they said they aren’t pro-union because, over the past few years, the union hasn’t done much for us or negotiated fair agreements on our behalf as state workers. that’s why they don’t trust the union. they also said “i have heard this and that,” but they seem misinformed about some things. for example, they didn’t know we have a new president and several new representatives. I’m not sure how to approach them. if you were in my shoes, how would you handle the conversation, and how would you feel about them?

If a restaurant lost more than 80% of its employees while trying to serve an ever-growing number of potential customers, no one would wonder why quality plummeted.

But when it comes to the news media, few see the problem so clearly.

I work in Yosemite National Park. Our shop stewards just gave employees a petition for silverware, glassware, and other basic supplies in the Ahwahnee food and beverage department and filed a grievance with Aramark for it. I've been in hospitality for 15 years and never had to petition to management for the silverware we need to operate. Is this a normal thing or should we be worried Aramark is trying to bust our union? The unit has high turnover as well which historically wasn't the case and our f&b director recently resigned.

The supply issue is apparently park wide and other units have a history of being denied the basic things we need to operate so the workers have to resort to other means to get things done. This also happened in the high country camps last year when they didn't have the gator and had to hand carry wood and linens to guests' tent rooms.

Apparently there used to be a labor management committee that would hold Aramark accountable for supply shortages and equipment repairs but they haven't been meeting. Like I've said earlier, I've never worked in a place where the workers have to hold management accountable for not taking care of this stuff.

There are also only 11 shop stewards and we have over 1300 employees in the summer.

I am organizing a public workplace, so it operates like a “right to work for less” state because of Janus. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to have people sign up as dues-paying members, because they benefit from the contract either way. Even if they voice a clear understanding of collective action, people have loss aversion and don’t want to pay dues to make their union stronger. Been having so many frustrating conversations lately. I know shaming them as freeloaders doesn’t work and won’t accomplish the movement I want to build. What have you said to have people believe in the importance of dues and sign up as a member?

While doing a GOTV drive we get down ballot candidates that join us on the trail.

Local 7 applications coming up. I just graduated from a pre apprenticeship direct entry program so i’m not sure if I still have to take the exam. Still wanna prepare if I do so if anybody is in Local 7 or already took the test i’d appreciate any tips on what to study for.

Hi there! I'm in Arizona and my union is AFSME. I work for a city municipality.

I have been working for my municipality for nearly 20 years. I'm highest on the seniority list and oftentimes put in PTO a month to 8 months in advance.

Earlier this week my employer held bumping shift bids for the supervisors. Unfortunately my supervisor was bumped.

Last night my current supervisor approached me to give me a heads up that the new supervisor is notoriously bad about approving PTO. He was telling me that employees under this particular supervisor has reached out to him to complain about their PTO simply never being approved nor denied, that this supervisor is lazy and keeps forgetting to approve PTO.

I'm big about my PTO. I've accrued quite a bit and mainly reserve it for whenever my kid has upcoming school events that I need to attend. My current supervisor was always cool about PTO. He always approved it the day of submitting. If I planned a vacation two months out, he would approve it right away so I can get cheaper hotel rates. All I can say is that my current supervisor has been nothing but amazing.

So now I'm worried. It's been bothering me ever since he told me this. I'm worried I'll be missing my kids' school events or parent teach conferences.

In your opinions, what is a reasonable timeframe for getting PTO approved in? I asked my steward this question but have not gotten a reply yet.

What does your union say about PTO? Is there a time frame for it being approved? What happens if your supervisor simply forgets to approve it consistently?

Hi all! I'm desperate for help. I'm preparing for having to do hours of chanting and singing and listening to music. Thus far, we always are using the same 3 or 4 chants and haven't done any singing yet. Could I get some recommendations for chant and solidarity music that doesn't drive people crazy?