You do not make more money by joining the union. The union negotiates a wage for you regardless of if you are a member or not. The union works hard handling thousands of claims made by union members, that puts policies into effect that affect you, no matter if you are a union member.
You reap the benefits of the union, if you are a member or not.
So why should you bother joining when you get it for free?
Because, as one co-worker recently found out, if you aren't a member, the union will not lift a finger to help defend you when Kroger decides to ignore your rights. My co-worker covered the grocery department as manager while his manager was on vacation, but when he put in to receive the pay for it, the store manager decided not to pay him. When he called the union about it, they did nothing because he was not a member.
On the other hand, being a member myself, I have had the union act on my behalf when I didn't know I was getting screwed, resulting in 3 years worth of back pay for a raise I hadn't received. I also had them fight Kroger for a year to get me pay that kroger was denying me. Even though kroger kept giving them the runaround they fought for me and kept pressing it. They also backed me up when I wanted to press the issue of seniority when they tried to bring in another employee with less seniority from a different department to work in my department for overtime, instead of going down the list properly and calling other deli employees.
If you are a member of the union, they stand up for you. If you arent a member, sure you get the health care contract and work contract that they negotiate.. but when Kroger decides not to follow the contract, and screw you over, dont expect the union to come to your aid.
-- Edited by FedUp on Friday 9th of September 2011 09:27:36 AM
Does what you've lost in real wages over time, equal or better than that which the Union would provide?
As a retail manager I can tell you, we need able bodied persons. If you're Kroger union, I would put down COMPANY on the app. And get a trusted salaried Kroger to cover you.
Ah- unions have been unnecessary for decades since we have laws that protect workers. The only reason your union fought for you, was that most of the time they use attorney driven intimidation tactics, a form of legalized extortion, to put more money back in their own pockets. Rather than expel money defending themselves for years in court, companies would rather pay remuneration for it to go away. If you've really been wronged, you're legally protected and most attorneys will work for you to sue, without taking any money upfront. The result of using unions to bully employers is that the cost of EVERYTHING goes up, since it reduces the profit margins. In effect, they have to cut jobs because of it. Look at it from an employer point of view. Why would you volunteer yourself to become signatory to a union? There are no benefits. Good workers are plentiful. Good workers get rewarded and promoted. Those that are not, stagnate at a pay level or get fire. Unions exist today, deriving their power solely out of bully tactic.
Sorry
