Unionize!

By Anonymous - 07/09/2013 04:37 - United States - West Hartford

Today, I found out the unionized cleaning people that empty the garbage and clean the toilets make $19/hr and have more paid time off than I do with my college degree. FML
I agree, your life sucks 52 359
You deserved it 7 336
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Top comments

nephilim241 19

That sucks op, but if you go through your career focusing on what others are earning you'll never be satisfied

168 5
Eorlas 31

Go clean up someone else's crap and report back to us on whether or not you still believe they should be paid so little.

159 8

Comments

love_me_electric 20

Makes sense. I'd rather make $10/hr doing something I enjoy than $19/hr for something I absolutely hate.

2 1
OddShoeLaces 13

And so they should - that's an awful job and to get paid next to nothing to do it would be even worse!

2 1
mattlw 25

Regardless of political alignment, it is hard to beat unionized negotiations. Trust me, I would know.

2 2
TheDrifter 23

Only for the least skilled or least productive third of the work force. Negotiating on my own merits has always gotten me a well above average wage, as I am not weighed down by the laziness and incompetence of my coworkers during wage negotiations.

0 1
mattlw 25

Thats why I said it's hard and not it's impossible. In my line of work as an electrician, I do pretty well for myself considering where I live. But one of the biggest things I enjoy, is that being part of the union, I can travel anywhere in this world and sign a book and wait my turn to go to work. I would make the prevailing wages in the local with no interview or application process. I could go to California and make 55 an hour plus retirement, medical, dental and vision insurance, as well as Life insurance. All benefits are paid out of the contractors pockets. It's not impossible to beat that, but it is hard to beat that.

0 1
TheDrifter 23

Yeah, the union help transferring between the companies whose employees they represent is very handy, oil workers here in Alberta make good use of it. The only time that it really comes back to bite you is if your ambitions are above the union standard (as mine were, now I am the employer) or if the union shops are slow and the only places hiring are nonunion or with another union. I was a Teamster in my youth, the company went under and the only place I could find was a ufcw shop. The Teamsters refused to release me to the ufcw and I ended up starting my own business to get out of unemployment.

0 1
rogwest 23

And the reason why most unions need to be dissolved an gotten rid of!!

0 7
skittyskatbrat 19

You're way underpaid. They aren't paid too much. They're paid what they should be paid. You are getting shafted (as are most Americans). If you aren't voting and signing petitions and emailing your representatives, then take your low pay and shut up. The custodial staff had the brains to either create a union or join one, so they can demand the pay they deserve.

4 1
Grayness_ 26

The people that do have work years to get 19$ a hour. I have worked doing that. First they pay at 7-8$ a hour. And you work your way up. I heard Obama is going to make 9$ minimum now. So yeah. Stop whining tho. They do a lot of cleaning and have to be up on their feet 9-16 hours a day (if they have two jobs) to make a living while you might sit at a desk in front of a computer. Big difference.

0 1
imdabess 9

yup, it makes the rest of us wonder what we're doing.

0 1
DamnBobRoss 4

am I the only nerd that read that as un-ion-ized?

1 1
random_stuff 15

I did not see your comment before I posted, but that is exactly what I saw too!

0 1
Callyn 47

Good for them. Wages should be at least enough to live on and janitorial jobs can be hard work. It sucks that you don't make as much as them, but that's not their fault.

3 1