When I worked for the state I belonged to the employees union. Many of my co-workers scoffed, calling the union weak and ineffective. But they never went to union meetings, never protested what the union did or did not do. Membership was optional and so many chose to not join, making the union even weaker. Until I moved into management and was not allowed to vote as a union member, I belonged and went to meetings. Did I make a difference? Probably not. But I knew from experience what not participating would do.
I worked for 8 years at a drapery factory in Seattle. No union. You want to talk about intimidation
120 employees, mostly women, working for low wages in unsafe conditions. Afraid to report what went on for fear of being locked out. When several of us attempted to organize the factory(yes, I was a radical even back then), we learned what real power was all about. Even the National Labor Relations Board(NLRB), which we thought was there to protect workers, turned on us. We were soundly beaten, a long but interesting story.
But the point is, the real power is not in the unions hands. It never was, despite the protestations of Corporate America.
Curious Carl
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