Discussion
Hell yeah.
Of course I'm biased: recently my union helped me negotiate for nearly 10k/year before taxes over the original employment offer.
The $25 ish nzd monthly fee more than justifies that alone.
Join your union, and party vote green. 💚
Green Party to take automatic union membership bill to the election | Stuff
https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/361006822/green-party-take-automatic-union-membership-bill-election
@pezmico @jdmcg surely context matters. Like... what do MPs get from joining a union? Even MORE benefits?
My personal experience, nearly 40 years ago, was compulsory union membership in my first job. That amounted, almost literally, to demanding money with menaces.
This was in a relatively small private company that treated me pretty well. The moment my pay increased to where I didn't need to belong (and that was nothing to do with the union), I bailed. I got a series of quick and substantial pay rises on the basis first of proving myself, and then of proving my worth. The second one, that lifted me over the threshold, was 25%.
@zkarj @jdmcg agree, but for most people being an MP likely won't be their first job.
And for most people, a union would likely be useful in their first job.
I like the idea that the default is to be unionised rather than not (the policy is clear that anyone is free to opt out, no questions asked), because it will build a solid base for improving working conditions in general, and would be a step to start to counter balance the massive power imbalance that benefits owners of capital today.
Also, see how the capitalists, bosses, Nats and Act are terrified of a unionised working force?
See how they squirm at the mere thought of workers having organised power?
We should 100% do it. 💚
I had a guy arguing that dark money funding RW politicians and politics in NZ was no different to Unions backing LW politicians and politics.
I had to point out the obvious differences, one being unions represent the collective interests of workers who are also union members and voters, love them or hate them you know that any money being used for political campaigns is not only traceable, it’s money that comes from the workers the unions represent.
The same cannot be said about dark money often from undeclared origins.
I'd add another point: dark money comes from concentrated power, and is there to ensure that power gets concentrated even further in the hands of a few.
Union money is there to give power to the many and reduce that of the few.
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