The Online Reflector

I come from a union family.

My dad graduated from the IBEW apprenticeship program in 1995 when I was just three years old. Before that, he worked at the Indianapolis Repertory Theatre in the scene shop as a scenic carpenter. He has worked for 22 years with the electrical workers’ union.

Since I can remember, he has always been a hard working member of the organization. He started his own business to help provide for our family through the tough economy and worked to receive his master electrician license.

All of these licenses and certifications came from hours of studying and practical application of all the skills he had learned. I’ve watched him sit at our kitchen table with books as thick as SAT prep books, memorizing electrical theories and national codes.

With all of the positive experiences I have had with unions, I cannot see how the Right to Work Bill can benefit Indiana families. Right to Work destroys everything that union organizations have worked for since their formation. This newly passed bill makes it illegal for unions to require workers to pay dues to be a member. With this bill, union workers could lose the foothold they have with the companies that employ them.

Since their start, unions have fought for what we now see as normal for our day jobs. We enjoy a five-day, 40-hour  workweek, breaks, benefits and many other standards. Even at my job as a cashier at Penn Station, I am able to enjoy what union members have worked for. I am able to receive a stable minimum wage and some sort of five-minute break during my shift.

Unions keep the workplace fair and safe for workers. Right to Work moves time backward. Unions will lose all power to fight changes that would make work more dangerous and exhausting. They lose the leverage to provide their workers with basic benefits that reduce stress on working families.

My father’s membership in IBEW has given us benefits for dental work, including mine and my brother’s braces, various emergency room visits throughout a clumsy childhood and less stress on our tight budget.

The retirement plan and safe working conditions kept my father motivated to work hard every day wiring buildings. The dues my father had to pay over the years to the union helped keep these benefits steady.

Even though I have seen all the positives that unions have to offer workers, I also can see the positives the bill might give other Indiana workers. Unions can block other workers from getting jobs and receiving benefits they may desperately need. This makes the choice of work limited for nonunion members. These workers may get stuck with jobs that are not as stable as the union jobs.

Not all jobs fit a union structure. After doing research on the topic for a debate class, I came to the conclusion that some unions hurt the job market, but this isn’t the case in most instances. For construction workers, electricians, carpenters, actors, technicians and others, unions keep working conditions safe. The membership provides security, and the union structure does not hurt the job market.

My life has been blessed by my dad’s hard work through shifts that allowed my mother to work at home. She has been able to work from her computer since she was eight months pregnant with my brother and I was two years old. All of the hard work allowed us to live comfortably. I’ve never had a fancy life, but I’ve always known that my parents worked hard to give me everything I needed.

Union family life, however, isn’t all happiness and a great dental plan. I’ve watched the struggles of the uncertain times during  layoffs. Yes, union workers get the benefits outlined, but they also live with the fear of jobs drying up and months of waiting to move up on the Out of Work List, or as I know it, The Book. These layoff periods mean cutting back on small luxuries. Even during these hard times, my father picked up small side jobs to keep money coming to our family. He applied his skills as an electrician and used them to make money.

The Right to Work bill hurts workers who have put in the effort to secure a place on The Book. The idea of opening unions to all workers seems like an equalizer to outsiders, but the playing field is already equal in its own way.

Both union workers and nonunion workers have to worry about unemployment and keeping the benefits and conditions they enjoy. Both sides have to go through struggles to live comfortably. Getting rid of the dues will only increase these struggles.

Unions make the working world safe and fair, and in the next few years, we will see a shift in Indiana because of this bill.