Having been a people manager/exec for many years, I would always choose a non-union environment. I'm not a fan of guaranteed employment or wages, caps on productivity (and yes, that DOES happen) and the free flow of communication that is more a hallmark in the non-union environment as opposed to the chain of command b.s. that occurs in a union business.

When pay/benefits become the singular focus of the relationship between worker and company, then it trumps all other efforts.

I own a business and I cant get my partner to do what he needs too. We both have full-time jobs, but if i can bust my butt after hours so can he and Im in grad school.
He just came back from Vegas with more potential clients, but didnt detail any documented progress and he is the marketer of this operation. go figure

Although unions were probably necessary at one time in regards to worker safety and wages ,I cannot stand them.They are about as close to communism as you can get in this country.just wave a hammer and sickle and yell "workers of the world unite"

The following is from personal experience.In the seventies I got my first real job bagging groceries at a supermarket.Kroger had 6 locations in Baton Rouge and is union nationwide.My meager check would have union dues deducted ,and since Louisiana was not yet a right to work state, you had to join.I worked my way up moving in to the grocery department while I was finishing high school and starting college.Three years after moving into a department I reached the top of the pay scale.I prided myself on how fast I was and doing the best job I could do,and believe me,we had some lazy workers who did just enough to get by.The contracts were negotiated in three year intervals,and November of 1983 our contract was up.

The company sends down its people to bargain with the union.It tells the union the following : a] we are losing money is this market and we need the topped out employees to take a 75 cent roll back in pay for the life of the next contract.b]If we get these rollbacks ,we will then lower our prices and do some things to be more competitive in this market.c}if we do not get these rollbacks ,we will have no choice but to close the stores .We are a business ,and the business has to make money.

The unions response was to tell all the employees that they were messing with our livelihoods,blah ,blah ,blah...we are not taking a cut.Then the union told us this is a bluff ,they are not losing money here.This company is lieing to us,even though the company showed them the books.An overwhelming majority voted to strike ...The next day,Kroger had boarded up the buildings and taken their signs down. Did the company lie? no,they did just what they said they had to do to survive.

Here is the kicker,I am still in college ,and go to work for another major chain.A non union chain,no workers doing just enough to get by,and while I was one of the best at Kroger,I was just another worker at this store because there was no dead weight.We actually had about half the stock crew doing more work.Also, the pay scale just happened to be higher at these stores and the benefits were better.What was that union doing for me again?

After college I decided to move into management with this company,but I did have to wait my turn.Out of the 12 stockers I started with 10 became DM's ,Store Directors or moved into management in some capacity. One became the vice president of a division.

About 10 years later this chain decides to buy 2 seperate smaller chains ,one is union ,one is not.The non union chain was just assimilated in at our pay scale,the union chain had a choice to make about whether or not to let the union negotiate for them or just accept our pay scales.The employees voted to let the union do their negotiating.The union was able to negotiate a contract that had the employees actually making less than that of the rest of the division,and with less benefits.Very smart negotiating.And has it was explained to me later...whenever you negotiate ,you start at zero,and each side gives something up to get something.

So what happened to all those knuckelheads at Kroger?Every once in a while ,I would run in to one.Most would have wished to go back in time and revote .They didn't realize how good they had it.A couple followed me.Almost all that I have run into over the years are worse off than they were then.How about those union reps?The few that I know of had to move to follow a dieing union,and the were still preaching that union crap years later.

Lots of people here are quoting stereotypes that don't exist anymore.

Ex.: When Enetergy bought Gulf States, they made drastic cutbacks to union and non union employees. Contract language stated that cutbacks to unon workers would be done by senior qualified lists. They used the word qualified to reduce non productive workers, not by senority. This is done all over.

Ex.: The plant I worked at paid craftmen more by experience, training and performance criteria. The best employes made the most.

Ex.: Gulf Coast compensation surveys (which I am holding in my hand) show that union and non-union industrial shops are relatively equal.

Non-union can be easier to manage, but not always a clear cut advantage, as is being stated.