How to Kill a Union

Before you react, just let this list marinate in your mind for a few minutes.

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How does this list make you feel? Angry? Guilty? Frustrated? Amused? Or you don’t care either way?

This is the fight many locals are experiencing. If many continue to go down this path, we will not have our union for years to come. It is so much easier to let someone else lead or fill in other positions while we just sit back and point fingers playing the blame game. However, the question that needs to be asked is, while you sit back and point fingers, what are you doing to help your union? How are you helping to make your union stronger?

I have a few suggestions:

• Attend meetings. You don’t need to attend every meeting (unless you hold a position), but it is only once a month so it should not be too hard to attend a few times a year.
• Support the people that hold positions, from the president down to the reps. They were voted in for a reason; many had faith these people would fight for them.
• Mentor your fellow union siblings, especially newer ones. Yes, they do have orientation and get the same contract given by one of the reps. However, the rep can only explain so much in a short amount of time as they have others to sign or defend. They are only one person. Help when you notice someone struggling.
• Join a committee or even volunteer when you see one holding an event or fundraiser.
• Share your opinions in the meeting when asked to do so (unless it is extremely personal, then talk one-on-one). There might be others who agree with you. Remember how unions work? There are many voices coming together. You may just help change a major issue in our union if you share it with the correct people.