To begin with, I’ve made it a habit to scare the higher ups with open union and worker’s rights threats. Nothing, not a single thing has been done, but it’s good to keep them on their toes.
When in the break room with others, if a manager enters or steps in to se what’s up, I will quickly pretend that we need to change subjects, something like “hey let’s talk about the union later” or “Hey how’s it going guys? Nothing much just talking about striking”
Well, now the big boss has gotten wind of this and does NOT find it funny one bit. I didn’t outright tell them I was joking, but I assured them that if there really was a union or a union push, they’d know about it and wouldn’t be finding out about it through break room jokes.
Frame is as: The Boomers are retiring in a “silver tsunami.” It’s going to be an employee’s market for the next few decades.
So, an employer can either:
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Work with a union to have single point of contact to know how to keep workers happy and sticking around the job. Everyone wins.
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Crush unions and lose that single point of contact. Then keep wondering, employee by employee what it takes to keep people around. Play whack-a-mole while spending a fortune on re-training and probably end up paying similar wages the union asked for in the first place. Everyone loses.
A union is to the employer’s advantage. A union is capitalism’s solution to keeping the bottom from revolting and embracing communism. Unions are good. Unions are American.
100% agree with you, but these idiots have been conditioned to vote against their own self interest every single time.
Well, it’s time for change. Let’s gently educate them. We’re not adversaries (we WANT their company to succeed, too!). And it’s our job to save them from themselves.
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I sincerely hope that you guys are organizing a union as well. Although your strategy of pranking/scaring the managers and bosses probably work and are funny too, forming a union can do so much more in terms of salary, working conditions and worker participation in workplace policy making.
Anyways, thumbs up for keeping the bosses on their toes!
I would absolutely love to, but I live in Texas where they can fire you for any reason, or no reason at all.
And fire you they will, as soon as you show you’re not anti-union they’ll search for the smallest thing. Unionize, and know your Weingarten rights.
Absolutely, unfortunately I have kind of met my limits with this company and I’m ready to move on.
That’s the best time to agitate your coworkers to do something, if you are ready to move on already, then you have nothing to lose. Also, even though it is an “at will” state, if you document things thoroughly and are fired for no reason or even a BS reason you can still sue. Remember, it is FEDERAL law the prohibits the firing of employees as a means to squash unionization talks. At will states just don’t require the employer to document their stated reason for firing you, all you need to prove is that they fired you for something they don’t normally fire others for and that they did so while aware that you were talking about unions.
(I did over simplify this in my explanation, but the gist is true.)
