Students
regard unions, strikes with different views
By
Allison Eaton
On-line Forty-Niner
Union
workers have a hand in nearly every part
of an average person's life. They help teach
children, fix plumbing, build homes and
pilot planes. Many are doctors, prison guards,
truck drivers or mechanics.
As
local grocery workers and MTA mechanics
find themselves in the midst of the fourth
consecutive week of strikes and lockouts,
Cal State Long Beach students' opinions
of unions appear to remain varied and relatively
unchanged.
Ryan
Calimlim, a graphic design student, said
his opinion on labor unions remains the
same as it was before the standoffs began.
"I'd
rather they fix it amiably without a strike,
but sometimes you need to show resistance
to get what you need," Calimlim said.
"Unions are an important part of our
labor force."
He
described how, working as a projectionist
for Edwards Cinemas Inc., a few years ago,
he witnessed how big business management
in the private sector oppose unionization.
"The
projectionist union gave us benefits, guaranteed
periodic pay raises, the whole works,"
he said.
But
the company didn't like this and retaliated
against unionized employees.
"Technically
they never said we couldn't join the union
because that's illegal, but if you did they
would push you to the point where you had
to leave," he said.
Because
unions lobby against excessively long hours,
low wages and intense pace of work, said
Bruce Kaufman, a labor economist at Georgia
State University. The balance of power shifts
away from corporate management's favor.
This will usually result in a backlash of
unfair labor practices, similar to what
Calimlim described.
While
it's illegal to fire or lay off employees
who unionize, dismissals and other tactics,
like warning employees that unionization
will make cutbacks necessary, or holding
mandatory employee meetings to speak against
unions, are legal.
Although
members must pay dues, which equal one hour's
worth of pay per week for members of the
United Food and Commercial Workers, students
agree that unions are vital. Many feel that
if workers aren't given the option to, many
agreed, then one industry after another
will "Wal-Mart-ize" as much as
possible. Wal-Mart employees are non-union,
paid minimum wage and do not receive benefits.
Lisa
Nguyen, a graphic design student who has
always supported labor unions, said they
are necessary to protect workers' rights.
"You
don't want to be pushed down by the man,"
Nguyen said.
Joshua
Kaplowitz, a comparative literature student,
disagrees.
"Frankly,
I don't like what either side is doing,
but I don't like what the unions are doing
more so than what the corporations are doing,"
Kaplowitz said.
He
said that he agrees with what unions stood
for in the 1960s, but that the current situation
illustrates how petty contemporary unions
can be.
Mike
Clegern, also a graphic design major, feels
the strikes are pointless.
"I
don't think it's going to change anything,"
Clegern said.
He
said he strongly dislikes unions, citing
that a lot of old rules and traditions need
to be revamped.
"I'd
rather they fix it amiably without a strike,
but sometimes you need to show resistance
to get what you need."
-- Ryan Calimlim, graphic design student
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