I work for IP in Selma and am a member of USW. Am I die hard union member, no. My problem with some of the comments are What's wrong with trying to get the best wage for your local that you can, we all want to make a good living. Does the union protect some of the lazy POS on occasion they do, however there all rules we all have to live by and once you start breaking the rules not a whole the union can do, maybe we get a few more chances because they the Co. treated some one else different than they treated you. Which leads me to my next point, the union tries to keep the Co. consistent in treating all employees the same, hopefully everyone is held to the same standard, but there are double standards in al walks of life. Is it a seniority based system, yes, so you have to get your time in to move up.

In the past we negotiated health insurance, not so much anymore, it's done on a Co. wide basis now,

our pension is thru IP, the union does negotiate this benefit.

our dues are based a percentage of what you earn, just the way USW works, it's not a flat rate.

What I will say is we have about 100 in the maintenance local about 10 are not union members, but they get the same benefits as everyone else, they don't pay dues. That's my biggest heart burn with the plant union. Been there 33 years been a union member the whole time, why it's the right thing to do.

Now there are some on this forum who work in big industry and are not union, they will tell you they don't need the union, will do nothing for them and make good money with out the union. But I promise you the only reason they make the wages they do is because of what the unions have and will continue to do.

Will also say there are a lot die hard TRUMP supporters that pay union dues, and the trend is going up. Just as there were Obama supporters in the non union plants.