Hi everyone.
I’ve been offered a job $70,000 (38 hours/week, 5 weeks of annual leave), this is my first job actually.
I’m getting a lot of payment because of the two holiday weeks.
Normally I get $1.3K before tax.
Now it’s around $2.7k a week.
Since one of my workmate joined ETU union I am actually wondering is it better for me to join one?
What are the benefits?
What is your job title?
I’m getting a lot of payment because of the two holiday weeks.
What does this mean?
I work on public holidays
I can’t give you the title because it’s quite unique
Which industry?
ETU.
title
entitle?
Oh….
Unions only make sure your workplace is safe, your conditions continually improve, and your pay increases over time.
Plus immediate things like legal support if you have workplace issues or immediate help if there are safety issues being ignored by your employer.
A lot of people free ride on the benefits unions have won for workers, and say you are wasting money if you join.
This is true in the same way it is true you don’t have to put in anything when an event says entry by gold coin donation or similar.
You can get the benefit, but if everyone does it, nobody gets the benefit.
This voluntary tax will slowly disappear when more jobs are replaced by code.
@mskeggs: I plugged the weekly fees in a DCA and worked out that investing yield a better return than union membership.
@rektrading: Check yo’ self before yo’ rek yourself.
All Australian coders will be replaced by Indian coders at 1/12 the cost.
All Australian coders will be replaced by Indian coders at 1/12 the cost.
I'm indifferent to where the codes come from.
This industry is designed to be borderless where the smartest people make the most money. It's the best way to source talent.
@rektrading: enjoy being feed by your robot nurse in an old age home and then dying alone because it’s cheaper than paying a real person
@rektrading: So all you need to be happy is to marry a sex robot. Sounds like a fulfilling and enriched life.
Since one of my workmate joined ETU union I am actually wondering is it better for me to join one?
I would join because most unions advocate for your work rights and better pay/working conditions, especially when a new award is up for negotiation. If you run into issues during your employment (e.g unfair dismissal/underpayment etc), then the union can also advise you on how to proceed or even act for you. Give this a read.
If you're getting a lot of money and don't need it in the near future, see if you can salary package/put it into super. Especially when you're young, the money will grow a lot over time until you retire.
This!!! I’m 28 now, and damn I wish someone sat me down and gave me this very advice 10 years ago.
If you have extra money definitely look into investing it. As above, I WISH I had known about it when I was younger.
Not saying don't invest in super, but definitely know what you're getting into. There is tax benefits for doing so - but also know that its locked away until retirement. So if you want to access it for say a house or anything you can't get it. research research research
What if you don't join the union, do your job and let the union do theirs. Any wage increases or employment changes will still happen, regardless if you're union or not, correct?
No neggers have a rebutal to my comment. Because they know it's true. Ahahhaha
Can't have a union without members. If enough people opt out then the balance of power swings to the employer, in which case you'll be lucky to hang onto what wages and conditions you have, let alone improve them.
While unions advocate for better working conditions/better pay etc, all employees benefit (both union members and non union members) and you can't be discriminated against either being a member or non member. Some unions are great, some will sell you out.
You can claim membership fees on your tax.
If you know your employer policies and procedures, you don't need a union rep to act on your behalf.
How do I know, I was a union delete for quite a few years.
I was a union delete for quite a few years
The union deleted you?
Sorry, delegate .. my bad for typing while watching Cobra Kai…
It depends. As a teacher, the Union makes sense. But even I can't afford it when I'm not working.
What job are you in? What is your agreement like? Disputes? Workplace incidents? Do you need frequent advice and legal support? Are you in a profession that has other requirements such as professional development that the union might provide for free or at a discount?
Get rid of unions, you end up in the mess America is in.
Unions cant be the roadblock to progress but…….looking at your RTBU
Reagan was a former union leader! He restored Airstrikes within hours.
Biden throws millions at GM who in turn robbed Australia out of millions.
Mr Dementia now sais: Oh pretty Mary thank you, you have already electrified America!!
What's your negotiation skills like? If your employer decides to give you 0% pay increase this year, can you defend yourself and negotiate a better one?
Also my understanding is it's the unions that fight to keep your extra pay on holidays, and your 5th week of AL. Not bad for price of admission.
After reading your other posts, I think you are someone who would really benefit from joining the union.
You can ask them any employment related questions and they can support you if you ever need.
Having been an ETU member until very recently, I would say it's very much worth it. Not only are you advocating for better working conditions through collective bargaining, but union membership also act as an insurance buffer if you have issue with your employers that you deem is unfair or not stipulated in your contract. Union membership is also tax deductible.
