If your coworkers go on strike would you cross the picket line?

[Dancing Fire]

The reason I ask is b/c DD#2 is on strike for 5 days. IDK if her job is secure since she only have been working at this company for about 8 months. She said her union will protect her job. I wouldn't trust the union.

 

[the_mother_thing]

If my coworkers aren’t signing my paycheck, paying my mortgage or putting food on my table, their opinion is of no consequence to me when I do what I gotta do in order to do those things.

Yea, not a union fan either.

 

[tkyasx78]

I wouldn’t cross if I thought the cause was just.
So it depends.

 

[Dancing Fire]

If my coworkers aren’t signing my paycheck, paying my mortgage or putting food on my table, their opinion is of no consequence to me when I do what I gotta do in order to do those things.

Yea, not a union fan either.

That's exactly what my sister said to her coworkers when they were on strike "I have 3 kids to feed and a mortgage to pay", so she crossed the picket line.

 

[yssie]

Depends on the cause. If it's something I feel is important enough to risk my job over - then it's something that's important enough to risk my job over.

I'm certainly not risking my livelihood for causes I'm not invested in "just because everyone else is doing it" though.

I have extraordinary little patience for causes that turn victims into martyrs. In this age of social media I think it quickly - horrifyingly and ubiquitously quickly - becomes cool to be part of the "club" of victims of something traumatic, sufferers of something traumatic, survivors of something traumatic... And that phenomenon is perverse and repulsive.

 

[AV_]

That's be a sight... I have not worked in any place with enough people to make up a horde - rather the other end: too few to keep formality obvious.

 

[missy]

Whether or not I would picket depends completely on the issue. I wouldn't follow blindly just because coworkers were picketing. It would have to be a cause I felt strongly about and one for which it was worth risking my job.

I am all about doing the right thing but I have to believe it is the right thing and not just do it because others think it is the right thing to do.

 

[TooPatient]

It depends on why they were striking and what the consequences were if I lost the job. Which is to say that if I could easily get another job or had enough savings to keep my family okay until another job then that is different (for me) than if the consequence would cause my family to lose their home or my animals to jot have enough to eat. I still wouldn't follow blindly and would only strike for a cause I supported it is just that I would not strike even if I strongly supported the cause if the consequences were too high. (I would find other ways to support the cause if I believed in it and couldn't strike.)

 

[vintageloves]

No. I would not cross the picket line. I come from a very blue collar, very unionized family, and this is how I support my family's lifestyle and beliefs. I will not even cross that picket line as a customer. When the toll workers strike, my uncles who live in NJ go some convoluted route down to PA to avoid the turnpike, and they're not even toll workers. It's just solidarity.

If you don't approve of unions, then don't take a union job. My husband won't take a union job, as he hates unions, and I respect him putting his money where his mouth is. But taking a union job, enjoying the benefits of the union, and then crossing the picket line, that's opportunistic (in most cases, sometimes it's your only option for employment, and I get it).

 

[smitcompton]

Hi,

I take it the workers who are left in the office where your daughter works are non-union. Offices can be divided into union and non-union jobs. Usually the union calls a strike and all those effected walk out. Why should the non-union worker go on strike or choose to not cross the picket line? Their job classification is different. If I were union I'd be striking along with my co-worker, if I wasn't union, I would cross the picket line.

Annette

 

[madelise]

But taking a union job, enjoying the benefits of the union, and then crossing the picket line, that's opportunistic (in most cases, sometimes it's your only option for employment, and I get it).

Yup. If you’re enjoying the benefits of a union, you do not cross the line. It’s about collective bargaining. Do not put your team at risk.

 

[Calliecake]

Area school teachers are on strike and have been seen outside picketing. I drove buy the other day and if the time of day would have been earlier, I would have purchased them Starbucks. I knew by the time I got back there they would have been gone. I don’t feel school teachers are paid fairly for the work they do.

 

[jordyonbass]

I suppose it would depend largely on whether I feel like I am facing those issues as well. If not then I'm not going to partake in any kind of industrial action.

