Brandon McGuire, a fourth-year apprentice with the Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA) 367, was recently profiled on the national AFL-CIO blog. Read the full story below.
Iraq Veteran: My Union Gives Me a Chance in a Tough Economy
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As one of the millions of America’s workers who have been laid off in recent months, Brandon McGuire knows it’s tough going in the current economy. He also recognizes that as a union member, he is better equipped than his nonunion counterparts to survive an economic downturn. That’s why he supports the Employee Free Choice Act: so millions more workers can have a better chance at their freedom to form a union and bargain for a better life.
McGuire, an Army veteran, served a year in Iraq, where his duties included welding projects. He moved to Anchorage, Alaska, after his military service and signed on as an apprentice with Plumbers and Pipe Fitters (UA) Local 367.
A native of Texas, where union membership is relatively low, McGuire had no firsthand knowledge or experience with union workplaces before joining his local union. He now describes himself as 100 percent pro-union and pro-Employee Free Choice because of the job training and financial security union jobs can provide.
Even though he has been laid off since December, he has a good shot at getting back to work through the jobs waiting list maintained by his local union. He also has some financial security because, as an apprentice, his pay is $27 an hour, plus health insurance and other benefits. He says:
If I weren’t in a union, I’d be lucky to find work for even $15 an hour.
McGuire, 29, says current labor law gives employers too much of an upper hand in the union voting process.
I don’t like the fact that employers can just stall and kill off any kind of union choice by the workers.
My biggest reason for supporting the Employee Free Choice Act is so employers can’t do that anymore.
I Read Brandon McGuire, Plumbers and Pipefitters 367, profiled on AFL-CIO blog. i think you given best information about Tough Economy and i sow that it is the best information.
Posted by: Herry | 09/03/2009 at 05:28 AM