4 ms·

This isn't a power trip by union leadership/ "the organization of the union itself" though? It's a real concern about the safety and working conditions, and h

This isn't a power trip by union leadership/ "the organization of the union itself" though? It's a real concern about the safety and working conditions, and how a lack of a unified front can lead to fissures when negotiating that could actually hurt a majority of union members. The unions members probably mostly prefer work from home due to safety concerns. Should the school district wish to demand all teachers report to the building, the negotiation position of the union is significantly weakened if the administration can say "well 25% of your membership is already in the building" as a justification for denying hazard pay, further health and safety precautions, etc.

ineedasername 6y ago
The schools are sanitized nightly and those who go in literally don't have to see anyone else, and by policy are not supposed to. "Unified front" That is not the purpose of the union. The union exists to serve it's members. If serving it's members might be slightly more difficult if it actually accommodates the choices of the members it serves, well that's it's job. It's job is not to make it's job easier, it's to serve the members. If the district tries to pressure other members because some make a certain choice, or not provide a safe working environment, That is the fight the union should fight. Not bullying members against making the choice the members feels is the right one to best serve the students. The possibility of adversarial action by the school district is insufficient to justify the union's actions, especially when, in the case of my school district, the district has otherwise been very responsive to the concerns of the union with respect to health & safety protocols.
- abduhl 6y ago
  no man you don't get it, the union exists to protect the workers and therefore anything a worker does contrary to the union's position is against the worker's own interest by definition just keep paying your dues, shut the fuck up, and we'll take care of the rest
- JediWing 6y ago
  Is the union preventing teachers from going into the school? Is it not OK for the union to have a position on the matter and communicate it to their members? Why is it ok for the administration to say "we prefer but don't require you to come in" but not ok for the union to say "actually, we prefer but don't require you to stay home"? A unified front is EXACTLY the purpose of a union. The threat of collective action by the entire workforce is what unions derive their power from.
  - ineedasername 6y ago
    I don't understand how you can claim that a unified front is their purposes. Their purpose is to serve their workers. Forcing all workers to behave the same way seems a poor interpretation of that duty. Otherwise, sure it's fine to have a position on an issue and communicate it to members. What is not fine is to imply to members that if they make their own choice then the union will never support them should they have a problem, even for an unrelated issue, essentially stripping them of union support. This is what I meant by bullying, and have myself witnessed. But if you insist that a unified front, rather than supporting workers, is their purpose then we fundamentally disagree, and I'll leave things by pointing out that the "unified front" can be to support worker choice & flexibility.
    - JediWing 6y ago
      Their purpose is multifaceted, but without a (mostly) unified front on matters they wish to bargain around, their ability to best serve their members during bargaining is compromised. Threats of withholding union protection for making an informed choice would be shocking (and likely illegal!). I don't pretend to know what you've seen and heard, but in most cases where "threats" were made, my bet would be that a statement like "if you want the union to be around to help protect you, listening to our guidance is the best course", was interpreted as a threat (singular specific you), rather than a general statement on the importance of how vital solidarity is for the survival of the union and its collective bargaining power(general/plural you).
      - abduhl 6y ago

ineedasername 6y ago

The schools are sanitized nightly and those who go in literally don't have to see anyone else, and by policy are not supposed to. "Unified front" That is not the purpose of the union. The union exists to serve it's members. If serving it's members might be slightly more difficult if it actually accommodates the choices of the members it serves, well that's it's job. It's job is not to make it's job easier, it's to serve the members. If the district tries to pressure other members because some make a certain choice, or not provide a safe working environment, That is the fight the union should fight. Not bullying members against making the choice the members feels is the right one to best serve the students. The possibility of adversarial action by the school district is insufficient to justify the union's actions, especially when, in the case of my school district, the district has otherwise been very responsive to the concerns of the union with respect to health & safety protocols.

abduhl 6y ago
no man you don't get it, the union exists to protect the workers and therefore anything a worker does contrary to the union's position is against the worker's own interest by definition just keep paying your dues, shut the fuck up, and we'll take care of the rest
JediWing 6y ago
Is the union preventing teachers from going into the school? Is it not OK for the union to have a position on the matter and communicate it to their members? Why is it ok for the administration to say "we prefer but don't require you to come in" but not ok for the union to say "actually, we prefer but don't require you to stay home"? A unified front is EXACTLY the purpose of a union. The threat of collective action by the entire workforce is what unions derive their power from.
- ineedasername 6y ago
  I don't understand how you can claim that a unified front is their purposes. Their purpose is to serve their workers. Forcing all workers to behave the same way seems a poor interpretation of that duty. Otherwise, sure it's fine to have a position on an issue and communicate it to members. What is not fine is to imply to members that if they make their own choice then the union will never support them should they have a problem, even for an unrelated issue, essentially stripping them of union support. This is what I meant by bullying, and have myself witnessed. But if you insist that a unified front, rather than supporting workers, is their purpose then we fundamentally disagree, and I'll leave things by pointing out that the "unified front" can be to support worker choice & flexibility.
  - JediWing 6y ago
    Their purpose is multifaceted, but without a (mostly) unified front on matters they wish to bargain around, their ability to best serve their members during bargaining is compromised. Threats of withholding union protection for making an informed choice would be shocking (and likely illegal!). I don't pretend to know what you've seen and heard, but in most cases where "threats" were made, my bet would be that a statement like "if you want the union to be around to help protect you, listening to our guidance is the best course", was interpreted as a threat (singular specific you), rather than a general statement on the importance of how vital solidarity is for the survival of the union and its collective bargaining power(general/plural you).
    - abduhl 6y ago