12-02-2008, 08:03 PM
Racer X wrote:
[quote=wave rider]
The originally posted article mentioned barriers and security, others do not.
Chanting "push the doors in," the crowd pressed against the glass as the clock ticked down to the 5 a.m. opening.http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2008...after.html
Sensing catastrophe, nervous employees formed a human chain inside the entrance to slow down the mass of shoppers.
It didn't work.
The mob barreled in and overwhelmed workers.
While unions have sometimes received deserved criticism for unlawful dealings, many forget what unions have brought to the American workplace.
And these are just a few. The unions to which I have belonged have been very beneficial to my workplace.
- 40 hour work week, it used to be 72
- Overtime/holiday pay
- Paid sick leave
- Paid vacations
- Health insurance
- Better wages
- Improved worker safety
- Work rules in general, not just at the whim of the employer
- Lunch and rest breaks
=wr=
I'm a contractor. I get what I negotiate. I negotiated twice the pay, and with half the hours.
And good for you! Not everyone has your particular skills/gifts that give you the upper hand in your field and negotiations. Unions are very useful in fields where the labor does not need to be as skilled. In those cases, the only protection the worker has is to organize. I've also found unions very useful when dealing with large bureaucratic organizations.
In my case, currently, I'm in the union for one job, a contractor on another, and a standard employee at the third. Occasional freelance falls into the mix as well. I'm thankful for all of them these days...
=wr=