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I've found this thread to be very timely as just this
summer I was lamenting the lack of an IT worker's
union.
For the past couple of decades, we've all seen the
slash and burn techniques companies use at layoff
time. 15,000 people thrown out of work while company
stock prices rise. And it doesn't matter how good an
employee you were, how loyal, how much overtime you
worked, etc. I agree with the person who said
management's goals are not always the same as the
worker's, even if that worker is dedicated to that
company and works hard.
I would join a technical writer's union because I am
tired of seeing competent, hard-working people out of
a job while we outsource IT work to other countries.
I'm tired of seeing people over 50 being passed up
for new jobs (please, don't bother to tell me about
discrimination laws in place). I'm tired of wondering
when the next round of layoffs will be and what arcane
system management will use to decide who leaves and
who stays.
I like my job and I get along well with management,
but even in good economic times, I'm more interested
in stability than being a free market ranger
(i.e.--contractor). That's just me and that's why I
would join a union.
Being in a union wouldn't preclude you from searching
for and accepting better jobs. And being
"professional" has nothing to do with whether or not a
union is appropriate. Unions, at their heart, have
more to do with providing a voice to people who are
not in a position of corporate fiscal power.
Evelyn Barker
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