So…. my job has a union, but it's a terrible one. I live/work in NYC, where the minimum wage is $15/hour. But this is also one of, if not the, most expensive city to live in in the country. Sometimes San Francisco beats us, sometimes we beat them. I think we're in the lead at this very moment, but that can change. Anyway. I make $16/hour. I requested $20/hour when I was hired, they lowballed me, and I get that, but I'm going through a divorce and had to rejoin the workforce quick, fast, and in a hurry.
That being said, technically, my job has a union. But I feel like the only reason I make 16/hour instead of 15 is so I can pay union dues. Something I noticed when I first signed on was that my job was able to opt-out of providing any insurance benefits because technically the union can hook us up. But even if they have a group rate, that's still suppose to come out of my wages. My job doesn't even do direct deposit!
I've had conversations with my union rep through email. Apparently, the union stopped having meetings because of Covid. But they have no intention of starting them back up again anytime soon. So I can't even talk to my fellow employees about the changes that need to happen in the union or the workplace, not at any meeting.
So I'm debating trying to replace the current union with a new one, or just keep trying to find a new job elsewhere. Especially ever since I started really digging into this subreddit, and others like it, I find that I am definitely leftist in my labor beliefs. I'm kind of struggling on a conscience level about trying to make this union thing work at my job. The one that's there now is an insult and, as far as I can tell, just there to save the owners money on benefits.
Please weigh in. Let me know what you would do. I have a feeling that if I decide to try to do this, it'll be like volunteering my whole life to this cause for the next six months or year or something, and that's a big commitment, especially since I live paycheck to paycheck.