I’ve worked in a lot of jobs since I entered the workforce back in 1989.
I’ve been a fry cook, a construction worker, a gas jockey (3 times), a retail clerk (5 times), a carpet cleaner, a courier (2 times), a dispatcher, a fleet manager, a processing clerk, a website developer, a communications specialist, a tutor, and a stockperson.
Only one of those jobs was unionized, and I wanted to highlight some of the more notable ways that job differed from the others.
The biggest difference was the pay. I was paid significantly higher at that job, especially once it became permanent full-time (I started as a practicum student, then was contract full-time). I also received annual raises, as well as annual cost of living increases.
I rarely saw regular wage increases at many of my other jobs. Granted, I rarely stayed at those jobs for more than a year or two because of the low pay and poor benefits.
Speaking of benefits, the benefits package I had at my unionized job was far better than what I got at any other job. In fact, only two other jobs even offered any health benefits at all.
My health benefits included a $1,300 health spending account, which I was able to use to cover my premiums for things like dental care. It functionally meant my family and I had free dental care. We never went to the dentist before this job.
It also meant we were able to get our son braces, which cost $3,000 but we didn’t have to pay anything out of pocket for them.
My employer paid for me to attend conferences, training, and workshops to improve my skillset in my job.
I was able to come home for dinner every day, to eat with my family.
The pay I had was sufficient for us to be a one-income household at the time. It allowed us to buy our home. It allowed us to buy a vehicle from a dealership.
My unionized job allowed me to take time off with pay when our children were born. It allowed us to take family vacations without losing pay.
My higher pay meant we were able to do fun things as a family, like going to the movies or going out to eat regularly.
I stayed at that job for 9 years, until they let me go in a round of layoffs during downsizing. This was the longest I’d ever worked at an employer before—by a long shot—and a huge part of that was because of the pay and benefits.
I’ve been laid off three times.
When I got laid off the first time, which was a non-unionized job, I got no advance notice; I was told to not come in after that day. When I got laid off at the other non-unionized job, I got two weeks notice. In both cases, I got no severance.
In contrast, when I got laid off from my unionized positions, I got no advanced notice, but I received 7 months worth of pay for my severance package. That allowed me to take my time in finding a job, which meant I didn’t need to accept the first one that came along.
As well, when I got laid off, I was able to transfer my employer’s pension into a locked-in retirement account. The account has only enough for 2 or 3 years of retirement income, so it’s not a lot, but it’s more than I got at any other job.
Even though I haven’t been in a unionized job for almost 15 years, it still has ripple effects on our family’s material conditions.
We still own the home we purchased with my unionized job. I still have my retirement savings. We have been able to provide our family with a relatively stable upbringing, without having to move every couple of years.
