Storey

Storey

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Institution:

Storey

The joining of a union has a few drawbacks that need to be considered by new employees. Any decision reached by the organization is binding to all its members. This is discriminatory because a member may have an opposing opinion but that view cannot be adopted if it goes against the beliefs of the majority. Consequently, he/she is supposed to show solidarity with fellow members in case of a call to industrial action regardless of his/her dissent on the issue (Sloane & Witney, 2010). Similarly, in spite of the amount agreed upon on the bargaining table, the members do not share it equally. In most cases, the amount of compensation depends on one’s seniority. Thus, possession of expertise in a particular discipline or special skills is not a guarantee for greater benefits. In contrast, newer employees may be easily laid off when a company is downsizing as opposed to less qualified workers who are highly ranked by their unions.

Likewise, the influence of politics in union operations may weaken the gains made thereby placing their members in prolonged periods of marginalization (Williams, 2012). Sometimes, such actions are perpetuated by a few officials who unilaterally offer personal statements in the pretext that they are union decisions. Hence, innocent members of staff suffer a backlash from the relevant firms, fellow citizens and authorities. By so doing, the union is weakened and is forced to endure long durations without any strong bargaining power. Moreover, outright support to union matters leads to dictatorial tendencies that may cause friction due to financial impropriety. Accordingly, this behavior creates mistrust among them thereby leading to the development of various factions as well. This threatens the stability of their membership, collective bargaining rights and jobs to the detriment of the individual workers.

References:

Sloane, A. A., & Witney, F. (2010). Labor Relations (13 Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Williams, Jerry. (2012). Ungrateful: The Rise and Fall of Labor Unions. Xlibris Corp.