Unions

[nsmedic393]

Several fairly ignorant posts on the piners strike subject have lead me to wonder how many people on here are actually unionised. So....

How many people are unionsied? If not, why not? What unions are you with? Are you happy with the services provided by your unions? What, in your opinions are the pros and cons of being unionised?

[nsmedic393]

I for one am unionised. We are with the International Union of Operating Engineers and represent over 900 paramedics.

Although I enjoy the benifits of being unionised I don't believe that our particular union gives us the attention and effort we deserve.

The reason I'm so glad to be in a union is because I know damn well that the company I work for is in this to make money and no other reason. The union is there to make sure they don't make money by stepping all over their employees. They look out for our rights on such topics as hiring/firing, wages, hours of work, pension, benifits and a whole lot of other stuff. Ambulance companies are in this to make money and the less of it they have to spend on their employees the more they make. (obviously) Unions make sure the balance remains fair.

[Acosell]

I was uninonized in my last job, and I was thankful for the work the union did for me while I was there, but I was by no means proud of it. In the job I am at now, I am not part of a union, and I have no interest in forming one. Yes, the company is interested in making money as their number one priority, however they realize and understand that it's the staff that makes the money, and as a result they pay us well, and treat us with respect. It probably also doesn't hurt that we're a relatively small company, and everybody sits down and has dinner together every night. I'll also add that I was raised by a businessman, and because of that I got to see the employer/union relationship from a different prospective (no, my father's employees were not unionised). At my last employer, and a few other employers, I have seen the union being unfair to the employer, as opposed to simply protecting the employee's.

[CoyoteMedic]

To start off...

Someone forgot a "I" in the title.

As for unions. You know, if they do their job, I'm all for them. But I've heard to many horror stories out there in EMS about people who are in a union, get fired for something thats little and stupid, and the union not backing the employee. Yea sure they are great when it comes to trying to get you raises, but there is a strike going on right now in sacramento with the county workers, and a quater of the unions refuse to sit down with the county.

Its stuff like that that puts me on the fence when it comes to union related issues.

[Scaramedic]

Several fairly ignorant posts on the piners strike...

Title of thread....Unons

Now thats irony. :wink:

[medic001918]

To start off...

Someone forgot a "I" in the title.

As for unions. You know, if they do their job, I'm all for them. But I've heard to many horror stories out there in EMS about people who are in a union, get fired for something thats little and stupid, and the union not backing the employee. Yea sure they are great when it comes to trying to get you raises, but there is a strike going on right now in sacramento with the county workers, and a quater of the unions refuse to sit down with the county.

Its stuff like that that puts me on the fence when it comes to union related issues.

And just as many times as people have been fired for something petty and not gotten their jobs back; I've seen the union defend and get jobs back for people who don't deserve it. It just depends on the individual union I guess more than anything else. One service I work for has a union that I don't have a great deal of respect for while the other service doesn't have a union and is great to it's employees.

Shane

NREMT-P

[nsmedic393]

Sorry for the mistype...

I have also seen people who should probably been fired get their gobs back thanks to union protection. While it sucks that these idiots are still out there, there jobs were reinstated because mastakes made by our company in the process of firing these individuals. I suppose its kinda like a courtroom, you need to be proven guilty and it has to be done right.

If you looked on the bright side of that situation, I know that if my job was on the line and i didn't deserve to be fired I would still have a chance to get it back.

[echo2mcb]

If the word "union" comes out of your mouth at my workplace (or anywhere in this state), you're pulled into the office so fast, it makes your head spin. Speaking from experience.

[Just Plain Ruff]

I believe them pulling you in to the office for what I assume is some type of discipline could be considered big time illegal. It's called Union Quashing and I believe that is illegal. But its been so long since I've been tempted to unionize that I can't be sure.

Anyone want to address that.

[echo2mcb]

I'm sure it IS illegal, but I can't get any backing from my fellow coworkers. They are afraid of repercussions.