Protip: if they mention unions in any way during your interview, you need to be in a union.
I’m pretty sure employers aren’t allowed to ask stuff like that in an interview, at least where I’m from.
I can only speak for the UK, but it is absolutely illegal here for an employer to bring up unionism during a job interview.
Yeah, that’s where I’m from, I was 99% sure but couldn’t be arsed to Google it this morning.
Yes, but how on earth would that be enforced?
“They brought up unions.”
“No we didn’t.”
Case closed boys, no evidence.
Later:
“We don’t find you a good fit here for unrelated reasons.”
Even if it is somehow enforced, employer get slapped with a 500-1000£ tickle fine and says “oh no, anyways” before doing the exact same thing.
I know it’s a tough thing to enforce.
The last job interview I had they bought it up. Not even maliciously, the interviewer was just naïve and the work place is actually strongly unionised.
I’ve just this year changed jobs after decades in the same job. I wanted to ask in the interview if they have a Unionised shop floor but the company was American owned (in the UK) so I thought it best to just wonder instead of asking.
Now I’m contracted to the Company instead of an Agency and know there is actually a Union and it’s the same one I’m a member of, which is nice. So i had a word with the Rep and got them to tell the Union I’m working there.
Then this week I was in my first Union meeting at this company and was a little confused why the manager that interviewed me AND HIS MANAGER were in the meeting. I thought perhaps they were just there talking to the Union to see what they thought on a subject.
Nope, they’re members! I thought they were really nice and understanding Managers before but now I know why.
That’s very interesting. Where I live in the United States managers are almost never allowed to be part of a union. I’ve never been a manager so I’m not sure why but my understanding is most companies claim it’s a “conflict of interest.” Maybe I’ve just worked at shitty places but it just surprised me to read your managers are union members.
Yeah it confused me too since in my last company I know for a fact that the mangers were asked to leave the Union when they were promoted because it is a conflict of interests as you say.
I mean they are lower level management, the guy that interviewed me is a Team Leader and his Manager is the guy who organises the personelle although I don’t know his title.
I don’t think any higher ups are Union members.
Interestingly, my first interaction with this Union is a shift change that affects me. They’re compressing our hours to be done over 3 days instead of 5 and they’re making us work a Saturday shift. We’re happy with the change as a majority but the Union doesn’t like the Saturday and wanted to fight for more money for the shift.
They stepped in too late though, and all suggestions have fallen on deaf ears so there’s a potential for a Fight, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen.
What I found interesting was the Manager that’s a Union member agreed with the Union interceding at the time, but then later said it was a mistake that was justaking the process more complicated than it needed to be. The higher up manager was REALLY PISSED OFF with the Union interference, and that was for the good in my opinion, because it meant that the Union still has enough clout to cause headaches.
If they do, lie
That would probably be totally illegal in Germany to ask you that to get a job.
In the UK the probation period is effectively meaningless. Until you’ve been with an employer for 2 years, you don’t have any rights to an employment tribunal, except when the dismissal is “automatically unfair” (eg discrimination due to sex, race, disability etc).
And I bet it’s usually hard to prove that was the actual cause unless the employer was stupid enough to say it.
Yeah I know someone who used to do employment tribunals. She says it’s a ridiculously high standard and most employers are not that dumb. She’d only really take cases where they haven’t paid their wages and the employer was a mess. The amount of pregnant women that would come to her and she just couldn’t help.
That’s what’s known as ‘at will employment’ in the U.S. A lot of states have it. They can fire you for anything that doesn’t violate civil rights and it’s pretty easy to fire someone because of their race and claim it was for another reason.
While I’m oversimplifying, basically 49 out of 50 U.S. states are at will employment. (A majority have public policy exceptions, and only 3-4 have NO exceptions.) Montana is the only U.S. state that is not at will (after a probation period).
What country is this in? In the US, this is illegal.
Changing opinions is illegal?
Union busting is illegal
They do it all the time in the US. Laws hardly mean shit there. Lobbyists my guy
Absolutely, that’s sadly the case. Walmart and Amazon have been caught union busting and afaik there have been no consequences. Glad to see that Amazon workers got a union though
If you need the job, then what are you going to do?
How is joining a union illegal in the US?
Its not. The illegal part is the interviewer asking your views on unions.
They will disguise it as “trying to tell you it’s an available perk”, then see if you are excited about that or not. In my experience.
Removed by mod
This is the way.
Well. I am good of not telling the truth.
Unionize!
They Ask about unions in Job interviews? What the fuck
USA! USA! USA!
Yeah, why not straight up ask, if you’d like to work for them under shitty conditions with abysmal pay?
People act like jobs don’t ask illegal questions but in different ways with zero retaliation. The smaller the company, the less they gaf
But tbh the smaller the company the least likely the CEO is an asshole
