What Are the Disadvantages of Joining a Trade Union?
Individual workers often have little power to impact important aspects of their jobs such as pay, benefits and working conditions. Trade unions (also called labor unions) are organizations that workers join that bargain with employers on behalf of their members. While joining a trade union can result in greater ability to affect changes in pay, benefits and other important work issues, union membership has several potential drawbacks.
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Union Dues
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Being a member of a union is not free. Unions require money to hire workers and perform the bargaining activities that their members demand. Unionized workers typically have to pay monthly membership fees called "dues" to maintain membership. Dues may be deducted from pay automatically, resulting in less take-home pay. Joining a union may also require a worker to pay an initial union membership fee.
Seniority
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Unionized workforces often have systems of seniority in place where workers that have been employed longer than others enjoy greater pay, benefits or job security. Seniority can be an advantage to long-time workers, but it may be a disadvantage to newer workers and employers. For instance, if you take a new union job and your employer needs to lay off five workers, union seniority may force the employer to lay you off even if you are more productive than the workers that have achieved seniority.
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Strikes
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Another potential drawback of joining a union is strikes. When labor unions are unable to achieve the aims of their members, the members may call for a strike. A strike is an intentional work stoppage aimed at stifling production and forcing employers to meet union demands. If you are a union worker, you could be forced to strike and lose income even if you do not agree with the decision to strike.
Considerations
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Due to seniority rules, advancing to higher or new job positions in a union environment can be a slow process that is not based on merit. For instance, gaining a promotion in a unionized workforce might simply require you to work at the same job for a certain number of years, regardless of how proficient you are at the job. Such rules may foster an environment of entitlement and provide a disincentive to excel.
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