I work at a non profit and we just won union recognition and are slowly moving towards first contract negotiations and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. Would love to chat with some folks about their experiences, especially if you've negotiated around contracts/grants/etc.
There are problems that come with being in a big union. You might not matter to them. Your needs can get lost. Especially if you are unusual workers. You might not end up with support. They could fuck you over just as easily.
Don't forget that as institutions, the way big unions got to be that way was by making substantial compromises. They are full of red baiting and other things. I say take your chances with a smaller org.
Y'all are really making me feel more secure in this even though it's still going to be a helluva fight. Hope I can keep going
Just talk to anyone who's in a big union, especially if they are in a small shop. If you can even find one. A lot of unions wouldn't have even consider a place like you describe because not enough due$.
Keep your spirits up for now.
I'll just say what I said up top:
"It... depends. Recently, the big unions have been better, but it depends on which one.
There is definitely a history of anti-communism since the founding of the AFL-CIO."
@ratboy
It... depends. Recently, the big unions have been better, but it depends on which one.
There is definitely a history of anti-communism since the founding of the AFL-CIO.
Yeah, I imagine with the resurgence in unionizing recently they've probably wanted to capitalize on their images. But they do seem to vary greatly from local to local. Mine is pretty big but my lil branch of the local seems...very small lol. But, as others have said it sounds good that we have so much autonomy in the way we operate, it's just going to take a fuckton of work. I don't think anyone had any idea (myself included) how much organizing would consume your life when the ball gets rolling. We had a very, very basic understanding of how unions operate and it took a lot of parsing because it seems like a lot of info out there is for big professions like nurses unions and electricians etc. that seem to work way differently than how ours is going to operate.
That's good. Strike new ground, but remember that it's good to know the rules before you break them and some rules are there for a reason.
I'm admiring the way the big unions have actually ramped up their unionizing efforts, but of course, it varies from one to the other.
And yes, organizing can take up much of your life.