Job Discussion Forums

[Gordon]

I worked at a large private language school in Vancouver that was unionized, a rarity there. Now our salary was decent compared to other schools, but the tension between management and the teachers was about as bad as I could have ever imagined. Many of the teachers believed they should get everything without lifting a finger, the laziest bunch of people I've ever worked with. The management hated the staff and did everything they could to antagonize them.

Of course this is just one example, but I think it is unnecessary for a school to be unionized unless you are talking about hundreds of teachers. It is in everyone's best interests to work it out wihtout a union, a bit of give and take, unfortunately there are many people in the world who only want to take.

[expatben]

Give and take is a very important thing in any relationship. As I say I am not proposing revolution nor some sort of proletariot dictatorship. A union can actually work WITH management. Sometimes relationships fail due to lack of communication. We need them for work they need us to teach classes. We have a mutual need its just that teachers seem to forget that. I have worked in non unionized schools. Some have been awesome and I never had a problem with management or talking to management. Some have been gawdawful one was so bad people were too afraid to talk to the boss. Would a union have helped? Whos to say? But it would have been worth a shot.