“Dave’s View”
Introducing “Dave’s View” a critic column in honor of Slyy Foxx Media’s very first critic! Thank you for the feedback! And I welcome all feedback whether good or bad. My goal is to always improve. I just want to give a shout out to small business owners and workers of big corporations. Much love and appreciation.
In honor of Dave this column will focus on the automotive industry and the billions of dollars that good workers leave on the table each year while a small group of shareholders walk away with billions each year. For instance, one organization has approximately 480 shareholders that collected close to $5 billion in net revenue, while the ten(s) of thousands in their workforce received approximately $2.8 billion of the nearly $7.5 in total revenue.
When issues arise with quality often the blame is passed to the worker at the bottom of the totem pole. There is no real change from the leaders guiding and training the workers. I agree that workers should be punished if they intentionally cause damage to a product but from a worker’s perspective wouldn’t it be nice to have someone there with you when your job is on the line over something that was taught to you by management? Managers will try to blame the trainers but ultimately it falls on the manager who chose that trainer to train the employees. And what makes it worse is when managers try to pass judgment to subordinates while they break the rules themselves. Very unethical.
It’s time to educate yourself of the rights you have as a worker and the recourse you have to against managers who use unfair labor practices against you or another co-worker. Under a Union workers can sometimes dictate the terms of employment. Basically the workers can create what structure they want to fight for when they get to the negotiating table with their employer. You can ask for the moon but that doesn’t mean you will achieve all your goals. You need a well thought out plan and be strategic in your approach.
Everyone likes to make money while having a good quality of life outside of work. In a Union you can slow production down and fight for 32-40 hour weeks. No overtime! A Union can negotiate training that can allow for easier access to certain leadership positions and also into the corporate side of the business. Where the real power is.
After winning an election with the National Labor Relations Board, local unions will often receive charters from the national or international union that establishes their legal standing. These charters are often governed by a Unions Constitution.
The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act requires a Union to adopt a constitution and bylaws that are to be filed with the Department of Labor. Constitutions cover membership requirements, officer elections, grievance procedures and the goals and objectives of the Union and are voted on by its members.
It takes strong people with leadership instincts to stand up for the rights of workers. Big Business will try subtle tactics to subvert any attempts to form a Union but understand employers risk trouble with the legal system for interfering with federal protected rights of workers. You can talk about a Union all day at work and the employer cannot under any circumstances forbid you. It’s a beautiful thing to have rights and understand what those rights can do for you.
