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It used to be that if an individual made a committment to a company, the
company returned the loyalty. I'm not saying protecting the jobs of
boneheads and idiots, I'm talking about protecting the jobs of people who
work hard for your 40 hours a week.
Now, employees who signed on for a 40-hour workweek, get paid for those 40
hours, and who often take it upon themselves to put in overtime to meet a
deadline, are being told they have to perform mandatory overtime for no pay,
or are getting their workweeks moved from 40 to 45 hours with no increase in
compensation.
In Connecticut, at least, this is a trend in non-union, technology companies
and it is unfair.
Now, I am not talking about those evil FrameMaker users who spend their
entire lives perfecting one template <vbg--that's a joke, folks>. I'm
talking about employees who put in an honest week's worth of work. I agree,
company owners and CEOs have to put forth more to save the company, but
those folks signed on for more, have a different stake than most of the
employees, and have different carrots and sticks.
So, whether a union is something you want or not is a personal matter, but
the idea of protecting the well-being of employees and the idea that
employees need to be protected from unfair practices is born directly from
frequent abuses . . .. Yes, expect that employers who treat their employees
fairly and honestly not to hear talk of a union. Yes, expect employers who
regularly abuse their employees to hear talk of a union. Any given
individual may well be capable of negotiating for themselves, but unless
they are the President or owner of a company, that individual is unlikely to
stop such abuses if they exist.
Joining a technical writing union could certainly be a good way to
strengthen the profession, both in bargaining power and also through the
opportunities that such a group could bring to the table for their
membership, in terms of professional development and the like.
Cheers,
Sean<Br>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Iggy [SMTP:iggy_1996dp -at- yahoo -dot- com]
>
> I don't think a union is in order just because the
> tech market isn't doing so hot. I think that's a quick
> rush to a poor solution. If you join a union during
> rough times, what happens when times get better and
> you are free to be your normal ambitious, risk-taking
> self? You've screwed yourself. You are then held back
> by the bylaws of the union, and should you leave the
> union, good luck getting a job in any now unionized
> company/tech writing department.
>
<snip>
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