THIS UNION ROCKS
What do you think of the guy who always seems to leave the watering hole when it is his turn to buy? What about the family down the street that collects welfare when the adults can work? How about the relative who always shows up for the family parties but never contributes? We all ask ourselves how do they justify taking, but not giving back.
I only worked for the City for two years, but in those two years the Union has gone to bat for many employees. One female police officer did nothing more than accept a cup of coffee to get fired. She was also a former union steward and opposed changes in their pension. She got her job back and seven months back pay.
The Airport shuttle drivers were not getting a fair shot at overtime and the Union got that straightened out, getting $22,500 for the violations. A portion of that went back to the employees. One employee at the water department was reinstated, with back pay, after the Union fought to get his job back.
Most management is just like us, good hard-working people who are about those they work with. But some do lose perspective, have their own agenda, and some have very big egos. The Union is what protects us from that kind.
Right now we have a steward that has been on paid leave for over three months. Now management is trying to reassign his work place and work schedule. Someone doesn’t like this guy with brains and guts calling them on the flagrant violations of our UNION CONTRACT.
If my union dues never do anything else but help a few people who, for whatever reason, got sideways with their boss, then it is money well spent. Attorney fees are expensive, negotiations and arbitrations are expensive. REPRESENTATION is expensive.
Unions make mistakes and sometimes pretty dumb ones. I guess that’s how some of us rationalize not belonging. But for me, I appreciate my paid holidays, vacation time, personal leave, funeral leave, disability leave, etc. etc. Our union has negotiated all this. Think how good things could be if we all belonged and we all contributed.
I’m very grateful for what the unions have done for us working people. I’m glad that for the price of dinner out once a month or a couple of cups of coffee a week, my union dues help the men and women that I work with.
Yours in Brotherhood,
Kim Barraclough
Former Salt Lake City Airport Employee
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