Why I Support My Amalgamated Transit Union

I am a proud union dues-paying member!
UNION STRONG!

The question has finally reared its ugly head in the aftermath of the disastrous Janus Decision by the Supreme Court of the United States. It makes mandatory union membership a thing of the past, basically giving members the option to "opt out" of paying union dues while still enjoying the fruits of its labors. In my opinion, it's simply more of Big Money tearing apart what little protections the workers have against the tyranny of worker abuse.

The question: What should happen to those who work in a union shop yet refuse to pay dues?

If I quit paying my garbage and sewer fees, life could get quite stinky. It's logical to think that if I don't want to pay for this service, my garbage won't get collected and transported to the landfill.

What if during open enrollment I decided not to pay for health insurance benefits fought for by our union? Going to the doctor, dentist or hospital would become an economic nightmare as an American in this age. I'd save a few bucks on premiums, but that colonoscopy would be quite a bit more painful because Joe Plumber's apprentice wouldn't be so "liberal" with anesthetic. While what I believe is a basic human right to be afforded medical care without fear of bankruptcy, that is unfortunately not today's reality. Thanks to my union's efforts, I pay a fraction of the cost insurance companies compel others to pay. Pretty damn good deal to keep myself above ground, tending to daisies rather than fertilizing them.

Car payment too high? Go ahead and quit paying it. Problem is, a month or two later you'd be riding the bus to work (free for us anyway) or calling Uber. Getting to the beach might be a problem. Major grocery shopping days would be more of a struggle without a trunk to tote them all.

We all pay taxes, yet we all have issues with how the money is spent. Other people decide what's best for us, because they're elected to do that job. Whether we agree with them, they make decisions  based on their values and judgments. If they screw up too often, they might find themselves out of a job next time we vote. Sometimes, elections don't go our way and we're stuck with whoever wins. Simple, frustrating, yet wholly American. That's how we do things here.

One of our union members with a dull axe to grind has publicly stated he's opting out of the union. He doesn't agree with our elected leaders on how they conduct business. Hell, I don't always agree with them either, but I believe they work hard for our collective benefit. He even goes so far as to whine about the fact they use union vehicles to conduct union business. I wouldn't want to put 200k miles on my car doing the work of thousands either. When you represent people across a large state, you should have the use of a company car. Corporations get this; our union is basically a corporation employed by those they represent. Our officers won their respective elections, regardless whether I agree with their politics, and therefore I support them. There are many things I may never know about negotiations on our behalf, or the finer points of transit reality. As a simple bus operator, I feel blessed knowing there are union reps in the wings if I need their representation. For this, I am all too happy to pay a pittance of my hard-earned pay for this invaluable service.

My work history is riddled with blue-collar work in which I yearned for union membership. I was paid poverty-level wages for so long it seemed normal to go hungry as a single parent every other week so I'd have enough money to feed my daughter when I had her. If one of us became ill, it was a major expense to seek medical attention. If a decision I made on-the-job landed me in hot water, there was nobody to throw ice into the fire to save my hide. Mostly, I was lucky. Today, I thank my countless lucky stars and guardian angels for the opportunity to have such a great job.

My earlier employers were usually very supportive, but they paid me little until I found work with a large insurance company. It was ironic that I went to work for the very industry that makes billions on the gamble of inevitable human suffering. Unfortunately, that sweet spot ended when corporate America decided to outsource the middle class to a cheaper India. As a result, I became a bus operator, finally protected and happily ensconced within the protective shroud of a union. Several times, my union has helped me. In contract negotiations, even though they might not yield golden piles under rainbows, each has saved us from management's most imbecilic and evil intentions.

Don't want to pay dues, yet expect the same benefits
as me? This is all I have for you.

