Christmas Sheep
Do you mean 'union' as in a labor union, or like the United States?
edited 13th Aug '11 5:59:52 PM by TheEarthSheep
Still Sheepin'
Labour union.
I changed accounts.
...what is the difference between the two, exactly? Also, if they currently exist, can we have a qualifier on how they are set up?
I am now known as Flyboy.
I think he meant union as in... a country versus a union, as in, a group of workers gather together for bargaining power.
So now that we have the dictionary out of the way, I've seen several types of union organisations and they work quite differently.
The local electricians union for instance works like this:
- When a company wants to hire an electrician (a licenced skilled labourer, or an apprentice) they hire from the union. The union maintains a waiting list of "first come first serve". That is, every time you get unemployed, you're immediately added to the waiting list at the back of the line.
- Companies are required to keep the person for the probation period (anywhere from a week to a month or something, depends) and then after that, they can kick them out if they think the guy sucks and grab another labourer from the union.
- A company can also directly hire a person by name, but may only have a percentage of workers hired in that manner from the union.
- Your rank is based on hours worked, and you need to take a test to get your licence (after 5 years worth of hours worked as an apprentice).
Then you have the local teacher's union:
- Pay is based on your years of experience, your degree level (bachelor's, master's or Ph D), and type of degree. It can also be increased by taking extra learning once you become a teacher. It can also be increased by doing extra work (such as being the head of a department at school).
- Hiring is based on school principals and interviews. Removing teachers is done in much the same manner, however, a principal has to justify the removal of a teacher to the union.
scratching at .8, just hopin'
Easy: I merge union leadership with the company's leadership, and run it as a co-operative.
Share it so that people can get into this conversation, 'cause we're not the only ones who think like this.
I see the Awesomeness.
I'm not sure I trust any group that has a mandatory "you have to hire from us" requirement unless it's a high level of skill required, in which case you can sue the person for a lot of money for failure.
Other than that, I'm okay with the the electricians union structure.
Fight smart, not fair.
Theorycrafting time!
What would the ideal union structure be to you?