How many union members?

Just curious how many union members are on here. I don’t want this to become a pro/anti union post, there is already one of those. I’m a ironworker local 512. 19 yesrs

Teamster 35 years and staunch conservative

Teamsters 31 years

I retired 13 years ago this coming January with 37 and a half years in the Teamsters Union working for a local lumber yard. I have seen both sides of the issue the company finally agreed to a 401k the last few years I was working so never had any time to build it up. The only thing I have to rely on other than Social Security is a small Teamsters pension which I am very grateful for and over the years we had to give up different things for contributions into the pension fund. I stood on the street and carried a picket sign for 7 weeks in order to get a wage worth working as hard as we did for. That was in the 1970s and things never did get much better after that. The work was hard but manageable if you were willing to work. For years my vacation time was spent trapping to try and make ends meet. The office Personnel were all non-union and the outside laborers and truck drivers warehouseman Etc were all union members. I for one would never have made it at an inside job so it was my choice to stick with what I did. Since retirement I have done nothing but hunt fish and trap and I don't regret a minute of it. Tight chains, Walt.

I've been retired for 8 years now. Never was a hard core union guy. I was however a member Firefighter local 127 for 27 years. Seen both the good and bad of it.

Mac

Was with I.A.M. for 43 years

I was a Union member for about the first 12-15 years with my company. The union president sorta drove me away. Too fanatical for me and when a surplus came around recommended me for surplus instead of one of his “kin” that was on the chopping block. Too many shady things going on, so I got out. At that time it was vote Democrat or you might as well be a scab.

Well that president “retired” and a special election was held and a new president and vice president was elected. I immediately didn’t like the guy even though I didn’t know him. Eventually he was in our group even though we had different titles within the company. Still couldn’t stand him because we were having to pick up some of his work every time he was out for union business.

A few years later it was recommended to avoid a possible surplus in my title that I take another title…a little more money and on the opposite side of the house from what I’d been doing. I was reluctant but realized I wouldn’t be Junior man anymore with 21-22 years and it would just be me and the Union president and he’d be my Junior.

I fully expected to be ostracized and ignored, but just the opposite happened. He basically held my hand and showed me the ropes of the job. A month later we had a CEO change and he went 180 from the direction the company was headed and now my original title didn’t have enough, so they hired two more to take my spot.

After only a month I realized this new title was where I wanted to be. So now skip a year or two and the whole time my coworker and I function like a well oiled machine. This caused a rift with his members because we were actually friends, he the Union president and I a non-union member.

From our working together I got a glimpse of not only the guy I used to despise, but the functioning of the Union on a local level. I decided several months ago to rejoin the union…CWA

United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 699 Saginaw MI.
I have been Retired 20 years .... Totally conservative !
*

Ibew local #1. 8 years

When you are in Corrections, you have to have a union to protect you from the bleeding heart liberals who allow the inmates to make false allegations against staff and immediately take the inmate's side.

UAW Local 1618 & 652 for 30 years Lansing. Local 608(I think) in Bay City for 10 years w/GM.

Retired 2006 after 40 years 1 month. Glad to leave the rat infested tribe.

I always wondered what our double dues was doing. Now we know, supplementing the UAW union heads in Detroit.

Retired this July 27 years, Teamsters local 406

I live in a right to work state. I don’t even know a union member. About 45 years ago a friend worked with the railroad several years. He was a very junior engineer or a senior brakeman.

During the Gulf War, I had two weeks of Coast Guard duty at a weapons loading base. The people who loaded the ships were in a union.

18 years as a teamsters 638 at UPS. Proud member. 7 more years and I'm retiring.

UAW 5 years...IAM 30 years, retired.

to be honest can't remember how many times I had to join a union at places I worked, if I had to guess I'd say about 3-4 times. About the same number of times I was in jobs that didn't require me joining the union (engineering).
I was never management.
All my experience has been in the manufacturing business so take that for what its worth.

So I have seen lots of the warts of unions from both sides of the fence.

