Thread regarding Verizon Communications Inc. layoffs

The OP is setting up a false argument. Suggesting that employees who don't unionize "hate" the union gives the union too much credit for being in the conversation. Unions simply aren't relevant in the minds of most employees today. What does a 20 or 30 something employee do when a job isn't satisfying or when changes make the job harder? Do most employees weigh the pros and cons of unionizing, including the opinions of union hate mongers? Union representation has been around 6% of the workforce (non public sector) for years. Outside if chatboards like this, unions are simply not something most employees think about. They are more likely to look for another job. The union argument seems to be that they are stupid or missing the obvious solution to their problems. However, they are smarter than unions wish them to be. If they do look into the union as a possible solution, they see conflict and heated arguments. They see unions badmouthing their company, at times taking steps to hurt the company. And if they do even minimal research, they can see what the union has done, or not done, for other employees like them. Verizon Wireless employees can look at AT&T wireless employees who have had union representation for over 15 years and see that those employees are not experiencing the union utopia promised by union advocates. Those employees suffer the same pitfalls of non union employees - call center and store closures, changes to job duties and commission structures and overall an evolving industry that makes their jobs less fun and rewarding than they were during the boom days of wireless. So, are the unions struggling to add members because of all this union hate or is it just the reality that unions are simply not as relevant today?

All this talk about union dues but does anyone know how much are the dues? Are we talking $75 per week or $10?

There is no doubt that Union's have produced results that we all benefit from, including the 40 hour work week, medical pay, safe work environment, paid holidays, etc. But, Union's thrive in business's where competion is limited. For example, the auto industry through the mid 70' when there were three primary manufacturers competing for the American market. Teachers and some government agencies are more current examples. For Wireline, they were feasible when telephone companies were more of a utility, but as profits from that market dwindle in the face of fierce competition and consumer options, the need and tolerance for a Union also dwindle (EISP, Strikes during the last to contract renewals...). Wireless will face the same thing as it is a saturated market. To Unionionize now will mean less in your paycheck, seniority over performance, and higher cost to a company already pressuring you because of market pressures it is facing.

My $0.02

@BTJ very well said!

@dpy: Very well said.

You're just plain crazy.

I don't hate the Union ... I dislike the bully behavior of its members.

No union= No wireless retail jobs in 5 years or less. Or pay will be so low it won't be worth it. But you guys are right carry on. Better get your resume out. Power in numbers! Look at all the teacher unions recently. Without a union they would still be getting screwed.

There are plenty of jobs where you have one job and if you get more responsibilities you get compensated for those as such there are also plenty where you keep getting crap thrown on you and never see an increase in pay (such as Verizon). It all comes down to how an employer views you. Verizon doesn’t give two sh--s about the employees so keep dumping more work load. They wont speak up so why stop?

Don't talk about what you don't understand. You are living in the past. The union has done nothing for the retail reps in Brooklyn. They have no influence over what reps do. Sales, customer service, whatever. All they do is take money out of each check. So yeah. Sign up. Get a smaller check a bigger headache.

The Union works for itself and the habitual offenders. If you keep your nose clean, but raise a concern, you will be told to be thankful you have a job or that your boss knows the contract and doesn’t want to get in trouble.

As for more responsibilities, while it sounds all well and good, reality is that the company adds more and more responsibilities to the Union members with no additional pay. As a Union member my response to that is, “ I’m getting paid, I’ll sweep the parking lot if I’m told to”. It’s called work ethic. If you want a job where all you do is one defined task, go work on an assembly line.