Of course buy in and undercutting is a limitation of any union - but what would be some of the less obvious negative effects on engineers specifically?
* $38k / year (In Seattle, which is about $3/hr above minimum wage)
* 2% salary goes to union dues
* She can't get insurance for the first 3 months
* She was not allowed to negotiate salary, even though she got a 4.0 and a perfect score on her MA test. That means she got the same package as a high-school drop-out who got a 2.3 GPA in MA school and a barely-passing test score.
I, as a non-unioned software engineer:
* Make more than $200k
* Always get health-insurance on day one
* Can easily negotiate not only starting salary, but also raise amounts
* Am compensated on background, instead of an arbitrary "this is your first day, so you make the same as everyone else" leveling system.
* Don't have to pay anyone for the privilege
* Don't have to work with shitty co-workers, because they can be fired without the employer fearing retribution from a big, faceless union.
So tell me-- why in the hell would I want to join a union?
Anyway a way around this would be for the union to not touch salary, but help individuals get a good deal given that they are happy with their salary. I can think of things like helping to ensure people know what they are getting into with share options, and helping with the legal side of things if there is unfair dismissal etc.
