Why a union is for me 

 To all the unprofessional and threating supervisors I have had in my long career, you helped me to understand why it was important to join a union. It was during those experiences that the lights slowly turned on. A friend of my father sat me down and asked if I was ready to finally listen. He was a union pipefitter. We did the same work but his was on a larger scale and for much better conditions and benefits. Within two weeks, I was talking to a union business agent who had me working the next week. Since that time my career path took me in and out of union positions. Every time I took a position out of a union, the same negative issues reappeared. My next career choice took that into account.  

 So now I recognize those who showed me why I should have been an active part of a union much earlier in my career path. 

 To the supervisor who suspended me for telling a client the truth, I learned why I should have been part of a union sooner. 

 To the supervisor who threatened to terminate me along with my family’s health insurance because I asked questions, you taught me that my family is not fully protected unless I am an equal counterpart to the power of my employer. At that time, we had three family members with serious health issues. 

 To the supervisor who moved me off an active construction site because I expressed safety concerns, you taught me that without a union contract, there were no rules for my safety. 

 To the management team who constantly pulled me into conference rooms, levying a variety of threat against my career and especially my family’s welfare, you taught me why it was a mistake to go into that room without an advocate. 

 To the supervisor who informed me that he “owns me” and I had no other options, you showed me that I need collective support of an organization for management to understand boundaries.  

 The next job was my first union position. 

 From this collection of management staff who tried to isolate me from support, I learned that my greatest power was to be an active part of something with enough power to push back. I imagine my union membership is similar to looking at the Hoover Dam. It does not seem to do much unless you understand what strength it has to hold back the torrents of water that could washing out everything downstream. Instead that threat is harnessed to become an equalizing force. The union positions I have held were side by side with my union family members. We stood together and when we did, we could see the effect it had on our work environment. There was protection for us and our households. Deciding to be part of my union family is one of the most important choices I ever made.