As a newcomer to union employment, I've come to learn several things. First, our employer wins the more divided we become. Why transit management thinks in terms of "us vs. them" I don't understand. If not for us, there would be no them. They seem to spend a lot of time thinking of ways to make our jobs more difficult rather than supporting us. Any passenger with a cell phone can now call (or text) in any spurious or made-up complaint and be rewarded with our discipline. No matter how silly or far-fetched tales, we're raked over the coals and made to feel less than human. It's so maddening as to drive some from this job we perform under the most demanding and precise conditions imaginable. (Just remember how our brother Leonard was treated after he was stabbed on the job.) No problem for management; they replace the "bad apples: those most expensive veterans who have capably served for decades" with new hires who are in no legal fashion obligated now to pay union dues. Newbies flow in who they can mold to toe the company line, no matter how outrageously ridiculous it may be, with false promises of a bright future. Through the union, their future is strenuously fought for. Without it, they would be discarded with the trash after 20 years or so.

Our union is, as my former union "brother" charges, stretched too thin to be effective. ATU 757 not only represents Portland's transit workers, but those across the state of Oregon. Often, we feel less important than the rest of the state. One elected officer reportedly stated that he doesn't care so much about Portland workers come election time, because those in outlying areas have a larger voting bloc. We feel isolated, even though we're nearly 3,000 strong. Several members here have advocated for separating Portland and Vancouver from the rest of our membership to form our own chapter, and I'm beginning to see the logic in this idea. However, we are who we are at the present. In that reality, we must work together toward improving working conditions.

Just because an upper-class-weighted Supreme Court ruling has dented the power of the working class doesn't mean our members should be short-sighted enough to pull out just because they can. This doesn't help anyone, especially themselves, but it certainly hurts us all. Do I agree how every penny of our dues are spent? Not always. I don't necessarily like how my state and federal taxes are dispersed either. There are benefits we all enjoy for paying them though.

It is only logical to me that someone who "opts out" of paying union dues should not be entitled to the full protection of our union. They should not be compensated at the same rate as a union employee. When you consider that we'd likely be paid at least a third less than we are now without ATU fighting on our behalf, that should be their rate of compensation. If they have a scrape on the road, they should be left to their own defenses in an accident review rather than receive the benefit of union representation that a paying member receives. Maybe their health insurance should be much more expensive for them also, because without union bargaining, it would certainly be much more expensive. Any promotions should be weighted more-heavily to a dues-paying union member than a whiny "I don't want to pay for the same benefits that dues-payers enjoy" scab.

People today on one side of the political spectrum speak so harshly of "socialism," yet they reap heavily from the benefits afforded by social programs. You get what you pay for. "The more you make, the more they take." What they take benefits the greater good. Our federal taxes ensure we're protected from enemies. Our union dues give us a much better deal than what's taken in by city, county/state/federal taxes. Governments don't fight for working conditions or wages; unions do.

I love the city we serve, Portland, Oregon.

Early union leaders actually shed blood to win protections from greedy employers. Now, we argue online and throw weak barbs at one another with an electronic barrier separating us. One hundred years ago, fists and clubs were the weapons which won concessions from Big Money. People died fighting for their basic rights as working human beings. Union dues gradually became our weapons via rivers of blood and anguish.

Once again, Big Money seeks to divide us by making dues optional. To "opt out" is a disgraceful insult to those who fought so valiantly to ensure the working people had a voice; to expect the same protections as those who pay is viewed by many union-proud workers to be no better than scabs who cross picket lines to work during a strike.

You want to quit paying dues and leave the burden to those of us who do? Fine. Don't expect me to wave in solidarity when I see you on the road. You deserve no respect, because the more of you who  desert the solidarity of union make it more expensive for the rest of us to provide for you the same protections our money guarantees us all.

Our union may not be perfect, but none are. We're simply humans fighting beside and for one another. There are no easy answers. Agree or not, I support my union officers with every ounce of my being. I'm no better than they are, and if they didn't have our best interests at heart, they wouldn't risk ridicule and political warfare to run for election every few years. Once an election is over, it's up to membership to pull together and support the victors. That's what produces strength: numbers.

We're back to contract negotiations now. My money's on the union to win a better tomorrow than we have today. Go get 'em, ATU 757. I'm proud to stand up and support you, and I'll proudly keep paying my dues in solidarity for my brothers and sisters who make the wheels roll every day of the year.

UNION STRONG, I am
Deke N. Blue