Why Everyone Should Be in a Union

[Major Nikon]

12. It's a very interesting job

You get it from both ends. The employees complain incessantly about how you do your union steward job, but few of them will ever support you if you ask for it. You also get it from management who often try to either drive a wedge between you and your employees or they will try to use you to do their job for them. As a representative of the union, you get extra protection under the law for retaliation from management. So the most difficult and most vital thing you have to learn is how to stand up to management and talk to them as an equal rather than your normal employee to employer relationship. I had a manager try to fire me once because I told him to go fuck himself when we were negotiating work schedules. The company lawyers axed it because they knew it was a sure loser if they tried it. The manager was also told to accept the schedule I gave him.