Seems to me the unions should work with the companies instead of always being confrontational.
If they were smart they'd tell the companies that they would handle the hiring and firing of members and ensure their competency. Police their own members.
Trouble is the way it is currently the unions end up fighting for the leekers that abuse the system, the guys that the rest of the members would like to see gone.
They fight with the company for anything that would improve efficiencies in the business.
They fight more benefits and wages while at the same time fighting for less responsibility for the work their members do.
Its a no win situation as it is for the companies. Eventually alot of the ones I was involved in ended up reducing work force and sending work over seas.

And by no means is management pure, they alot of times are part of the problem. But again maybe if the unions worked with management they could steer management in a better direction at times.

International Operating engineers local 955

I'm retired Operating Engineers Local 49.

18 years Glaziers 1164 Peoria IL - withdrew 12 yrs ago.

Laborer heavy highway 28 year got the hrs to retire but not the age

Until I retired in 2020 I was a 40 year member of local 110 of the RWDSU. We went on strike once for 3 days. The company wanted to do away with seniority. That meant if you worked there for 30 years and had a day job for 20 years the company could say to bad next week you're on 3rd shift. That didn't go over well. Strike was settled when they took that out of the contract.

IBEW 304, 12yrs.

CWA 33 out of 34 yrs. Most of the members here got out one year to protest the Union handling of a benefits issue. Can't say I'm a big Union guy. I trust them about as much as I trust the company. I do think they are somewhat of a necessary evil at this company for our job security. This place would layoff every outside employee and hire low bid contractors in a heartbeat if they could.

Uaw local 1219
29 years

Very conservative

Maryland Professional Employees Council (MPEC)…last seven years.

United Steel Workers local 689.

IBEW 204 36years Thanks to the union got a early retirement at 60.

American federation of state, county & municipal employees

7 months in the labors when working at a factory at 18.

7 years Union Ironworker out of 103

17 years in June in Steelworkers 104

Wisconsin Professional Police Association.

Wouldn't be in this line of work without some kind of protection.

APWU 25 years,

Retired June 01.

retired union

Retired union.

Teamsters local 776. I'm a retired Corrections officer. Called it a career on June 4th of this year with 31 years of service.

Teamsters local 776. I'm a retired Corrections officer. Called it a career on June 4th of this year with 31 years of service. And I'm a conservative.

You're welcome.

Retired after 40 years in the United Steelworkers Union.

Retired Iron Worker Local 11

United Steel workers 23 years

USW Local 801

Member of BMWE for 40 years, retired now.

Retired 8 years ago. Carpenters local 315

Was UMWA for nine years. Wild times back then.

UWOA 164 17years

Operating Engineers Local 49.

IBEW for 25 years. A gun owning conservative, though.

boilermakers local 667

Was member of carpenter’s local 363 for 22 years for ever republican.

UAW local 724, East Lansing. 9 years, but getting out in April.

IBEW 1547 Wireman and Power Lineman. Had to get both tickets just for funsies.

Carpenters 744 30 years, retired.

Carpenters 314, 26yrs.

I have been a commercial electrician for 20 plus years and up until the last 3 1/2 years I was non union. I started working for a large hvac contractor and had to join the labor union that they are in. I can’t say the union has done anything for me that few other contractors I worked for didn’t. Pay, benefits, retirement is the same. The only difference is now I have the IBEW harassing me claiming my work as theirs and says I am stealing from them. The reason I took this job when they offered was because of the people and I was tired of construction and it is more a service job. As far as the union part I would be happy if we left it. And no I wouldn’t make more with IBEW their rep and I have have had several conversations about that.

Most members are like us conservative people it’s the leadership that is corrupt to the core

United Mine Workers of America 2463 for 46 years. Voted Republican last 35 years

Nice!
IBEW 2034…..”thorough bred lineman, not one of these power line techs…lol

Local 10 sheetmetal workers

Teamster for 35 years by force.

Most corrupt organization on planet earth. Hate the union but have no choice.

steelworkers 74-93 then boilermakers 94-2017 seen the best and worst but wouldn't wanted to be without union protection ever as i seen several personal vendettas between management and personal over the years nothing to do with work