Thread: federal unions

Interesting, I didn't think federal workers were allowed to unionize

Yes they CAN, but they don't have to!

Originally Posted by sniper

Interesting, I didn't think federal workers were allowed to unionize

Huh???? Where you been brother?

Nearly 1 million federal employees are unionized. That number used to be much higher...when there were nearly double the amount of federal employees 30 years ago.

I was in the NWSEO for a few years. Then I realized that they didn't really do much, if anything, for me. So I quit.

I quit the union just after my 2nd year of federal service, it took 3 months to quit! They made it as hard as they could.

Originally Posted by nnuut

I quit the union just after my 2nd year of federal service, it took 3 months to quit! They made it as hard as they could.

Yes...you just happily reap the benefits that union negotiations gave you over (postal health plan costs cheaper than rest of Gov't workforce) plus all the annual leave (4 weeks after 3 years...5 weeks after 15 years0 retirement benefits and other fair labor standards you would NEVER have had in a non union industry. You get these while having others pay union dues to help achieve and maintain those rights. Nuff said.

Originally Posted by FireWeatherMet

Yes...you just happily reap the benefits that union negotiations gave you over (postal health plan costs cheaper than rest of Gov't workforce) plus all the annual leave (4 weeks after 3 years...5 weeks after 15 years0 retirement benefits and other fair labor standards you would NEVER have had in a non union industry. You get these while having others pay union dues to help achieve and maintain those rights. Nuff said.

37 years and I never had to call on the union to represent me, although I had to work with them many times when one of my employees were in trouble. I would always call their representative when I had to take actions against an employee, carried the union book in my back pocket for years. I know the Union deal very well, do you?

Originally Posted by FireWeatherMet

Huh???? Where you been brother?

Nearly 1 million federal employees are unionized. That number used to be much higher...when there were nearly double the amount of federal employees 30 years ago.

Haha, just never looked into it. I knew when i was the military it was illegal for us to unionize, so I assumed it was like that for all feds. I was wrong lol.

Originally Posted by nnuut

37 years and I never had to call on the union to represent me, although I had to work with them many times when one of my employees were in trouble. I would always call their representative when I had to take actions against an employee, carried the union book in my back pocket for years. I know the Union deal very well, do you?

Very early in my career, I was in the union. I had a co-worker file a grievance because he didn't like the type of music I played during work hours. Thinking things could get ugly, I contacted my union rep to represent me at the hearing and was told that I couldn't have union representation because they were representing the other guy. The irony was that he was a non-union member and got representation whereas I was a dues paying member and was denied union representation. Needless to say, I quit the union the very next pay period.

As for federal unions, it is true they negotiate benefits but in reality have very little power. Just ask the air traffic controllers who tried to strike during the Reagan administration. They all lost their jobs and the union was powerless to do anything about it...

Originally Posted by ravensfan

Very early in my career, I was in the union. I had a co-worker file a grievance because he didn't like the type of music I played during work hours. Thinking things could get ugly, I contacted my union rep to represent me at the hearing and was told that I couldn't have union representation because they were representing the other guy. The irony was that he was a non-union member and got representation whereas I was a dues paying member and was denied union representation. Needless to say, I quit the union the very next pay period.

As for federal unions, it is true they negotiate benefits but in reality have very little power. Just ask the air traffic controllers who tried to strike during the Reagan administration. They all lost their jobs and the union was powerless to do anything about it...

That's bunk. I would have filed a grievance against you for being a ravens fan, but that's about it (Steeler fan here lol)

Crappy though, you'd think the union would defend the one actually paying dues, that's messed up.

Originally Posted by nnuut

I quit the union just after my 2nd year of federal service, it took 3 months to quit! They made it as hard as they could.

Originally Posted by FireWeatherMet

Yes...you just happily reap the benefits that union negotiations gave you over (postal health plan costs cheaper than rest of Gov't workforce) plus all the annual leave (4 weeks after 3 years...5 weeks after 15 years0 retirement benefits and other fair labor standards you would NEVER have had in a non union industry. You get these while having others pay union dues to help achieve and maintain those rights. Nuff said.

Originally Posted by nnuut

37 years and I never had to call on the union to represent me, although I had to work with them many times when one of my employees were in trouble. I would always call their representative when I had to take actions against an employee, carried the union book in my back pocket for years. I know the Union deal very well, do you?

I can't speak for every local union chapter, but combined, on the national level, you do know that its because of them that your retirement plan is so generous. Its because of them that you can carry FEHB into retirement, otherwise Medicare would be the only thing you would have. Its because of them that your FEHB plan withholdings were so cheap.

So you got all those benefits, but let others pay for the fight to get AND KEEP THEM from Republican efforts to reduce them. Like I said...nuff said on your end.