Carpenters Local #306 | home
Why join a Union?
Whats the difference between Union and Non-Union Carpenters?
We both work hard for our familes,
inside and out, in all weather. When we are done with the project, we go on to the next one. WE Build Things
Now when we are done we go the the union hall and go out to the next job.
If your company doesnt have more work, what do you do?
We have a Pension -
Probably, you dont - goofey 401k's dont count.
If you dont think so Watch;
Can you afford to retire? from Frontline on PBS
401ks are not going to work for retirement.
("I think this is a crisis in the making," says Alicia Munnell, director of the Boston College Center for Retirement Research. "I think 10 or 15 years from now, people who approach their early 60s are simply not going to have enough money to retire on."
"I would say, unless you're fortunate to be in the upper-income quartiles, that you're probably going to be in for a very rough ride," adds Jack VanDerhei of the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). "You're not going to have sufficient monies to pay the predictable expenses -- your housing, your utilities, your food -- plus the potential catastrophic medical care costs." )
Think about that one!!
We make more money -
and keep your DB wages up through our wage surveys
We have a Vacation fund - Probably, you dont
We have upgrade training - Most likley, you dont
If we work on Saturday in stead of being home with our familys -
We are paid time and a Half
If we have to work on Sunday
instead of being in our house of Worship.
We are paid double time-
you see our union's for-fathers, thought this was
so important; that we be able to worship as they please,
that the employer has to pay good money, to keep you from it.
We have Health Care thats administered through OUR TRUST FUND,
( paid by the employer) so it doesnt matter what contractor you work for,
you still have the same Health fund, covering ALL of your family.
So realy, why would any Carpenter,
want to work without Union coverage?
Join today,
"If you are a quality carpenter, you can take a placement test
and may score on the Journeyman level, try it and see".
-------this note from the web site designer and Union Carpenter
----------------------------------------------------------
You don't have to go far these days to hear negative things being said about unions. Many politicians, employers, the media and people in general, openly criticize the labor movement. They say that unions are out of touch and out of date. They also claim that unions no longer "deliver the goods" for their members.
Yet despite all these criticisms and complaints, millions of workers still proudly call themselves union members. Statistics Canada reports one in every three working people in Canada belongs to a union. According to the AFL-CIO, union membership rose in the U.S. by more than 265,000 in 1999—the largest annual increase in 20 years. The number of union members in the United States rose from 16.21 million to 16.48 million last year, while the percentage of U.S. workers who belong to unions remained steady at 13.9 percent, reversing a trend of decline.
The growth in union membership over the past few years shows that – despite all the negative things that have been said by the labor movement's detractors – many Americans & Canadians still believe in unions. And when you look at the facts about the benefits of union membership it's not hard to understand why.
The truth is that unions still have an exceptional track record when it comes to improving wages and conditions for their members. So, for all those workers asking whether or not it makes sense to join a union, experience shows that the answer is clearly "Union Yes!"
 Wages and Income One of the most obvious benefits of union membership is higher pay.
 Pensions and Benefits In addition to getting paid more, union members also tend to have better pensions and other benefits than nonunion workers. In fact, in many ways the difference in access to these kind of job-related entitlements is even more dramatic than the difference between union and non-union wages.
But pensions aren't the only area where there is a clear union advantage.
Union members are also much more likely to have other so-called "non-wage benefits" – like dental plans, vision care plans.
 Health and Safety Another major advantage of union membership has to do with on-the-job health and safety. The evidence clearly shows that unions make for safer and healthier workplaces.
 It makes sense to join a union! So does it still pay to be a union member? Clearly it does. Union members enjoy better wages, better benefits and increased job security. But the biggest benefit is the strength that comes from solidarity. Unlike non-union workers, unionized workers are not alone when they have grievances; they’re not alone when they file WCB claims; and they’re not alone when they raise health and safety concerns.
This is the most basic lesson of the labor movement – that workers are stronger when they stand together than when they stand alone.
For information about how to join the UBC, contact the nearest Local Union Hall.
(excerpted from "Now More Than Ever", released in April 1999)
|
Labor history
by Miranda Middleton
In the years between the Civil War and World War I,
America transformed from a nation of independent craftsmen and farmers
to an industrial society of mass production workers, business tycoons, and factory owners.
Millions of men, women, and children left their farms and small towns for the low wages and long working hours in the cities. A lot of immigrants fell into this laborious work, in the mines, factories, and sweatshops. They lived in company towns, and slum tenements. The working conditions were at their worst: dull routines, overcrowding, long hours with no extra pay, overpowering supervision and possible death by unsafe machines.
Before unions, work hours were as long as wages were short. 12 hour days, no weekends
The average work week was 60 hours long and brought a take-home pay of $12 per week.
If women chose to work, it was even worse.
They worked just as much but only received $1.50 a week. Rent alone was around $4 and a half ration of meat for the average family was $3.50. That is already half the weekly earnings gone, and the grocery, clothing and housing needs still needed to be met.
Many housewives had been heard saying," You go to the market with the money in a basket, and carry home the goods in your pocket".
The workers were finally able to rise up in their own defense.
They organized themselves into unions.
The basic idea of the union was group action.
Unions demanded higher wages, safer working conditions and respect for the workers.
The unions declared the eight-hour-a-day, 40-hour work week.
However, this was not done easily.
This was a struggle that was filled with depression and strikes that often turned violent.
Men starved, and families were left in poverty because of refusal to put up with unfair working conditions.
America was under capitalist slavery, until the unions started forming.
Union workers are the only workers organized enough to help make laws.
They are a group of people that can hire people to work as representatives for them.
In recent times, for example, the labor commissioner decided to listen to arguments on whether or not some companies should provide coffee and lunch breaks. The unions had representatives to argue that it wasn't a good idea to take away the breaks, so the regular law was maintained (coffee and lunch breaks are allowed).
If there was no union, only people that weren't working could represent, and that would be only if they had heard about the issue at hand.
The unions make laws that benefit workers.
They send representatives to support the law, which in turn expresses the needs of all the workers.
The union advocates for everybody who works.
In conclusion, the union movement had a tremendous impact on society today.
It affects everything from housing, automobiles, and medical care to schools and taxes.
Unions put money back into society, which betters our economy.
Unions are the only group organized enough to help make laws (like the 40-hour work week).
Without the union, workers wouldn't have the established rights that they have today.
In Calumet, Michigan, in 1913 hired copper company thugs broke up a striker's Christmas party by shouting "fire", and then barring the door. In the panic that ensued, 73 children were smothered to death.
