After years of relentless union busting — costing the company nearly a quarter-billion dollars, in one estimate — Starbucks Workers United has now forced the corporation to negotiate. It may prove the most important organizing breakthrough in decades.
Wait… Can you just, like, join a random union? I assumed you had to work in the same industry, at least.
Well yes sure you can, but i wouldn’t choose any random union. I’d choose the one that has (or has a chance of making) an agreement with the company I’m working at or in the field I have an interest in working in.
Say you’re an educated nurse but temporarily working as a retail assistant or unemployed or whatever. IMO it would still make the most sense to be a member of the nurse union if that’s where you want to work.
it has to be an actual union though. In Europe we have a bit of an issue with fake unions… basically companies pretending to offer the same service, but can’t make agreements. It can be difficult to see through the bullshit.