doubleplusundead

A few months ago I became a “fair share” worker in an AFSCME shop.  Due to the understandable fear of losing my job or other reprisal, portions of this account will be regrettably vague.

Shortly after my start date, I received a “welcome” package in the mail from the union, detailing the many benefits of membership.  Aside from collective bargaining and representation at disputes I may encounter with management, they actually have negotiated some good group rates for things like car insurance and other non-work related aspects of life.  If one was neutral or undecided about joining, it was a pretty good pitch.  The package included one union authorization card.

The next day (-or maybe two) after that, I received the “fair share” package, detailing what they would be taking from my paycheck even if I didn’t join, and explaining what sorts of activities they could engage in with my totally-not-political and only-collective-bargaining-for-realz fair share money.  Well, when you read the fine print, they actually can engage in certain political activities up to a certain point.  And while I’m sure that the accountants have every dime accounted for, I don’t actually believe there is any real way to enforce those limits, and I am positive that the proverbial line is crossed with frequency.  The “fair share” package included two authorization cards.

One of the things I thought the union was supposed to do for me was prevent “management” from dumping new work on me that wasn’t in my job description.  I’ve gotta give them a double-FAIL on that one.  The consequences of the first change is that the work backlog in my area went up something like 60 to 70% in a matter of weeks.  And as a consequence of THAT, my (union) supervisor had to write a report to management about why the backlog was so high.  My job description was changed a mere couple of weeks after I started. Nary a word from the union about this.

With the second change the union actively worked to screw my section over.  Apparently there’s also a clerical backlog in my general area of government, so for one hour a day, a section adjacent to ours was asked to do mindless clerical work until the backlog can be cleared.  So the other section naturally complained to the union about this.  But instead of complaining about how they were being asked to do more work (-to the detriment of their own work), they complained that my section wasn’t being asked to do this busywork as well.  So naturally, now we have to do it too. And all our other work.  And the work that was dumped on us earlier.

So forgive me, AFSCME, if I’m not exactly in love with you.  You steal my money without my consent, you use my money to support political causes I find abhorrent, and you don’t even perform what is your actual duty, which is to fight for the interests of the workers you represent.

So happy frelling Labor Day, and bite me.  I’ll be jumping at the first non-union gig I can find.