I had the dumbest conversation ever today

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not a huge supporter of unions, even though I am now a union member since I am a government employer.

I called my union today because I have a concern about my working conditions.  In short, I get a mileage allowance because I need my car for work.  The mileage allowance was $.45/km for the first couple of years I was here, and now has been raised to $.51/km in April- it gets set for the year each April, and the amount is based on costs from the year before. 

Ordinarily this is a functional enough system, but with costs spiking everywhere right now, it's not working- for example, fuel is roughly $.30/L more than it was in April, when the price was set.  So, basically, we are two months into our year, and already very far behind.

No problem, this is what a union is for, right?

I call my union and explain all of this and their response was "mileage isn't part of our collective agreement, we can't do anything about it."

Okay, pretty sure their job is to advocate on my behalf, and not just enforce the collective agreement- after all, a lopsided status quo is what starred unions in the first place, right?

But wait, there's more!

I ask her how I should proceed, and she tells me (and I swear I am not making this up) that I should get my coworkers together and go, en masse, to our supervisor to lodge a complaint.

I was incredulous- after all, isn't taking concerns from the workforce to management what a union does?

So I asked her if she was suggesting that I start a second union to do the things the main union didn't want to do?

She did not appreciate that and told me that I didn't have to start a union, I just needed to gather everyone together and go to see management with a list of concerns.

I asked her if that was not exactly the definition of what a union was, and she simply hid behind the collective agreement argument.

What the heck am I paying dues to these people for?

 

Def

[Aloha]

 

[Fireman]

As a former union president (IAFF), and if Canadian labor law is similar to the US, your union may well be correct.  If it has never been negotiated by the union, and never been in the contract, it's just something the employer provides and the employer will argue that point.  In the US, the union could argue that it is negotiable, because it does involve wages, hours, or terms and conditions of employment.  However, pushing that in a non-contract year could (or will) require mediation, arbitration, or a legal battle.  Then a third party makes the decision and you win or lose.

I'd have been willing to take a swing at it, with the clear understanding not to get your hopes up about how far we would go or what the the results would be. 

[pfrsantos]

I don't remember having a conversation with you today, Boss...

 

[Sea Monster]

In general terms, most unions or associations start out as "good ideas", but after a while become enamoured with their own success and self importance and become more a hindrance than a boon.


I don't just mean labour unions - bodies regulating sports, hobbies, areas of industry, the lot of them. At some point bureaucratic rot sets in*, but by then they've burrowed their way into the functioning of that culture and it becomes increasingly hard to cut them out, or convince people to stop propping them up.



*as good a marker as any is when they become big enough to employ receptionists or helpline operators who have no idea or experience in the field that the organisation supposedly represents.....

[Barry Rowland]

I've been in government employ, at local, state and federal levels for most of my adult life.  There's nothing that would surprise me at this stage of work life anymore

[Grant Lamontagne]

I expected them to not do anything.

I didn't expect them to tell me to start an ersatz union of my own.   

I am impressed by their ingenuity in coming up with more involved ways of telling me they aren't going to do a damned thing.

Def

[Vidar]

You got to talk to an actual human being so they are not quite as lost (yet) as many businesses and organizations here. Some go to great lengths to prevent their customers from making contact or speaking with them.

As for the union I'm thinking there is some logic as to focus on what they already agreed on, rather than trying to solve new issues for their members as they come along.

[Sea Monster]

I have no doubt there are myriad differences between all our countries industrial relations laws and methods....but we can probably all agree that most of them end up screwing the bottom of the food chain first....


Cost of fuel, registration, insurance, and road tolls rises year on year.
We're lucky if the reimbursement figure/km is adjusted every 5 years.

so...yeah, I guess poop on company time. They take enough from you.

[gregozedobe]

Many decades ago I was in a union.  Then after carefully looking at what the union was actually doing to benefit me I noticed that the union seemed to operate mainly for the benefit of the paid union employees, not the rank and file "members".  So I resigned, and they tried to make that process as difficult as possible (but I persisted and got there eventually).

[Sea Monster]

Many decades ago I was in a union.  Then after carefully looking at what the union was actually doing to benefit me I noticed that the union seemed to operate mainly for the benefit of the paid union employees, not the rank and file "members".  So I resigned, and they tried to make that process as difficult as possible (but I persisted and got there eventually).

I don't think we shouldn't have unions, as a concept, but I do think the unions we have are sub par.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I don't have an option to resign from the union unless I also leave my job.

Unfortunately that is not something I can afford to do, so I'm stuck with them.

Def

[Vidar]

I don't have an option to resign from the union unless I also leave my job.

Now that smurfs. Not only can't you choose what if any union, but the union has little incentive too do their best for you. My wife is a union (makes a lot of sense due to perks), and she can freely change or exit if she wants - and competing unions approach her from time to time with their pros and cons. I believe that helps to keep the various unions meaningful and relevant to their members needs.

[Grant Lamontagne]

We don't have that choice here.

Everyone who has my position has the same union as me.  We can change unions every so often, assuming enough people want to change and are willing to vote for a new union.

But I don't get to choose to be in the union, or which one to join- this is the union for this job and if I want to do this job then I am in this union.  Period.

We have many jobs that are not unionized, but I wanted the stability and benefits of a government job, so I get to be in the union.

Def

[pfrsantos]

[Farmer X]

I sure am glad I live in a right-to-work state.