a collective bargaining agreement to pay their share of the costs of representing them.
Pence has been an opponent of minimum wage increases, prevailing wages and even the right of local governments to offer more generous wages or benefits than those provided by the state.