There is a strike in Regina that’s been going on for quite a while now, so I thought I’d revisit my view on unions.
It seems like every couple of months or so there is a story on the news about about some union negotiating with it’s employer. Back and forth the two sides go, with offers and counter offers. I want this. Sorry, you’ll only get this. 10% over 3 years. 20% over 4 years. Blah, blah, blah.
I don’t know anything about unions and I don’t profess to. I have friends that belong to unions and there is definately one thing that I have learned.
A union is a bad employees best friend.
A friend of mine works in a unionized business, and it’s a good thing he does. This guy is a good guy with a heart of gold. He’d do anything for anyone. However, this guy is the worst employee ever. He misses work with every excuse under the sun. There were a couple of times that he was close to being fired, and if he worked anywhere else, he would have been. Each time though, his union stepped in and saved his butt. Every couple of weeks he misses work for something. My wife and I just shake our heads. “Boy, it’s a good thing he has a union to back him up,” we tell each other.
We have another friend that misses work as well, although not nearly as much as the other guy. When I bring up the point that he seems to have a missed a few days of work lately, he smiles and says, “are you forgetting? I belong to a union.”
There is no doubt that unions do protect workers. They set limits that otherwise wouldn’t be set by employers, and that’s a good thing.
From what I’ve seen though, the unions protect people who shouldn’t be protected. It seems impossible to fire even the worst employees, and that’s not a good thing.
In my nearly 15 years here at 620 CKRM, I’ve missed a total of 8 days and have never been late. If I’m needed, I’m there. It’s that simple. I don’t take advantage of my employer. If anything, it’s the other way around. Maybe that’s where a union could help a guy like me.
I guess the union is no different than any other system out there. Be it the welfare system, unemployment insurance, the food bank, etc. There are always people that will take advantage of a good situation and make it bad for those who are really in need.
