Letters to the Editor
February 25, 2004
Union petiton
Glad to vote "yes"
As a member of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 925 here at the UW, I felt I needed to counter Jason Benedict's letter in [yesterday's] Daily. I, personally, am glad to have a union in this workplace, it is needed. One thing Benedict doesn't realize is that the union is not a third party. The union is the members and, as such, gives workers a voice in their wages and working conditions. When you go into contract negotiations, it is the members who will be on your union's bargaining team, not United Auto Workers (UAW) lawyers.
As for the issue of the agency fee: Washington state law permits this by way of union-security laws. I would encourage membership instead of paying the agency, it will make your union stronger. This money goes toward maintaining the contract and defending all workers in the bargaining unit regardless of their attitude to the union. It is called the duty of fair representation and, as a steward, I stand by it even if some are hostile toward my union. The union is, as I said above, the members and a strong network of stewards, rank-and-file members, can organize and defend their co-workers. I hope he will re-think his attitude. Even if he doesn't, he will benefit from having a union and should pay to help keep it strong.
States where there are so-called "right-to-work" laws, unions are far weaker. We don't deny people the right to work. We provide them with a voice in their workplace to fight for dignity and respect.
-- Patrick Switzer
Health Sciences Academic Services and Facilities
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