This made me think from another thread...
Seeing how there is little support from the National Licensing boards..aka "Alaska"...and how the squeeze is on to remove higher priced Opticans...aka "Company Policy"...is it time to unionize?
Thoughts:
- There needs to be unified voice that just does not seem to be one presently. The NAO, ABO and others have "tried" to get some national issues addressed, but has not delivered. Yet, they are stupified on why there is there is declining dues coming in.
- There are several National Unions that would sponsor an Optician's Union
- You cannot be fired if you unionize nor can your employer have prejudice against you
- There would be a voice in Washington and at State levels to draw awareness to the issues and to address concerns.
- Would provide job stability
In town, there area few union shops remaining. In fact, one of the larger offices has a majority of the third party union contracts, because he has union workers, but it is a double edged sword. They tried to fire an Optician, but had to keep him on. They tried to pull the old "we cannot afford the pay raise", yet; they purchased a YACHT (yes a YACHT), bought a home for the owners daughter but could not find another 15 cents an hour to pay a loyal employee of 5 years. The Union threatened a STRIKE, which the owner did not want to see happen.
In a non-union shop, a friend of mine lost his job because the owners realized that they have given "too many generous wage increases" over the past 15 years. They have 3 locations and have done very well for themselves. They decided to hire recent graduates for $10.00 an hour instead of paying $20.00 an hour. The other Opticians at the other locations were asked to take a pay cut, or leave. I guess loyalty means squat.
I also noticed that Lenscrafters (at least locally) is hiring former GAP and retail mangers to run their stores. They have scaled back to 2 FT opticians and a floater between stores. The General Manager makes a whopping $8.50 per hour and is compensated for the performance of the store. Oh yeah, if you are a licensed Optician, you must work alternating Saturdays/Sundays and work at least two evenings a week. I can't really say that I blame them for their position on salaries, hey they are a business, but the Optician's suffer.
Just imagine for a minute, a STRIKE at a chain store that makes it on the evening news.
What do you think?
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