hi, im an IAM union diesel engine mechanic and have been for over a decade. Maybe I can help explain a bit. in a 'blue collar' job like manufacturing or shipp

hi, im an IAM union diesel engine mechanic and have been for over a decade. Maybe I can help explain a bit. in a 'blue collar' job like manufacturing or shipping or any of the trades like plumbing or mechanical maintenance, the only part of the business that doesnt see meaningful pushback is the labor. My job performance as a TIG welder in Texas as part of an oil and gas company was stellar, but not stellar enough to keep me from things like "mandatory overtime" and having to show up at a frigid gas field at 4 am to fix a line in chronic disrepair. part of the reason for this is a rosy picture of the rugged life of a tradesman, a misunderstanding of just how hard this work is, and a disconnected culture of leadership that see us as expendables/undesireables/expenses. Personal relationships only go so far when your op supervisor only shows up to berate you about tardiness or demand you work a weekend. The union isnt a third party agency, its you. you decide what needs fixing, what doesnt work, and what you want changed to make your job more effective and a lot of times that includes your pay. when our shop unionized we did things like reduce shop floor noise, change how overtime gets assigned and made it voluntary, and even added paternity leave (we also get a say in our healthcare and opt in or out.) We even amended the companies equal opportunity employment statement to include LGBTQ+, something leadership resisted for a long time. unions dont guarantee everyone works hard (thats culture), but they help to make sure everyone whos hired to work is treated fairly and with respect, and they fight to prevent common excesses in trade like wage theft, mandatory overtime, unfair scheduling, retaliation, and dangerous work conditions. They can push back on myopic or bad management decisions that harm customers or degrade quality. The relationship isnt perfect. strikes can and do happen but when they do its mostly for good reasons like demanding sick leave (go get em CSX railworkers!!) and health insurance we were told the free market would provide us (looking at you Starbucks.) Federal law requires good faith collective bargaining, regardless of how many hit pieces on the evening news try to spin it any other way.