Pros of Joining a Union
• Employees are able to bargain as a united force with the employer rather than each person having to negotiate on their own behalf
• Employers are force to respect and take seriously the voice and wants of the employees
• Promotions and raises are done in the same manner for everyone based on tenure (typically) rather than based on what a certain manager feels or the bias or subjectivity of anyone in particular
• Union dues are typically rather cheap
• Wages and benefits are guaranteed by the collective bargaining agreement so long as it is active
• More due process for employees who are terminated or punished and it is deemed that there is an injustice regarding any of those actions
• Brings together and unites the employees much more so than they normally would be in most situations
Potential Downsides of Unions
• Some employers/union situations requirement enrollment in the union to work there (i.e. a union shop)
• Majority rules when it comes to agreements about collective bargaining agreements and what the union fights for • Not everyone will be aligned in terms of what is being negotiated and what is ignored as a priority at any given time
• Political donations may be made to people or causes that are not agreed with by all people in the union
• Merit and other non-tenure measures are de-emphasized or ignored when it comes to who gets promotions and/or raises.
• People that work outside the union and/or work during a strike are often ridiculed and maligned in rather vicious fashion
• There are limits to what unions can do and this goes double for certain unions like those that involve public safety, the public/government sector and so forth
• Union membership and presence has been on a great decline over recent years and decades
Resources to Consult
• AFL-CIO Website - http://www.aflcio.org/
• Pros & Cons of Union Membership - http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/pros-cons-union-jobs-1.aspx
• The Decline of Unions is a Middle-Class Problem - http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikecollins/2015/03/19/the-decline-of-unions-is-a-middle-class-problem/#115bc65618be
• Political spending by unions far exceeds direct donations - http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304782404577488584031850026
• Unions and the divorcing of reward from merit - http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/86012/unions-and-divorcing-reward-merit-evan-sayet
