The Role of Unions in the Workforce – No
Unions often get a bad name in the work world as they are seen as diametrically opposed to management, interfering with the way organizations do business. The entire perception of 'them against us' is clearly based on presentation or the lack thereof. Whether unions operate in an open or closed shop environment, union members must first be employees for the idea of unions to have impact in the first place. As such, organizations and unions alike must see the common thread that connects them - people - who make up the workforce as well as union membership.
If we go to the bargaining table with the understanding that each party wants what is good for the employee in order to promote the overarching goals and objectives of the organization, then half the battle is won. The bargaining piece that remains is how much will it cost to ensure a safe and comfortable work environment without fear of reprisal, a competitive and fair wage, and supervisors, managers and cowokers who see themselves as a team. It may sound like poppycock, but it really is a heavy dose of common sense, infused with empathy and a retracted ego. It works.
Organizations are nothing more than structures and names. The problems arise from the people who fill those organizations. The C-suite and management down the line are more concerned about numbers, dollars and cents, than they are about the people who make those numbers, dollars and cents a reality. Inequality and uneveness gave rise to Unions. Those two factors have also kept the blood running warm in the veins of Unions today. As people move up in the hierarchy of organizations they become blind to the needs of others and hungry for self-aggrandizement in the way of huge salaries and perks.
When you see fireworks on the 4th of July, you never see people looking down at the bright lights and blazzing colors. They look up as the show dances across the sky in breathtaking brillance.s Union members and the rest of the workforce look up at all the goodies at the top and as is human nature, want to atleast have a taste of the goodies. When management attempts to restrict how the rank and file benefits from the prosperity of the company, then Unions, collective voices, collective strength, step in to leverage the position of those who otherwise would not be heard. As a member of the C-suite, I hope Unions never go away, because they keep the rest of us cognizant of when too much leaves too little for others.
