This article covers the reasons why professional workers like doctors, engineers, and other white collar jobs needs to join workers unions. Reasons being not only the salary increment, but their demand is also not met adequately by the management, work scheduled that is being exempt from the maximum hour’s provision of the fair labor standard acts is also worrying. Lack of realistic grievance procedures in the working station is also another reason. So, lastly, job security-this being the dismissal of workers anyhow with the superior supervisor or personal without any good reasons.
The first paragraph of this article shows that, the issue of workers joining unions has changed direction from the factory employees to now professional workers such as, the doctors, schoolteachers and engineers. As a result of these, many administrations might lose some flexibility when workers are unionized but also stand to gain. The writer further gave an example of protest witnessed in 1975 whereby a country witnessed a strike organized by more than 2000 doctors from New York City, and fortunately the doctors who participated in the demonstration are now in the unions and are not highly paid as expected by many.
Professional employees are human beings and they do not like being taken advantage of, this means they are entitled to work overtime for free. According to Robbert Stedfeld, the editor of the magazine, machine design” some companies have discovered a new cost-cutting gimmick force engineers to work overtime without pay. The company saves money, engineers can be laid off, and the regular work load can be imposed on the remaining engineers. The engineers being unfairly are afraid they will lose their jobs if protest, so they take it." Therefore, the issue of salary and schedule is another factor that leads to the importance of professional workers joining unions.
Another factor that may lead workers to join a union is the issue of grievance procedures. In the case of any problem arising in the company, the employee is supposed to report to the immediate supervisor yet the supervisors’ future are in the hand of the same employer. Therefore, whatever the nature of the specific dispute, the authority of settling dispute should be of higher up in the hierarchy than the immediate supervisor. Job security is also another common factor to be discussed, the fear of losing of job to the immediate graduates from the university has greatly increased and these create fears to the employees. Professional employees used to be considered as valuable talent pools, but it has come to shock to them to realize that they are no longer as sheltered from the general effect of the economy as they were before and they can be fired too and because of this insecurity of job, there is a need for professional workers to join a union.
Even though, there is a need to join the union some professionals are so reluctant and unorganized that they do not know what a union is all about, stereotypes, no unique group problems, and lastly, some union delay registration of certain groups. The result of unionization has led to sensitive handling of employees’ relation matters and proper merit review result.
In summary, the article is well addressed and organized in all area. The theme is well presented and the message is well delivered. The article starts in a low tone and ends in a high tone, the examples given create a clear vision of the readers of the actual events and the language used is easily understandable and readable.
In my opinion, the article was well written for a person who is in a certain union and, as experienced, he starts by introducing how the urge of joining union has shifted from factory employees to professionals like doctors. He further explains why some professionals are reluctant in joining unions even though there is a need to do so. The strength of the article is well presented because the theme and message are well delivered, that is the important of professional workers joining unions.
Works Cited
Chamot, Dennis. Professional Employees Turn to Unions
