Protip: if they mention unions in any way during your interview, you need to be in a union.
this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
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They Ask about unions in Job interviews? What the fuck
USA! USA! USA!
People act like jobs don't ask illegal questions but in different ways with zero retaliation. The smaller the company, the less they gaf
But tbh the smaller the company the least likely the CEO is an asshole
Yeah, why not straight up ask, if you'd like to work for them under shitty conditions with abysmal pay?
I'm pretty sure employers aren't allowed to ask stuff like that in an interview, at least where I'm from.
That's good because then they can't fire you for lying about it in the interview.
But good luck telling them they can't ask that.
Later: "You weren't a good fit"
"we didn't pass you up because you refused to answer our question about unions, we passed you up because we didn't like you anymore after you refused to answer our question about unions"
Use this one simple trick to be a massive piece of shit
I can only speak for the UK, but it is absolutely illegal here for an employer to bring up unionism during a job interview.
Yeah, that's where I'm from, I was 99% sure but couldn't be arsed to Google it this morning.
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I've just this year changed jobs after decades in the same job. I wanted to ask in the interview if they have a Unionised shop floor but the company was American owned (in the UK) so I thought it best to just wonder instead of asking.
Now I'm contracted to the Company instead of an Agency and know there is actually a Union and it's the same one I'm a member of, which is nice. So i had a word with the Rep and got them to tell the Union I'm working there.
Then this week I was in my first Union meeting at this company and was a little confused why the manager that interviewed me AND HIS MANAGER were in the meeting. I thought perhaps they were just there talking to the Union to see what they thought on a subject.
Nope, they're members! I thought they were really nice and understanding Managers before but now I know why.
That's very interesting. Where I live in the United States managers are almost never allowed to be part of a union. I've never been a manager so I'm not sure why but my understanding is most companies claim it's a "conflict of interest." Maybe I've just worked at shitty places but it just surprised me to read your managers are union members.
Yeah it confused me too since in my last company I know for a fact that the mangers were asked to leave the Union when they were promoted because it is a conflict of interests as you say.
I mean they are lower level management, the guy that interviewed me is a Team Leader and his Manager is the guy who organises the personelle although I don't know his title.
I don't think any higher ups are Union members.
Interestingly, my first interaction with this Union is a shift change that affects me. They're compressing our hours to be done over 3 days instead of 5 and they're making us work a Saturday shift. We're happy with the change as a majority but the Union doesn't like the Saturday and wanted to fight for more money for the shift.
They stepped in too late though, and all suggestions have fallen on deaf ears so there's a potential for a Fight, but I don't think it's gonna happen.
What I found interesting was the Manager that's a Union member agreed with the Union interceding at the time, but then later said it was a mistake that was justaking the process more complicated than it needed to be. The higher up manager was REALLY PISSED OFF with the Union interference, and that was for the good in my opinion, because it meant that the Union still has enough clout to cause headaches.
If they do, lie
Is this an American thing? Why would anyone be anti union (apart from the given example of getting a job)? Even the decimated unions of the UK are still thought to be fairly positive seeking for better rights. Genuinely asking.
Ironically I know a lot of German employees who range from sceptical to outright anti-union. They are mostly East-Germans, and my attempt of an explanation is that for them, unions used to belong to the founding and ruling East German Socialist Party SED and thus they connect it with oppression and patronisation from the elite ruling class. They don't have any arguments either, when you ask them what they have against it and whether they know that we have weekends and maximum working hours and paid sick leave due to unions they go yea of course of course, but... idk man... I don't see how I would profit from it... and all the strikes man, it only hurts the economy man... It's a bit like yeah but apart from sanitisation, wine, the aqueducts, schools, democracy, what have the Romans done for us?!
And then of course some are thoroughly brainwashed an-caps who think people must be stinking rich or stinking of the excrements in the street they live in, no in-between, and hate unions for fighting just that.
Because America basically has no labour rights and they're the ones that need unions the most
I doubt it's a uniquely American thing, but yeah, there's a lot of anti-union sentiment in America for good but mostly bad reasons.
Some modern unions have overstepped their reach (IMO) at the expense of the people their members are supposed to serve.
Mostly, it's propoganda. Or whatever you call the process that makes people accept tax cuts on billion dollar companies (already at the lowest rate America has ever seen) or a predatory healthcare system.
Police unions need to go, pretty much all other unions are good though many could use some reform. There is a guy at my work who is rarely on time, calls out sick constantly, has verbally threatened co-workers and supervisors and totalled a $100,000 truck and the union keeps going to bat for him and there seems to be one of those guys at every union shop I've been a member of. I am pro union but I just wish they would do better at picking their battles and ditched toxic motherfuckers who make the rest of us miserable.
Police unions need to be abolished for the same reason that ordinary unions need to be preserved: unions protect workers. And the police already have fucking guns and can arrest you on flimsy pretexts. They do not need to be protected.
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Exactly this. Police unions should go. The UAW is pretty rotten too. The DoJ cleaned them up a little bit in the last few years with those corruption charges, but working with UAW in the plant is a crapshoot. Some are fine, some are shitheads just exploiting the fact that they can do basically anything and not be fired. And the workplace environment in non-union automotive plants is so much better than union plants and the pay comparable enough, it makes you wonder what benefit the UAW currently really provides.
But teachers, teamsters, actors, Starbucks even... Those unions are doing some good work.
Care to venture a split on the good/bad? UK is the same to an extent with gov. decrying strikes in the last year but most professionals at least are still in a union.
A company will get the union it deserves.
I wanna live in a world where this is always true
(Great quote though, I might steal it)
if they confront you just say you thought they talked about the European Union, they can't prove you didn't
"So are you pro-union?"
"Not since Kruschev was removed."
"What?"
"What?"
I thought you guys broke up?
What country is this in? In the US, this is illegal.
Changing opinions is illegal?
Union busting is illegal
They do it all the time in the US. Laws hardly mean shit there. Lobbyists my guy
Absolutely, that's sadly the case. Walmart and Amazon have been caught union busting and afaik there have been no consequences. Glad to see that Amazon workers got a union though
If you need the job, then what are you going to do?
How is joining a union illegal in the US?
Its not. The illegal part is the interviewer asking your views on unions.
They will disguise it as "trying to tell you it's an available perk", then see if you are excited about that or not. In my experience.
In the UK the probation period is effectively meaningless. Until you've been with an employer for 2 years, you don't have any rights to an employment tribunal, except when the dismissal is "automatically unfair" (eg discrimination due to sex, race, disability etc).
That's what's known as 'at will employment' in the U.S. A lot of states have it. They can fire you for anything that doesn't violate civil rights and it's pretty easy to fire someone because of their race and claim it was for another reason.
While I'm oversimplifying, basically 49 out of 50 U.S. states are at will employment. (A majority have public policy exceptions, and only 3-4 have NO exceptions.) Montana is the only U.S. state that is not at will (after a probation period).
If you are an employee and not a member of a union you are only hurting yourself.
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See also, signing a contract which includes opting out of EU Working Time regulations, then emailing HR to opt back in the day your probation is up. They can't deny your request or punish you for it.
Not even a question when companies have to follow the salary gride defined by the union. IG-Metall, be blessed !
This is the way.
Well. I am good of not telling the truth.
Unionize!
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