AshleyAshes Posted May 11, 2017 Author Share Posted May 11, 2017 Corporate caught on but it might be a good thing. In short the office skews young and it's a lot of tightly packed computer desks, so rumors and gossip go around like it's High School. Someone going to corporate is no suprise. So I still have a job! Not that any of us could legally be fired by this and we are backed by lawyers from the union if corporate tried. Corporate sent out an email that mostly just said they were aware, underlined some of the laws and basic mechanical process, no threats or warnings or anything else that would be illegal. No one's been taken to offices to talk which would ALSO be illegal. In short, the company clearly has it's own lawyers on this and they're keeping the company within the rules. But to be honest, this kinda makes it easier. A company wide email sure as hell put the topic of unions on everyone's lips. Also operating in secret added a challenge. Imagine explaining to someone not long out of college "Hey we're doing this thing, and it's legal and you can't get fired for it or for talking to me, but BTW let's keep this a secret from upper management." and NOT sounding like you're full of lies? So it's kinda like coming out of the closet. No one kicked us out of the house so it's time to kiss as many boys as possible! We're mostly holding info Q&A sessions with union reps and inviting people to join. It helps that the union picks up the bar tab. Those of us on site try our best but some people really will respond best to a 'Old guy in a suit'. The main driver is fighting fear. People tell each other stories about places unionizing and then shutting down and everyone losing their job. Which isn't REAL concern for a work place like ours and other misconceptions about collective bargaining. Also a very small minority are convinced that unionization means everyone's wages gets doubled and it's all unicorns and sprinkes. ...Also a misconception we must combat. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conker Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 It's funny reading this after the conversation I overheard about unions today. First person hates them because, "they make you lazy." and the other person hates them because he's in management and they make his life annoying. Meanwhile, WI is a right-to-work state meaning anyone can get fired for no real reason. Woohoo... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossa Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 The union here has definitely been very helpful in seeing that our health benefits don't get scaled back, as well as sick leave and vacation time...it's not unicorns and sparkles, but it gives us some bargaining power, down in Annapolis. And it gives us a number of other protections, in terms of job security. We don't make a fortune, by any means, but it sure beats what I see a lot of people going through, these days. (member, AFSCME, here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 43 minutes ago, Conker said: It's funny reading this after the conversation I overheard about unions today. First person hates them because, "they make you lazy." and the other person hates them because he's in management and they make his life annoying. Meanwhile, WI is a right-to-work state meaning anyone can get fired for no real reason. Woohoo... Virginia's also a right-to-work state as well. We have unions, but no one takes them seriously or thinks of joining one. If you are in public transportation or sanitation, it's always a good idea to join one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conker Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 3 hours ago, Zeke said: Virginia's also a right-to-work state as well. We have unions, but no one takes them seriously or thinks of joining one. If you are in public transportation or sanitation, it's always a good idea to join one. The same person will bitch about how our health insurance sucks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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