Personal Narrative: My Father As An Un-Unionized Worker

Over the years, my father, has benefited significantly from being part of two unions. Primarily, he is a member of IAFF, a fire department union that has provided him with many perks and advantages that have allowed us to survive in the “anti-middle-class” society that we have lived in. For example, a significant portion of his income is generated from overtime, which has been made possible as a result of the union. In addition, my father has earned a sizeable pension that will allow him to retire easier in the future and still earn a decent weekly income. Finally, he is eligible for health, vision and dental insurance through the fire department, as well as workers’ compensation in case of injury. This is particularly important in the fire

An advantage of being a union member is that the union helps in setting the standard for higher wages, better benefits and improved working conditions for workers through a collective bargaining agreement contract. Workers work together with their union steward who negotiates workplace matters with their employer. When a tentative agreement is met, the bargaining unit, that was nominated by a few of the coworkers, vote for or against the contract. Some of the things negotiated on in the contract are salary, benefits, grievance procedures, dues collection and time

I have to say that my relationship with my union is new and it means a great deal to me and my wife. I have long since been a hard and dedicated working piece of the American economy. I started as a young man mowing grass at a boys club in Savannah, Ga in exchange for mowing the grass I was able to be a part of the Boys club and my parents did not have to pay for me to be able to go there after school and during the summer which was great because between my dad and step mother there was five of us kids and for middle class family of seven to be able to have great amenities plus finding that extra money to pay for after school actives was no easy task so I worked for that. I then grew up and in my teenage years I worked fast food while in High school. I worked at a three in one restaurant it was a Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut and it was unionized. However this was my first small union experience and it was not the ideal first experience that myself of anyone

At the age of 19, my father joined the Teamster Brotherhood when he became a part time warehouse worker at UPS, and he has now been a member of the Teamsters for nearly 23 years. In July of 1997, my 21 year old parents bought their first house so that they would have room for their first two children and themselves. My father was still a part time worker at UPS, and he was working another job as well. It seemed things were looking up for my parents, but the events that took place the next month would make them question their future.

A Union is a group of workers who wanted something better from their company or facility, they are called strikers. Unions benefit workers in many ways, they help get workers' rights. Unions  are formed because their working conditions are irritable. They all needed and wanted a change; Labor Unions were created to help the workers with work-related difficulties such as low pay, unsafe or unsanitary working conditions, long hours, and other situations. .

Giving the Union an even greater chance of winning. Knowing that they couldn’t win, no longer wanting to fight, and losing all leadership led to a very important Union

To understand the worth of today’s unions, we must first understand the history and purpose of these organizations. Simply put, a union is an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer. There are many types of unions. For instance, a craft union is one whose members do one type of work, often using specialized skills and training. An industrial union is one that includes many persons working in the same industry or company, regardless of jobs held. A federation is a group of autonomous national and international unions (Mathis 529). The main purpose of all these organizations is to secure benefits and rights in the workplace. The history of unions in the United States dates

“I regard my workpeople just as I regard my machinery...When my machines get old and useless, I reject them and get new, and these people are part of my machinery” (Sands 12). A foreman at a textile mill in Fall River, Massachusetts spoke these words in possibly the worst time during American labor history, the Industrial Revolution. During the Industrial Revolution, large numbers of people in the United States flocked to work in factories where they faced long hours, unsanitary and unsafe conditions and poor wages. Labor unions, or groups of organized workers, formed in the United States to ensure workers the right to a safe workplace and a fair wage in the face of capitalistic factory owners seeking wealth. In exchange, union

Unions do provide a lot of good services to its members, such as higher wages, better hours, more benefits, and safer working conditions. There is a price to pay for these services, though. Every union requires its members to pay dues, whether they are in the form of a percentage of each paycheck, or a flat rate. The money form dues goes towards lobbying politicians to pass union-friendly legislation, or better labor laws. The money also finances officers in the union organization, who are the ones calling the shots, as far as labor negotiations are concerned.

Coming from a family that relies on unions has greatly influenced my outlook on life. I was raised believing that being in a union was the best option, and this is what I truly think. My father and step father are both union stewards. My dad works for AT&T and has belonged to IBEW Local 21 for almost 21 years now. My step dad has been a part of Laborers Local 477 for 11 years. About three years ago, he became a correctional officer where he joined FOP and AFSCME in addition to the Laborer’s. Growing up around these two men has empowered me to fight for what I believe in both in work, school, and in life.

The union in which my father belongs to has had a beneficial impact on my family for nearly two decades. By being a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers has provided my father stable work. They have the ability to ensure his employment due to their well maintained market share. Within my lifetime, he has been laid-off about ten times. On each of these occasions the union assisted him in his search for a new job. IBEW also fights for good wages and benefits for its members. Without these benefit our family our family would have a very difficult time paying for hospital bills, eye exams and the other things that are covered by his benefits. One way that the union has made a large impact in our lives is the health benefits.

First some disclosure about myself: my mother was a strong union member for General Motors for over 32 years where she held several different offices in the union. My stepfather was a member of the local iron workers union and then a member of the union at Tinker Field Airbase. When I got out of high school I worked at General Motors wishing I could join the union. Within a year of being out of school I hired on the fire department and joined their local union where I was a member for over 22 years. Needless to say I have a long history with labor unions and the benefits they provide. I know unions have done great things for our nation and have been a counterbalance to greedy companies that take advantage of

Unions have been an essential element in the progression of our nation through making the work environment safer, increasing the pay for workers, and insuring that health and retirement benefits are preserved. The basic idea behind Unions is to put together all the different needs and opinions of the people and make it into one unified voice that brings people struggling to an area of financial security and stability with additional benefits.My relationship to the Union and Labor movement is that my mother is a follower of it. My mother being a follower in the force has affected me greatly in terms of my stability at home and mentally. I don't have to worry about her in regards health, financial stability, and benefits. This is done great

Why do employees join unions? There are a number of reasons that an employee may join a union but three major factors are evident. They are; dissatisfaction with economic aspects of the job; a desire to influence those aspects of the work environment through union orientated means; and, a belief that the benefits of unionism outweigh the expected costs (Deery et al, 2000).

Being a part of a working union comes with a lot of benefits, for example, most workers that belong to a union have a better set wage than those who do not. Also, “Some 93% of unionized workers were entitled to medical benefits compared to 69% of their nonunion peers” (The pros of Joining a Labor Union). Union workers are not easily fired, they have a lot