I'm trying to better my life, period. If I have the knowledge and work ethic to make myself valuable enough to a company that warrants higher pay and a better position, then I feel I've earned it (which I've managed to do at several companies before). I'm not the type to just sit back and wait for my employee number to carry me forward.

For my coworkers, the union is only a means to do as little as possible and keep their job, or get hired back when fired. The union rep during orientation literally told us he's been fired twice (at least once for testing dirty) and the union got him his job back twice. So the union is great. Join it... That was pretty much his whole pitch.

I'm definitely not saying all unions are bad, and you shouldn't be trying to sell all unions as good either. The union at my work is garbage and does nothing but keep the worst of them employed.

The union at my plant is trash. All they do is benefit whoever has been there the longest and the lazy workers (which are most often one and the same). As a hard worker, I've always promoted very quickly at non union companies. At my current union plant I've had managers, supervisors, and every mechanic on A shift say they want me on their respective shift. Because of union seniority rules, I'm placed after our worst mechanic, and employees that are constantly late, call in, and lazy AF, get their jobs back time and time again. I won't be giving my money to a crap union like that. Looking forward to that union negotiated 2% raise next year (which took them 18 months of negotiations)... SMFH...