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Post by jacquelope on Dec 19, 2011 21:31:24 GMT -6
Just wondering. It seems a private school just acquired itself a labor union. www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/arts-academy-in-the-woods-charter-school-union_n_1150009.htmlArts Academy In The Woods Teachers Vote To Unionize Charter School After a six-month organizing drive, teachers at a suburban Detroit charter school voted to unionize on Wednesday, simultaneously certifying a new union local for charter school teachers in Michigan. Teachers at the Arts Academy in the Woods high school in Fraser approved the new Michigan Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff (Michigan ACTS), a local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers Michigan, by a vote of 20-1.
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Post by graybeard on Dec 19, 2011 23:45:37 GMT -6
I never belonged to a union, but being salaried for a large company with union representing the factory workers, I received all the benefits they bargained and striked for.
That's history now, I fear.
GB
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Post by blueneck on Dec 20, 2011 8:52:47 GMT -6
I never belonged to a union, but being salaried for a large company with union representing the factory workers, I received all the benefits they bargained and striked for. That's history now, I fear. GB Same here, we get the same insurance etc the union gets. they are pushing hard for "righ to work" in our state and that would undo a lot of the benefits that the non union workers get as a result of the collective bargaining. people don't seem to get that. I was in a union when I worked in the supermarket in the late 70s -early 80's we made more than minimum wage. we got paid vacation. part timers had a basic medical and catastrophic illness coverage. full timers got a pension, full coverage medical, dental and optical. we got time and a half on sundays and double time on holidays. You made a decent wage then. By the time I left in the mid 80s I was making over 8 bucks an hour then - enough to buy my first home - a modest ranch in a good neighborhood, drive a decent car AND put myself thru college part time. todays non union grocery clerks are lucky to make 8 bucks an hour in todays dollars couldnt do any of those things I did 30 years ago the righties like to use a few anecdotes of poor union leadership and gold brickers to tar all union workers, but my experience is that union workers tend to be muchb more efficient, safe and professional than their non union counterparts. like any profession sure there are a few bad apples - just look at wall street for example, certainly in no greaternumbers than anywhere else, but the vast majority of union workers are hard working people trying to provide for their families - cant begrudge anyone for that. unions are under assault unlike anything we have seen since the early part of the 20th century
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Post by unlawflcombatnt on Dec 24, 2011 0:38:36 GMT -6
I'm an advocate of more unionization and more labor power.
I didn't always feel this way, but the balance of power has shifted so far that toward management that labor has much too little bargaining power.
I was a member of the IUMSWA (International Union of Marine & Shipyard Workers of America) back in the 70's. Even though I wasn't initially a fan of unions, I eventually saw the light.
Unionized workers at the Bethlehem Steel Shipyard at Sparrows Point (Baltimore) Maryland were far more efficient than their non-unionized counterparts in New Orleans (at the Avondale, Equitable, & Halter Marine Shipyards, for example).
The unionized workers in Maryland were paid better but worked far more efficiently than those in Louisiana. Unions forced management to work more smartly & more in a more organized fashion--which increased productivity and improved working conditions.
Due to non-unionization, it was easy to get fired in Louisiana (which I found out on more than 1 occasion.) But there was always another job available, thanks to the relative undesirability of working in Louisiana shipyards.
The constant turnover (& shortage) of workers in non-unionized Louisiana was not good for workers OR management. It made working conditions worse and it reduced productivity and speed of production.
Unions have been good for this country. We'd be better off at present with more unionization, not less.
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Post by jacquelope on Dec 27, 2011 20:46:57 GMT -6
I'm an advocate of more unionization and more labor power. I didn't always feel this way, but the balance of power has shifted so far that toward management that labor has much too little bargaining power. I was a member of the IUMSWA (International Union of Marine & Shipyard Workers of America) back in the 70's. Even though I wasn't initially a fan of unions, I eventually saw the light. I always saw unions as having more pride in their work - and the stories of lazy union workers, in my travels, has always been an exception that I RARELY ever saw. Management, on the other hand, has a far higher incidence of incompetence and laziness. You know what they say, if you can't do, teach, and if you can't teach, manage...
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