Marshall Banana wrote:
Also Sprach basskisser :

You should quit your job immediately if you don't like unions. You
could go work somewhere else for less money than you are worth.

Actually, my average annual raise has gone down since we
unionized.

Then quit, go do something else, there will be someone willing to take
your place. There are always options.

Before, raises were at management's discretion, and
performance was rewarded while slackers didn't get an extra dime.
Now,
the union contract has a minimum and maximum annual raise, so the
slackers
get their guaranteed 1.5% while people who bust their ass are capped
at
4%.

As far as getting paid what I am worth, unionizing has forced me to
make
some career decisions. My particular line of work is rather
specialized
an only done by a handfull of companies around the world, so leaving
to
work somewhere else is not really an option. I had hoped to stay
within a
technical expert career track, but since I can make twice the salary
by
taking a management track, it has become a preferred option.

Then it's entirely YOUR choice. No one is forcing you to do it. You
should be thankful for the opportunity.

Prior to our
workplace unionizing, a technical expert an manager with equivalent
experience were paid comparable salaries, but the gap between them
has
widened every year since unionizing.

a technical expert with managerial skills is WORTH more than a
technical expert without.

Dan