Originally Posted by Merle Haggard

Breaking news: they don't.

We are viewed and treated as a necessary evil. You don't hire a plumber, a mechanic, an accountant or a lawyer because you "value" them. You hire them because you need them. You pay more for one when you have no choice. Until management feels they have no other choice, they're going to take their sweet time. The union will have to figure out how to legally apply enough pressure to make them feel that they have no choice. Management will never just "value" us.