Category: Jobs and Employment
Good afternoon. I am in training to become a union organizer. I am seeking input from those who have ever been employed in a sheltered workshop of any kind such as Goodwill, Industries for the Blind, others. What was your job? Did you have any benefits, if so what kind? How much was your pay? How could a union have benefited you or if you are still working in one, how can we labor unionists help you? Were you forced into this line of work or did you have a choice? Thank you for any input.
I did not experience this, but I had a roommate who did. He was going to a training center in Maryland and they tried to force him to work in one, and he refused.
I was at one of those places right after I got out of high school. I had not heard of a shelter or any of that before, I went to interview at what I was told was a blind workshop. I was there a couple of months till college started. It's pretty mainline commie style stuff - meaning you could not exceed quota, but you were required to meet it. And you got in trouble for improving the process.
They had a very redundant assembly system, as I recall, for one of their products, and were trying to get everyone moving. So when the foreman chick left I moved a couple of the most laggardly fellows off the line and rearranged how we were doing it so you didn't have so much redundancy. A very youthful attemp at what they used to call a efficiency expert in the 80s. The ones bumped off the line weren't upset but were contented to keep outa the way. The line moved pretty fast after that till she got back, and chewed me out something fierce.
They are obviously married to the process, more than just cranking out product, at least in the place I was at.
There were a lot of really competent people there: people I would never have competed with on their lines. Machinists and the like. And they often complained they weren't listened to, or got in trouble if they themselves repaired a machine or something. Kind of makes the Teamsters sound like a pretty easy bunch to deal with. Anyway that's a long time ago, maybe things have improved. But it's one place you can easily find yourself in the unpopular group, and out of work semifrequently.
As to forced? Nobody can force a legal adult to do anything unless they're a cop and you're on the arse end of the law, so. It's always a matter of economics, though, if that is what you meant.
Wow, no, from my research things have not changed. I am trying to get the UFCW or the Teamsters to organize these places. The UFCW is the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. Please post more. This is good to know. I might try to work in one to see what they are like and try to organize it when I am good enough at my union representation skills.
acccord to leo's account, would you not get in trouble for trying to organize it? and the question is does those people want to be organized in the first place?
Yes, we organizers have had people reach out to us. A company called Pegham Industries, the workers there want a union.
and is this place you mention, Pegham Industries, a sheltered workshop?
Yes, it sure is.