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In theory the unions should be a place to organise employees, to help improve working conditions. But I suspect for most people the real benefit will be protect

In theory the unions should be a place to organise employees, to help improve working conditions. But I suspect for most people the real benefit will be protection from miscarriages of justice. I've personally seen people put through the wringer by HR teams, and even when the HR team acknowledges they've fucked up, there's no apologies or an attempt to make things right. Unions can provide protection in these case, whether that's access to legal help, or just having a 3rd party on your side sitting in on employee dispute meetings. I think a lot of people don't appreciate how badly they can be screwed over by a HR team, accidentally or maliciously, until they find themselves in a meeting with three members of the HR team, with no one telling them what's going on. At which point, it's already too late to save yourself. A union gives you recourse and support, something invaluable when it you're up against the entire HR team.

datavirtue 6y ago
This is how it works with the nurses unions. My mom got accused by another nurse of intentionally hurting a patient. Without the union she would have been on her own to deal with HR and management who would have just gotten rid of her as a matter of their convenience. Nothing of substance was found out of the investigations. The union worked. It will also protect her against any future political repercussions arising from the accusations and investigation. The police were involved and everything, no way in hell an employee would survive that without union representation.
dleslie 6y ago
HR works for your employer, they are not your friend and are not on your side; this should be common knowledge. There are organizations that provide legal services to labour which do not require one to be a member of a union. It might be better for all if the money spent on dues was instead contributed to an organization that doesn't discriminate.

datavirtue 6y ago

This is how it works with the nurses unions. My mom got accused by another nurse of intentionally hurting a patient. Without the union she would have been on her own to deal with HR and management who would have just gotten rid of her as a matter of their convenience. Nothing of substance was found out of the investigations. The union worked. It will also protect her against any future political repercussions arising from the accusations and investigation. The police were involved and everything, no way in hell an employee would survive that without union representation.

dleslie 6y ago

HR works for your employer, they are not your friend and are not on your side; this should be common knowledge. There are organizations that provide legal services to labour which do not require one to be a member of a union. It might be better for all if the money spent on dues was instead contributed to an organization that doesn't discriminate.