National Union for Opticians

[Chris Ryser]

Lets all unionize today.....................

us.
Let's all unionize today.
Chip

General Private Sector Collective Bargaining Legislation


Jurisdictions

Proof of Support for Trade Union in Bargaining Unit

Minimum Support Required for Representation Vote or Certification Without a Vote

Power to Certify if Unfair Labour Practice by Employer


Federal

Signing an application for membership and paying at least $5 to the union for or within the 6 months preceding the application.

Representation vote: 35%.
A representation vote is void if less than 35% of eligible employees actually vote.

Certification without a vote: more than 50%.



The Board may certify if it considers that, in the absence of the unfair labour practice, the union could reasonably have been expected to have had the support of a majority of employees in the bargaining unit

The result of a representation vote is determined by a majority of the employees in a bargaining unit who exercise their right to vote.

[lensdex]

onion

If you scrap the word Union and form an Association dedicated to a national goal perhaps we would have an impact of some degree.

[Johns]

If you think that the answer is we should always gravitate to the lowest cost manufacturing spots, then welcome to WallyWorld. Your part of the problem.

I'm always amazed by how many UAW Union workers freely admit they buy all their groceries, hunting gear, auto supplies, clothes, eyeglasses and any other cheaper than cheap item they can fill a shopping cart with...



at WalMart.


Everybody is all for higher wages, unless they have to PAY them!!!:hammer:

[rdcoach5]

Go figure

Yes, I know a lot of union people voted for George Bush. But most of them didn't .Some of them buy at Wal-Mart but most of them don't have a real choice because the other big box chains have followed Wal-marts lead in order to compete.Opticians have to compete with other licensed opticians but also with the big -box retailers who have stymied state licensing laws that have any real effect.In Ohio, Independent Opticians must be licensed but Optometrists and Ophthalmologists are completely exempt. The big -box retailers are almost exempt as they usually have 1 licensed optician per store .If all Opticians in the state had to be licensed, this would help to increase wages. Ironically, the fact that opticians wages are so low led to the closing of all but one of the state opticianry programs. This has led to a shortage of opticians and ophthalmic techs{ for the same reason).This shortage will lead to higher wages, but not as much as if we had a strict control on education requirements and licensure. I won't mention the "U" word because I am not a socialist. If an association of all optical personel -opticians, optometric and ophthalmic techs could somehow require their own standards,would that have to be a union?
Bob Taylor

[fvc2020]

What an interesting topic of conversation. Here in the Twin Cities I know that there are opticians in a Union. It is with one of the large clinic systems. The reason I know this, is that when I interviewed with them when I first moved here is because they told me. They asked me how I felt about it. I am not a big beliver in Unions, but said if required(and it was)I would do it.

I didn't get the job based on my lack of belief in the union. I'm really glad I didn't go to work there for several reasons. The union was one of them. The person hiring told me that they have issues with their staff because the union will back the employee in every situation and it was difficult to fire or write some one up. A good example of this is, when I first walked into the clinic the opticians, were all behind a glass partion and no one person greeted me or came out. Not one person was actually working on the floor. The manager told me this was typical and that there was nothing she could do about.

Just me ten cents, but no unions are not the way to go for opticians

christina

[ziggy]

Bob, I understand your thought process,but we opticians cant agree on the need to have every optician certified(ABO/NCLE). We have a national organization, OAA, and I would'nt care to bet that less than 1% of all working in the optical field are members. The only thing that forming a union, or joining an existing one would do is take more money out of our pockets. My 2 cents.

[Johns]

Yes, I know a lot of union people voted for George Bush. But most of them didn't .

Some of them buy at Wal-Mart but most of them don't have a real choice because the other big box chains have followed Wal-marts lead in order to compete.Bob Taylor

1. George Bush doesn't run WalMart, the Walton family does. Nobody voted for them.

2. People "don't have a real choice..."? How about all the union shop groceries they DON'T support? That was my choice. They're all for helping someone out with a decent wage, so long as it's them. Why are they shopping at ANY big box? Top help themselves.

Shop wherever you want, but don't complain about low wages, when you (not you specifically) shop at the "sweat shop" type stores.

[rdcoach5]

Forget Union

Forget Union.How about association or Guild. call it what you want.Teachers wages have sky rocketed because of union or associations.
It's interesting that most of the negative positions to this idea come from ownership positions. I'm not even talking about my salary because I'm pretty well compensated compared to the opticians just starting out. When I started, I made what an average teacher did. Now teachers make much, much more. Why? Because of unions. Now, although I think that teachers unions are way too powerful, I think Optical Professionals as a unified group could help us earn a decent wage .

[ziggy]

Forget Union.How about association or Guild.