For example; with my land surveying job, if the other staff went on strike then I wouldn't as I am overly happy that it allows me to juggle that job and my Opal business. However when I was younger and working in a bar the owner would garnish our hourly wages for till discrepancies (highly illegal) and his reasoning for doing so is to avoid insurance premium increases for the business. I didn't find out until after leaving that it was illegal to do so and I would have seeked industrial action if I had known at the time.

 

[madelise]

Area school teachers are on strike and have been seen outside picketing. I drove buy the other day and if the time of day would have been earlier, I would have purchased them Starbucks. I knew by the time I got back there they would have been gone. I don’t feel school teachers are paid fairly for the work they do.

I haven’t heard about other industries than hotel workers going on strike, so I’m assuming DF’s daughter works in the schools.

 

[Calliecake]

@Dancing Fire, What field does your daughter work in?

 

[Dancing Fire]

@Dancing Fire, What field does your daughter work in?

RN for Kaiser

 

[whitewave]

It would depend on a variety of factors, but I wouldn’t have a problem crossing if I decided I needed to.

My sister did cross when her co workers were on strike, but she needed her paycheck and she is a peds RN, so she also worried about coverage and the need for health care providers for children in the hospital.

But she also picketed with her co workers after her shift and on days off.

So I guess you can do both.

 

[telephone89]

I'm not sure if its different in Canada or if some people in this thread don't understand unions/pickets, but you cannot be fired for picketing. You cannot lose your job, it's part of your contract. It's also usually stated in there that you CAN'T cross the picket line, and can even be fined if you do or lose union pension.
I agree with @vintageloves - it's in bad faith IMO to cross a picket line while enjoying the benefits of the union. It also creates a really negative environment once the strike is over. People that don't participate are not seen as team players, like they don't have their co-workers backs. Other employees are usually less likely to swap shifts or help them out if needed. Why should they help out someone who only looks out for themselves kind of deal.

 

[Bonfire]

I'm not sure if its different in Canada or if some people in this thread don't understand unions/pickets, but you cannot be fired for picketing. You cannot lose your job, it's part of your contract. It's also usually stated in there that you CAN'T cross the picket line, and can even be fined if you do or lose union pension.
I agree with @vintageloves - it's in bad faith IMO to cross a picket line while enjoying the benefits of the union. It also creates a really negative environment once the strike is over. People that don't participate are not seen as team players, like they don't have their co-workers backs. Other employees are usually less likely to swap shifts or help them out if needed. Why should they help out someone who only looks out for themselves kind of deal.

Scabs

 

[GliderPoss]

Depends on the issue or how strongly I believed in it but I'm not a fan of unions, here they are bullies and often very corrupt...

 

[cmd2014]

I'm not sure if its different in Canada or if some people in this thread don't understand unions/pickets, but you cannot be fired for picketing. You cannot lose your job, it's part of your contract. It's also usually stated in there that you CAN'T cross the picket line, and can even be fined if you do or lose union pension.
I agree with @vintageloves - it's in bad faith IMO to cross a picket line while enjoying the benefits of the union. It also creates a really negative environment once the strike is over. People that don't participate are not seen as team players, like they don't have their co-workers backs. Other employees are usually less likely to swap shifts or help them out if needed. Why should they help out someone who only looks out for themselves kind of deal.

It's not different in Canada. If you are a unionized employee and your union calls for a strike, you cannot be fired for striking, nor can you cross the picket line without being fined or losing union membership/benefits. It's part of the collective bargaining agreement. If you are a non-union employee or a member of a different union than the one that is on strike (and most hospitals have multiple unions represented along side many non-union employees) and someone else's union strikes, you are still obligated to go to work as per usual. As a union employee I have had to strike on issues that I did not necessarily feel were going to assist me personally (or that I necessarily agreed with). As a non-union employee I have had to cross picket lines when union employees have been on strike. It's never comfortable, but everyone understands that we are each only doing what we are required under our contracts to do (and does not necessarily reflect our personal feelings about whatever has led to the strike).

