I am very tired of making unfair wages. We need a opticians union. The registered nusses,teachers , carpenters, steelworkers,electricians, plumbers, and I hear that pharmacists are organizing to form a union. I have been in contact with the united steel workers and health care workers council in Pittsburgh, PA. WE are making less than all other TRADESMAN.------------WE NEED UNION REPRESETATION IN THE USA.
There is a union in New York State, Empire Vision Centers which is owned by Davis Vision who is owned by BCBS of Pa. is unionized and has been for many years
thanks for the info. davis vision..mmmmmmmmmmm --------
opticians union
Any idea how it is working out?
Not a big fan of unions here! I for one won't join one.
We don't need unionization, we need licensure, and reciprocity between states!.... Raise the bar!!!
Lets work, one state at a time. Please sign the petition for licensure of Texas opticians.
Maybe we just need the cajonies to demand compensation for our skills, those of us that have any at least.
If I remember right, Walman Optical (wholesale labs) was at one time unionised.
Why oh why do you want to join the almighty union? Are you a socialist? Do you not feel that if you are very good at what you do and work very hard you will be rewarded? Would you rather be working very very hard and be very very smart making the same amount as the slacker working next to you? Unions were once necessary to the American work force. They now exist only to recruit members so that they will continue to exist. Not true? Look at Detroit. In the end unions are nothing. I do not mean to be disrespectful of your frustration but I live here and I grew up in the unions. I know from whence I speak.Originally Posted by lovegangster
SVS in Michigan is Teamsters and have been for 30 years but then again they went after the union contracts so they really had to be.
I agree with this. Unionizing will not help. I have no desire to get paid based on how long I've been a member rather than on my skill level.
Unions, as a general rule do not relish free and forward thinking that would bring about some of the amazing things we can now do with lenses.
Plus, one union member in my household is plenty for me.
Caution: Rant ahead.
Yeah!! Let's get all the American frame manufacturers, and force them to only deal with Union Shops!!! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!!
Oh, that's right; there are no more manufacturers here. Remember, everybody wanted
Lowest Prices...Everyday
Well, you wanted it, you got it. You can't just expect fair wages for your job, you've got to expect to pay more for others' wages as well.
Sounds good on paper, until the kids have a birthday party and everyone runs to China Mart for the drinks, snacks, cake, and gifts. $crew the hometown bakery, $crew the local grocer, $crew the little guy...
Allright...I feel better now.
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Unions........................
All the ones that want a profession get unionized are the ones that will not improve their skills by education and be just better so they can demand salaries they want and are worth it.
These people want protection of the union who charges them a fee from every pay to payday. It provides them a secure job, even if they can not do a proper job because they have the seniority over other people that want to advance and can not, because of it.
Unions belong into the early last century, and not today when improving your skills is at your fingertips. :finger:
Sadly, I think Johns is right.
Yep. It is my experience that the union workers I know personally and who complain the loudest about outsourcing, shop at Walmart. When you call them out on it they have this theory that it's ok. If they made more money they could afford to shop at the "rich people's" establishments. And those establishments are just "ripping us off" anyway. They do not get it at all. Around here it's known as the UAW mentality. One of my neighbor's was just offered a buy out from GM. He is offended that they have only offered him a full pension starting six years early and no other cash incentive. So he'll be making 48,000 a year for doing nothing. This is a bad thing?
Why would you want to pay dues to an organization that will do nothing for you?
DragonlensmanWV N.A.O.L.
"There is nothing patriotic about hating your government or pretending you can hate your government but love your country."
Some ODs tried to unionize and got sued. Needless to say they lost. I don't think a union would help opticians at all. It would take money out of your paycheck and leave you with less. Also with all the profit being removed from eyewear with people wanting cheap instead of high quality and good service there will be even less money to pay.
Perhaps its almost time to start charging for adjustments and other things as people abuse our services after ordering online or going to the local retail box.
Increadible people will pay $85 6 times a year for hair color but won't spend $250 on a decent pair of glasses that they use every day and all their life experiences are seen through.
Bravo!
Sad but true!
:cheers::cheers:
This is a good discussion. It seems to ask some of the same questions I had posed in this thread:
http://www.optiboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=31568
If union isn't the way to go - what are the most powerful certifications one can achieve (realistically) in the US, and what are we really WORTH?
Is it unrealistic to ask 50K with 15 strong years in the industry and one certification? Two? State licensure? What if your state doesn't require a license? How do we know what we're worth - apart from just what everyone else is being payed? 30K? (laughable I think) ...80K? Six figures with enough experience?
$15-20/hr just isn't what it was 15 years ago. (Actually it's worth about $10-13.50 if the inflation calculator can be trusted...not counting cost of living etc on top of that)
We are getting screwed people! We most certainly ARE worth more than what we get paid - (most anyway). Understandably, most private ECP's are struggling to make payroll at that...how can they survive and make a living as well?
I have experienced that the more certificates and experience that you have=The less employable you become in this business.
Worth to whom? Your boss, the consumer?
If the consumers are willing to put up with substandard care and/or products, what can you do?
There are still markets out there where your expertise is valuable, but as Brother Fezz pointed out, it's not about certificates and credit hours. It's all about how your knowlege affects the bottom line. Like it or not, that's how it is.
All the unions in the world can't make consumers want to buy a car they don't want, just as unions can't force the pay scales of opticians up to where they would want. Just another fact of life.
I have an 11 year old son that can use the lensometer, edge a pair of (spherical so far) lenses, and do some basic lab work. However, while I may be teaching him some basic optical skills, I have no intention of directing him into this business. I want him to use this as a way to sharpen his people and selling skills, which he can use later in life.
IMO,The optical business has changed more in the last 15 years than it changed in the 40 years before that. Car manufacturers, drug stores, gas stations, grocery stores, and opticals will never be the same, and we can't expect them to be. I don't think wages will ever increase at the rate they once did, just as real estate won't appreciate at the rate it once did. For the most part, unions have become as necessary as phone booths...
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
Well said...There is no free lunch!!!!
"Feeding the beast, hoping it will eat you last" -- Winston Churchill
Its not the private or self employed optician who needs a union--I can't see a benefit for us. BUT............ the poor Lux opticians? now those folks need a union. I was a GM when the purchase/takeover of cole happened and within 2 months they cut their commissions drastically! I had PT opticians (Ohio licensed) and sales people who were making $200-300 a week in commissions go down to $40-50. Now that is wrong. Also the lab manager was forced to repaint the lab on his owe time! This was always contracted out to a local painter in the past ( the retail side was redone by a paint contractor just a few months eariler). I had stepped down as GM at that point but I told him that he was nuts for doing that. He said if he didn't do it he would get fired! Thats when I knew I had to go. Now those poor souls need a union.
I appreciate your concern for us Lux workers. But still, thanks but no thanks on the union. I cannot see how a union would benefit me.
BTW, normally in a union, once a person gets into management (especially salaried mgmt), they are no longer members of the union
And this?
How were the commissions based? Per item, like UV was $1, selling a progressive was $whatever, etc? I know how it was back when "the Shoe" owned us and I saw the abuse of commissions with no repercussions. That was wrong. Nowadays, there is more tie-in between learning and responsible selling.I had PT opticians (Ohio licensed) and sales people who were making $200-300 a week in commissions go down to $40-50. Now that is wrong
but that's going off topic and I don't want to have this turn into another bashing type thread.
From what I heard, they didn't cut the commissions due to abuse. It was more of a way to get folks to leave on their own, rather than have to lay them off. After all, if you are making $300 per month comm. + your salary, how long are you going to have around making $250 less?
Again, this is just what I was told...
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
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