OAA/ state society

[DragonLensmanWV]

This is such a stupid reponse. You're talking about what happened to manufacturing. We are a service health care profession that cannot be outsouced unless they import opticians from China or somewhere. Are all the Plumbers, carpenters and electricians jobs in danger of moving to
Taiwan?

Maybe you need to pile your hair up higher so stuff won't go over your head so much. :bbg:
I think you missed his sarcasm.
I hope.

[cocoisland58]

Yes, I know a lot of union people voted for George Bush. But most of them didn't .Some of them buy at Wal-Mart but most of them don't have a real choice because the other big box chains have followed Wal-marts lead in order to compete.

There is always a choice. I alway shop the locals if I can. I pay only a little more for my groceries and I actually like having the bags toted to the car. It's not always about getting the cheapest deal, it's about service, fresher produce, cheerful and helpful employees, and supporting the local economy. The UAW workers I know (friends and family) are the biggest whiners and most if not all of them try to get things as cheaply as humanly possible. I do not care for Union mentality and I grew up with the rank and file all around me.

[Johns]

(1.) It's interesting that most of the negative positions to this idea come from ownership positions.



(2.) When I started, I made what an average teacher did. Now teachers make much, much more. Why? Because of unions.


(3.) Now, although I think that teachers unions are way too powerful, I think Optical Professionals as a unified group could help us earn a decent wage .

(1.) Owners will pay what the market will allow. If you're worth it, you'll earn it. If you think you're worth it but not making it, go somewhere else. It's all your choice.

(2.) And how many schools are in fiscal receivership? How many have been taken over by their states because there's no accountability?

(3.) You earn a decent wage, and I presume it's based on your abilities.
Do you think everyone should be making the same wage just because they join a union? Why aren't they making a decent wage already? Aren't they adding value to the practice they are at? Why do they stay at a practice where they are not being paid what they're worth ? It's usually always personal choices. (The area they live, family situations, they don't have the skills, etc...)

[rdcoach5]

Do you pay your teachers on worth?

(1.) Owners will pay what the market will allow. If you're worth it, you'll earn it. If you think you're worth it but not making it, go somewhere else. It's all your choice.

(2.) And how many schools are in fiscal receivership? How many have been taken over by their states because there's no accountability?

(3.) You earn a decent wage, and I presume it's based on your abilities.
Do you think everyone should be making the same wage just because they join a union? Why aren't they making a decent wage already? Aren't they adding value to the practice they are at? Why do they stay at a practice where they are not being paid what they're worth ? It's usually always personal choices. (The area they live, family situations, they don't have the skills, etc...)

Do you pay each teacher in your district on their relative worth? do you pay each plumber or electrician on their relative abilities? Do you have any ability to rate them on such? You rely on their union qualifications . If they're not skilled, they never pass their journeyman's test, their state certification, whichever applies. What holds Opticians back is that there is always a huge pool of unskilled learn-on-the-job optical workers who are hired by Doctors or Opticians who don't want to pay more than minimum wage. As far as should all people in a union make the same wage? No and all teachers should not make the same either. All electicians , since we're using them as an example do NOT make the same wage, The union does set a minimum. Each company has the right to pay superior employees more.

[cocoisland58]

The union does set a minimum. Each company has the right to pay superior employees more.

Most unions set the scale at the same rate of pay for the same job performed. It doesn't matter if you hustle your butt off all day, you still make the same amount per hour as the guy who puts out the minimum effort. And just try to fire a lazy union employee.

[Andrew Weiss]

This is a really interesting thread . . .

I think it's a peculiarly US phenomenon to equate "union" with "socialist". The fact is, the US was one of very few advanced industrialized countries where unions did not take hold. Does that mean that all union members from other countries, where unions did take hold, are socialists? Does it mean that all union members here in the US are "closet" socialists?

My wife is from Australia. I'd guess most of us in the US think of Australia as a country with a similar culture to the US, especially in our emphasis on "rugged individualism". She is routinely shocked by the negative attitude that USers have toward unions, which have been so big in Australia that arbitration is written into the Australian constitution!

The whole idea of unionization was to try to equalize the playing field for workers and owners. When there's unemployed labor available, one worker doesn't have much influence or bargaining power with a big employer. It's pretty much "take it or leave it." Whether US unions have been short-sighted, rigid or corrupt is a whole other issue.

Traditionally, retail opticians haven't been in the same boat as traditionally-unionized workers. That is changing as larger employers, like LC, WalMart, CostCo, etc., are becoming major players in the retail world. Whether this will lead to unionization is anyone's guess. A union would apply better to folks who work for those companies than it would for folks like me who work for independents.

OK folks, there's my five cents (two cents with inflation :bbg:).