Absolutely yes. Any good work conditions we have now are because of the work unions, which are made up of collectives of workers who fight for better conditions and standards. In the last 20 years conditions have deteriorated because unions have been made weaker by Liberal governments who are backed by their mates in businesses. Unions need more members to become more stronger to improve and maintain working conditions. Everyone should join their union if they have one.
Keep in mind if you work for a small business and they're not union based, they have zero obligation to do anything the union asks them to, all they have to do is abide by fair work. The benefits of a union is really only when it comes to EBA/ EA's. Coming from a union site myself and my partner is also a union delegate, even if you were part of a union and the company you work for aren't, they will not take on a case unless it's out of your contract or fair work. Each union has it's own perks though, they provide ambulance cover even if it's not work related and union fees are tax deductible.
You still have a union rep speaking for you if anything serious comes up, instead of just you speaking for yourself. That's assuming you can convince the union rep to speak for you.
Yeah if it's serious enough they will come out, even when they come out it will most likely be advice more than speaking on behalf of you though, hence why union's also team up with lawyers so they can do it on their behalf if it's serious enough. Which is another benefit, I got my will written for free because of the Union.
I joined the union even when working at McDonald's. Just seems like the right thing to do.
reason being
To learn to 🙃 👍 🍔.
Smile good burger?
If some other kid burns his hand in the oil fryer or whatever then a strong union will help them probably.
I’m getting a lot of payment because of the two holiday weeks.
Normally I get $1.3K before tax.
Now it’s around $2.7k a week.
Why is this relevant to your question?
I've been a union member for 31 years (TWU, AMWU & ASU). I've found the tax-deductible fee worthwhile when negotiating pay AND CONDITIONS. It means I don't have to argue with bosses and make enemies.
I've used their legal services, discounts and sought advice on workplace issues.
I will admit that I recently sought advice over a redundancy issue. My position should have been redundant but instead they tried to make me do work that I wasn't trained or qualified for. I assume they were hoping I'd resign and move on.
The union wouldn't help as "we are in the business of preserving jobs". In the end I negotiated an exit package with the help of another union delegate.
Overall, I never thought union membership expensive given the number of wage rises they negotiated and the number of times in a restructure they stopped the company downgrading pay for the same job. For me it worked out at less than 0.5% of my gross.
Personally, I think if you aren't in the union you shouldn't accept union negotiated pay rises.
I am huge supporter of the idea of Unions, but that said, whether it is worth it generally comes down to the industry you're in and also what benefit you feel you will receive from them. Direct benefits can be advocacy and support, legal representation and advice. Indirect, but just as important, benefits are supporting the workers in your industry through funding a robust union with lots of resources.
In my sector, the union has a decent amount of sway and negotiates the EBA etc… but in the day to day the union is not really talked about and I would not call my sector a "unionised" environment. When I started my first job I didn't join, mainly because it didn't occur to me to do so, and in the end I regretted it. Things started to get very bad in my workplace and over the course of two years we haemorrhaged staff, multiple people had breakdowns, work structures, processes and expectations became ridiculous, the whole place was toxic, there was a suicide and they were eventually investigated and charged by Worksafe. Even during all of this, talk of getting the union involved only started when things were far beyond saving.
Unfortunately, when people began talking about joining to get advice and support, it was too late because unions tend to treat these sorts of matters like "pre-existing conditions". If you only join when something goes wrong, they can't provide support or representation because the problem has already happened. This is to stop people only paying when they need the union and dumping them when the matter is settled.
I put off joining then because I thought they would never help me, but in the end realised it was best to support the union so they could keep helping indirectly. Best decision ever because I have since needed them to advocate for me for tangentially related matters. I wish that I had just joined at the start though and not been so naive. I never imagined a workplace could get to the point mine did with no one stopping the spiral. I trusted that employers and the OHS system protected workers and knew no better. Now, even with the unions support, the fine line between what is "pre-existing" and related closely enough to what happened there and what is happening now means that I can't always count on the union to advocate for me.
After all that, my advice is basically to think about your industry and the union that would represent you, do some research or ask around and then make an informed decision about what you want from your membership. If the cost is worth the potential protection when things go wrong, and that is something your union does, then do it. If you can't justify the cost or feel you will find better support from other places, or even that the risk of something happening is so low it's not worth it, then don't. Or, if you just like the idea of helping to fund the union for indirect benefits, then go for it!
Depends on the union and if they'll support you when something goes wrong…or leave you out in the cold. Research and chat with your local delegates and existing staff to get a feel.
I see that you're being culturally minded: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etu It's a bit far from Australia though.
Maybe, ask them what the benefits are?