Submitted by Fred McColly (not verified) on Wed, 07/16/2008 - 5:42pm.
In the summer of 2005 I was involved in a decertification election and all that that entails when an independent "union" divided the bargaining unit ( unfortunately mostly along ethnic lines) but did not unseat the incumbent union. The raiders made unrealistic promises about wages and insurance designed to appeal to wishful thinking rather than a rational assessment of what was possible. In the end the incumbent union received 79% of the vote in the election and successfully negotiated a new contract dispite repeated attempts by the raider to have the NLRB overturn the results.
Three years later the contract is about to expire, and the union will be negotiating with management and a still divided bargaining unit. The core group that supported the raider is still around, and some of their points are well taken. The incumbent union hasn't done much in the way of re-establishing ties to the dissenters, or even making their supporters feel loved. Truth is they run their union like a business(John R. Commons as their major theorist) and , at times, seem to have more in common with management than the bargaining unit. There is no push to decertify this time, just some embittered people who are going to be hard sells for a contract negotiated in these ugly economic times. The raiders lost, but they left behind considerable damage. Question your union leadership by all means you can over policies you see as detrimental to your well-being. Voice your opinion over what you see as their failings. That is union democracy, and democracy is a compromise. Think twice before being seduced by a raider that cannot deliver. You will be the ones to live with the consequnces. Decertify if that's what needs to be done, just don't harbor any illusions about things being radically different.
In the summer of 2005 I was involved in a decertification election and all that that entails when an independent "union" divided the bargaining unit ( unfortunately mostly along ethnic lines) but did not unseat the incumbent union. The raiders made unrealistic promises about wages and insurance designed to appeal to wishful thinking rather than a rational assessment of what was possible. In the end the incumbent union received 79% of the vote in the election and successfully negotiated a new contract dispite repeated attempts by the raider to have the NLRB overturn the results.
Three years later the contract is about to expire, and the union will be negotiating with management and a still divided bargaining unit. The core group that supported the raider is still around, and some of their points are well taken. The incumbent union hasn't done much in the way of re-establishing ties to the dissenters, or even making their supporters feel loved. Truth is they run their union like a business(John R. Commons as their major theorist) and , at times, seem to have more in common with management than the bargaining unit. There is no push to decertify this time, just some embittered people who are going to be hard sells for a contract negotiated in these ugly economic times. The raiders lost, but they left behind considerable damage. Question your union leadership by all means you can over policies you see as detrimental to your well-being. Voice your opinion over what you see as their failings. That is union democracy, and democracy is a compromise. Think twice before being seduced by a raider that cannot deliver. You will be the ones to live with the consequnces. Decertify if that's what needs to be done, just don't harbor any illusions about things being radically different.