Company Playing Mind Games With Union

     The company I currently work for is keeping some very important information away from the union. Information that may be a life or death thing, and the union does not like it at all.

     As I have stated before in my previous post Union and Company Need a Culture Change, either side believes the other and there is absolutely no trust among the two.

     At our headquarters about a month ago, a union employee had been reprimanded for some activity that the company did not see reasonable. Here is where the shit starts to hit the fan, because the union employees want answers that the company is not giving.

     Rumors, in a workplace like this, are being spread to everyone to and from every direction, and nobody knows exactly what to believe.

     Because of this fact with the rumors, and the fact, that this morning, a statement was read from the head supervisor of the building, no questions were answered. All this head supervisor read to us was that anybody who sees the said employee on the premises is to report the sighting to their field leaders or to the company security immediately.

     Questions about this employee’s firing, discharge, quitting, sick time off, vacation or assault on a supervisor went unanswered. The union members have no clue of what is going on and neither do some of the company employees.

     We all feel that some bit of information for the safety of everyone is not too much to ask. But it seems that the company wants to keep mum on the subject and will take the chance that nothing bad will happen.

     But what if something bad does happen? What if this said employee is dangerous, like rumored, and the company is not telling?

     Will the company be willing to pay out on lawsuits? Because there will be plenty coming their way.

     Is this said individual a threat? Did this person make a bodily threat to a supervisor and is the company keeping this secret?

    If so, why is there a big secret? Is it because of the pending lawsuit from this individual against the company? Does the company really find it necessary to keep hush any kind of information that may make employees feel more at ease, or does the company like to play head games with it’s employees?

     Whatever the reason, everyone who is out of the loop on this, feels the tension in the air and it really is unfair.

     Isn’t it the responsibility of the company to keep everyone safe?

Union and Company Need a Culture Change

     I work at a place where the relationship between management and the union members is strained, but tolerable, barely. The company is not centered in one place, it is scattered over a large area. OK, across the state.

     There are dozens of little offices where people are assigned to work from and report to daily. At these buildings is where the union members and the company people gather and mingle. Mingle is used loosely because all the union get along with the supervisors and field leaders, but only because everyone wants peace. But deep down, seated inside every single person, is a distrust for the other side.

     The union members do not trust the company people because the union feels the company is out to get them. There is a feeling that someone may get fired for doing the wrong thing, having an accident of some kind, or saying the wrong thing to someone.

     The union members are also irritated with their own union leadership because the members feel the leaders are “in bed” with the company.

     When members want to file grievances, the union stewards either blow off the request, forget to file it, or won’t fight hard enough, which all results in victories for the company and gives the company an even stronger grip on the union.

     The company has the union, at many locals, by the balls. These local unions can’t move, are intimidated and just simply give in. Some members are talking of finding out if they can stop paying their dues and fight their own battles against the company or grievances because the members feel the results would be the same.

     The supervisors at this company deal with each individual person on different levels. They do not treat the members the same when it comes to discipline or problems that are brought by the workers to the supervisors. The supervisors have their favorites and their non-favorites when it comes to their workers. So when things happen, there is not a blanket way of dealing with them.

     When this happens, problems form, there is a trust issue that is installed in the workforce, and then more problems rise from this. Union members feel that some members are treated like royalty while others are treated like paupers.

     Union members feel the company has a secret list of members, the ‘A’ list and the ‘shit’ list, in which the supervision goes by when it comes to dealing with fixing problems, giving daily assignments, or handing out discipline.

     Something has happened to this company that will cost it’s workers and union members millions of dollars in the court of law. I just wonder if the company is smart enough to learn from this, or if they are going to fight it. If they win, will everything go back to how it is? Or will there finally be some kind of culture change in the entire workforce?

     I realize it has to be a two-sided effort with the company and the union, and even the old timers need to try, but will they?