Unions, for or against

[46Young]

There seems to be many mixed feelings regarding unions in EMS. I'll expand this thread to include fire based EMS, since they've enjoyed the most success with organized labor.

The question is, are you for or against unions in EMS, and why? I'm looking for more than "It'll ruin my organization". I'm speaking in a broad sense, since there are always isolated case studies that can support either side of the argument.

 

[Akulahawk]

I'd have to say that it totally depends upon the specific situation at hand. If your employer has good relations with the employees, and morale is good, there's generally no need for a union. When the relationship is bad, morale is low, and both sides try to undermine the other, unions can be a good thing as it provides a skeleton for both sides to behave...

I guess you could say that I think that unions can be a necessary evil, but they're not a panacea.

 

[medic417]

I do not feel unions are any longer beneficial. In fact as has been seen many times it actually turns the public against you. They see so many people w/o jobs yet see the unions demanding more. In fact many feel they are the reason so many jobs are now outsourced. Wonder how long before you dial 911 and some guy name Bob in India answers?

Even with a union in this economy many services are taking pay cuts or at least giving up their pay raises( see Austin, TX) just to keep their jobs.

 

[scottyb]

I do not feel unions are any longer beneficial. In fact as has been seen many times it actually turns the public against you. They see so many people w/o jobs yet see the unions demanding more. In fact many feel they are the reason so many jobs are now outsourced. Wonder how long before you dial 911 and some guy name Bob in India answers?

Even with a union in this economy many services are taking pay cuts or at least giving up their pay raises( see Austin, TX) just to keep their jobs.

I agree with that assessment. Also, I think unions can sometimes hurt by making it difficult to get rid of dead weight. At a sister site, that is union, once your are in, you're in. There is no getting rid of you, even for some pretty heinous violations of job requirements, like drug use.

 

[JCampbell]

I'm all for em! I like 'em in a stew, on the grill, sliced on a hamburger, in soup, hell I like 'em raw! My favorites are the red union and the Vidalia union, they sure can grow good unions down in Georgia! I don't like the wild unions though, they make my lawn smell bad in the spring.