by Robert Heston

Created on: December 28, 2009   Last Updated: December 30, 2009

In these hard economic times, with many people searching for work, what's an acceptable job today is not necessarily the same as would have been the case just a few years ago.  Given the fact that having a job is generally preferable to not having a job, what about joining, and working union versus working non union?  Is it a good deal or not?

Being from a working class background, and proud of that, I find the union philosophy to be very commendable.  However, while that philosophy is commendable in theory, it can be very corrupt in reality.  There are good companies that treat their employees with respect, pay fair wages, incorporate safety into their work practices, and include benefits as part of an employees benefit package.  Working people do not need unions when working for companies like that.  There are also companies that do not respect their workers, do not pay fair wages, are more concerned about dodging safety concerns than working safely, and have no intention of ever providing benefits.  People working for an employer like that sorely need a union.

We've often heard the claims that the pay on union jobs exceeds that of non union jobs.  In my fifteen plus years as an active union member I have found this to be true more times than not.  However, the best pay I have ever earned was on a non union job in Utah, a right to work state.  In a nutshell the right to work law gives workers the choice of whether or not they need to join a union, even when working for a union company.  The claim is made that right to work laws weakens unions.  But if pay and benefits are not improved by joining a union, if workers are held down by joining a union, aren't unions then counter productive for workers?

In my experience, union jobs are safer than non union jobs.  At the very least, safety awareness is greater on union jobs.  This is largely due to health and safety training available to union members, training that is mandatory in apprenticeship programs.  Once again though, this is not one hundred percent true.  Nevada in general and Las Vegas in particular, have a reputation for being strongly pro union.  However, beginning in 2010 construction workers will be required to attend 10 hour OSHA safety classes, and supervisors will be required to attend 30 hour OSHA safety classes.  This is due to an extremely high rate of fatalities, and injuries in the past few years. 

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