but these demands… were met? And they resulted in material gains that makes your dad’s and coworker’s lives better?
You don’t get concessions from management like that without the real threat of a work stoppage. The “right to work” is less important than the right to work with dignity, the right to work for a fair wage, and the right to work in a safe environment. Without the threat of a work stoppage, management will not provide those things.
Your dad should join the union.
Like I said, I didn't expect most would understand.
The thing with this situation is, no one expected the demands to be met....and they still weren't met to the level that was being demanded, though I know that's how labor deals and compromises are made. Every single person at the plant was expecting an extended strike. Both sides. Picket line equipment had already been installed, lower-level managers had already been telling my dad about being able to play some more golf while it's nice outside...all of that. The fact that Daimler met them anywhere near halfway was a HUGE surprise....so that's where the anger had already begun on my dad's end.
And I don't know where in my post you got the idea that these workers were being forced to work "without dignity". It's like with most jobs, entry-level talent and entry-level jobs should come with entry-level compensation....or am I wrong in that regard? Of course their compensation was not entry-level the same way McDonald's or retail are "entry-level". They were paid according to the exclusivity of the abilities the job requires. But an entry-level factory worker should not be demanding a six-figure income IMO when they have no history with the company.
Do you think that someone should be able to come into a job, without ever working at the company ever before, and be compensated the same as someone who has worked there for decades and grown with the company and gone from entry-level to more and more progressively experienced titles. [BTW, my dad (who was never a part of the union, at least not at this job) is a handful of levels above most workers, but is not technically "management". He has been offered positions multiple times, but refuses to sacrifice his standing and seniority just for a better job title. If he moves up any levels, he is moved to the back of the line seniority-wise, and when it comes time for layoffs, he would be the first to go, whereas now he'd be one of the last to go...aka the plant would have to be shut down for him to lose his job. He works enough overtime and other hours to make as much if not more than the management jobs he's been offered. Plus he doesn't want to have to spend his entire day dealing with HR and these union issues I mentioned where workers are fired and rehired over and over...he doesn't want that headache.]
My dad is not against certain wishes (or "demands" I guess) of the union. He always is in favor of any safety and insurance increases for everyone....but the last few times a strike has been threatened, it is almost always in regards to pay. Like in this instance, there were no issues with anything other than money. Increased wages, profit sharing and cost of living increases. None of that is incredibly crazy to ask for. It seemed (and I think most would expect) that a 35% raise for thousands of workers would be out of the question and that number would have to come down a lot for anything to be agreed on. My dad had an issue with the fact that almost EVERYONE assumed there would be an extensive strike...and he did not appreciate the fact that he was going to be prevented from working because those who had worked there for a few months wanted to be compensated like those who had decades of experience.
The union there is comprised mostly of new-hires and less experienced workers. There is a lot of turnover at the job because of some of the issues I've mentioned. There are bad apples that take advantage of the system to get away with not doing what they are supposed to do, and it prevents everyone else from being able to do their jobs and it's like a snowball effect. They do their best to recruit better staff/employees, but when you run a factory that demands certain quotas that literally threaten to halt businesses nationwide, you have to sometimes hire those who maybe aren't as qualified as what they'd like. You can't magically create a better crop of recruits to fix all of the problems with the workforce. And it is usually these underqualified individuals who usually lack a lot of experience in that type of environment, come in, get their union cards, and then want to make as much money as the guy who tells their boss's boss's boss what to do.
It's of course not that simple and of course my take is biased and this is not the greatest avenue for discourse on this subject, but I also think there are many many many of you who think this is a black and white issue and make a TON of assumptions about how things like this work. And I'm never as good at explaining myself as I think I am...so yea....I also want it noted that I say all of this as a STAUNCH Democrat/Liberal. It's just one issue where I happen to have seen first hand how it affects ONE place and don't agree with how it has been operated IN THIS INSTANCE. I'm not against all unions or completely anti-labor in every single aspect. I'm also aware of the fact that some of the same arguments I've made can be parroted back at me on things like Student Loan Cancellation/Forgiveness and others. Luckily, aligning with one point of view doesn't lock you into seeing every issue in the same light.
I was just looking to see if anyone could see it from at least halfway and recognize that deals like this can be very difficult....and not just for pro-union workers. And it's not a crime nor does it make you a bad person to come at it from the other side.
I was pretty much dead on with the type of responses I'd get, and that's fine, it's just nice sometimes to talk things out...and try to see it from the other side. Which I still lack the ability or have not been convinced of those justifications.
No ill-will intended toward anyone here, as I hope the same can be said in return. I just thought local citizens would be interested in a very big labor deal that actually happened nearby.
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