Hacker News Reader

Comment by maxsilver | Hacker News Reader

> Union dues can be half the annual salary

Come on, is that really the honest truth? What occupation or union has union dues at 50% of salary?

In the US, UAW's dues max out around ~1.5% of salary (or an hourly approximate equivalent), the teachers union maxes out at 1.6% of salary (highest possible dues cap out at $55/month max), the nursing union dues cap out at $65/month, our local teamsters are approximately ~1.45% of salary ($50/month for someone at a $20/hr job), and so on.

The "expensive Union Dues" mess is almost always FUD or outright lies. Union dues are usually pretty modest.

View on HN

Anecdote time. I interviewed for a position that I wanted in the beltway area that paid $70K/yr in the mid-1990s. I had a lot of experience, loved what I did, and personally didn't meet any peers that were as accurate and as fast as I was. The only reason they interviewed me was because they wanted to hire me, and that was the only reason I travelled 400 miles to the interview other than to look for a place to live. Interview went well, and I thought I was taking the job, and when wrapping up, "oh, and by the way, we're a union shop. You'll be required to join the union, and the union dues are $45K/year." I immediately said, "you can't require me to join a union. That's illegal. Nor can you discriminate against me in hiring if I opt not to join." It went in one ear and out the other. I went home with a bad taste in my mouth, reported the employer and my interview experience to the US Labor Dept., but I have no idea if there were any consequences for them, and I seriously expect not.

> (the interviewer told me) "the union dues are $45K/year."

Ok, I understand that this is presumably an experience you had in your life once, but like, could you simply not hold a bad opinion against all labour rights forever, just because one person told you an (pretty obvious) blatant lie one time?

Are your experiences with a union so different? There are a lot of places that will not hire you unless you are a union member. It has become common, and it is very much like a cartel operates. There was a time when unions brought relief to the worker from employer abuse, and increased wages and improved safety standards. But that time is long, long gone, and the focus has turned entirely to money and time off. The only reason for a union to exist today is solely for it to exist. While you get your head around that syllogism, consider that while labor unions are designated non-profit, it says nothing about what its officers can earn.[1] Generally the practice seems to be to financially take advantage of the larger pool of recent members for the benefit of the smaller pool of long-term members while fleecing large employers of profit and growth incentive.

[1] https://freebeacon.com/issues/report-union-presidents-paid-c...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com