 

[telephone89]

It's not different in Canada. If you are a unionized employee and your union calls for a strike, you cannot be fired for striking, nor can you cross the picket line without being fined or losing union membership/benefits. It's part of the collective bargaining agreement. If you are a non-union employee or a member of a different union than the one that is on strike (and most hospitals have multiple unions represented along side many non-union employees) and someone else's union strikes, you are still obligated to go to work as per usual. As a union employee I have had to strike on issues that I did not necessarily feel were going to assist me personally (or that I necessarily agreed with). As a non-union employee I have had to cross picket lines when union employees have been on strike. It's never comfortable, but everyone understands that we are each only doing what we are required under our contracts to do (and does not necessarily reflect our personal feelings about whatever has led to the strike).

Yeah I was just confused by all the posts about debating between picketing or losing their job lol.

 

[cmd2014]

Yeah I was just confused by all the posts about debating between picketing or losing their job lol.

I know, it’s not really a debate. Your union calls a strike, you’re on strike. It’s pretty hard to work once you get barred from your union...because certain job positions are by definition union positions that no non-union person can hold. Union membership isn’t really optional when you’re hired into a unionized position. You either join the union or turn down the job. Plus they negotiate your contract, determine your seniority, represent you in disputes or disciplinary issues with your employer, and typically provide or manage the employee benefits plan for their members (health care, pension, long term disability, etc.).

 

[Calliecake]

@Bonfire , I had to look up Scabs. I have never heard that term.

 

[Bonfire]

@Bonfire , I had to look up Scabs. I have never heard that term.

Pilots that cross picket lines are called scabs. They are usually not employed by the company but hired during or after the strike to keep the company running. They undermine the collective bargaining process among other things. I’m sure the term dates back to the 1800s.

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

...I have extraordinary little patience for causes that turn victims into martyrs. In this age of social media I think it quickly - horrifyingly and ubiquitously quickly - becomes cool to be part of the "club" of victims of something traumatic, sufferers of something traumatic, survivors of something traumatic... And that phenomenon is perverse and repulsive.

I agree completely. Well said.

Pilots that cross picket lines are called scabs...

Actually, I think any union member that crosses a picket line is called a scab, not just pilots. I've heard that term used many times over the years in a variety of situations.

I'm thankful to be self-employed and not have to deal with unions and co-worker issues/retaliations. But if I had a union job AND had to feed my family and keep a roof over my head, I'd be very resentful of being forced not to work. I've been in the precarious position of having lost a job and had very little money or prospects. It's frightening. I don't think I would judge what any other person would do under their own circumstances. Personally, I don't participate in group mentality. If everyone is gung-ho about an issue, I'm usually on the other side of it BECAUSE of the group think. I have found that many people don't care to think issues through for themselves and will blindly buy into whatever information is being force-fed, and I find that dangerous.

 

[Bonfire]

I agree completely. Well said.


Actually, I think any union member that crosses a picket line is called a scab, not just pilots. I've heard that term used many times over the years in a variety of situations.

I'm thankful to be self-employed and not have to deal with unions and co-worker issues/retaliations. But if I had a union job AND had to feed my family and keep a roof over my head, I'd be very resentful of being forced not to work. I've been in the precarious position of having lost a job and had very little money or prospects. It's frightening. I don't think I would judge what any other person would do under their own circumstances. Personally, I don't participate in group mentality. If everyone is gung-ho about an issue, I'm usually on the other side of it BECAUSE of the group think. I have found that many people don't care to think issues through for themselves and will blindly buy into whatever information is being force-fed, and I find that dangerous.

Correct. Pilots didn’t invent the term scab. I’m only defining my association with it.

 

[ame]

I have no respect, nor will I show any, to a scab. I have never crossed a single picket for any trade, esp not my own, and we've gone on three strikes in the last three contracts. The lack of Union pride in this country now vs 40+ years ago when we actually had a middle class and people were paid well enough that their spouses didn't HAVE to work and they could put their kids thru college...it's sad. Unions have always set the bar for pay in this country, and EVERYONE suffers when Unions suffer.