• @brygphilomena@lemmy.world
    20•9 months ago

    Yea. I had a shop steward sit in on all my meetings with management. They represent the union, it’s influence, and it’s contract. They make sure everyone is playing by the rules and management doesn’t take advantage of an employee that doesn’t know labor laws, policies and procedures, their work contract, or the union contract.

    It wasn’t a requirement for meeting with management, but it was something a manager could not refuse if requested by the employee. Any meeting with management would be delayed until a shop steward was available.

    I was a strong advocate for every employee to have one with all meetings with management.

    • @Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
      11•9 months ago

      Yeah, Amazon is trying to present it as extra red tape everyone will have to deal with, but it’s really the union will help you get through the company’s red tape. The union’s red tape is more about its own power structure, which will have the usual problems that go along with any kind of power, but the union still serves to balance the employer’s power.

      • @trashxeos@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
        3•9 months ago

        Exactly. Also, if you ever hear saying “you won’t have a say, the union speaks FOR you” (yes I’ve seen this framing before) you can always respond that you ARE the union! That’s the entire point is that everyone in the union IS the union, it’s right there in the word.