General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Union workers who hate unions. I don't get it. [View all]Uben
(7,719 posts)...look, not all unions are the same, and just about all of them are corrupt to some extent. Anytime you are talking about millions of dollars, there's gonna be abuse. I have seen it, firsthand!
Although the union may be good, for the most part, there are locals who abuse it. I am pro-union...I believe they are necessary for fairness in bargaining. But, I have seen locals that stay broke because their leaders spend the money to stay off the clock and on union time (where the unions pay their wages) because they want pay without any output. If you think it doesn't happen, you have not been exposed to many locals. I have been in labor court and have seen the local president and VP of the union lie through their teeth, and even the judge told them so! They both worked under my supervision, and they just laughed about it when we got back to the workplace. They have no place in union leadership, but who ya gonna call? In this instance, both were replaced with responsible leaders when their terms expired. The union began accumulating monies almost immediately once they were gone!
This is just one example, and should not be equated to all locals. I have also been a member of a USW local that acted responsibly as union leaders should. They represented their members fairly, made good use of union dues, and did what was right to help both the union and the company to prosper. So, although there are scumbag cheats that get elected to leadership positions, they aren't in the majority, and most are quite legit. Isn't it that way everywhere?
So, when you see a union member badmouth their unions, they may very well have been exposed to the same kind of corruption, and it has made them very angry to see their dues mishandled. It happens.