Originally Posted by
IlliniPilot99
Probably couldn't have said it better...
All in all I am not for Unions but there are certain things that they really do help on...Work rules for one BUT I believe they mostly bring down productivity. (although the airlines is a pretty different industry then most, so its hard to tell)
Small story and pretty specific example: In high school I was a shift manager for a banquet hall that mostly did weddings. On my day off I get a call from one of the servers saying that they can't find a certain table cloth, I told them to keep looking they have to be there! but they said they don't have to according to the union contract. I came in and it took me 2 min to find them. Although this is an extremely specific example the principle is the same, WE GOT MORE WORK DONE WHEN WE DIDN'T HAVE THE UNION CREW ON SHIFT but the UNION crew worked less, was the least trained and got paid more but had 10X more complaints about them. THUS the banquet hall doesn't deal with them anymore.
my .02
I've never seen a significant difference in job productivity between the union and non-union jobs I've had, if it involves performing things within one's job description. If you are talking about being forced to do things outside of your job description, then yes, I guess the union people don't do that as well. Are you interested in cleaning the aircraft, scrubbing out puke stains, pushing wheel chairs through the terminal, unloading and loading all the bags, etc.? I'm not a "team player" (another word for being bent over), and I don't want to do these things. I want to do my own job, as laid out in my job description, do it well, and go home. Almost every union coworker I've ever had was motivated to do their job well. Compensation isn't the only motivation for one doing one's job well. People who use this as an anti-union argument, fail to recognize other motivating factors for doing one's job well. They also fail to realize that there are many, many non-union positions that have compensation setups which have nothing to do with job performance. My motivating factors for doing my job well are: A. Peer pressure- I don't want to get hassled or put-down by the people around me; B. Fear of receiving an FAA violation; C. Guilt- I feel guilty when I do my job poorly; D. Fear of repercussions from the CP; E. The feeling of accomplishment I get when I do my job well; F. Experience- I know that if I perform my job well now, it will help me perform future jobs at a higher level; G. Pride- I get a sense of pride from being effective in my job, and being a productive member of society; someone who makes a difference. Also, people use the argument that union workers cut into profits by 10%-15% more than non-union workers. This is because, on average, union workers are paid 10%-15% more!!! So, what is the net effect of this. Those who are the "trickle-down" type would say that this cuts into company profits, and has a negative effect on the economy. I don't believe in the "trickle-down" effect. We just had 8 years of that, and look where we ended up. I believe if you strengthen your average worker, and provide better compensation, the average worker will have more discretionary income to purchase the products and services a company provides. So, direct, measurable profits may decrease, because of higher compensation; but, because people are provided with better compensation, as a whole, more will be able to purchase products and services a company produces. Profit per product/ service performed decreases, but volume increases, with a zero net-effect. The money is shifted to the middle, instead of held at the top. Your average American is in the middle.