Labor Union Myths By Bob Hubbard

[Makalakumu]

so, a person with a phys ed. degree is not worth as much as a person with a science degree?

care to elaborate?

is the lower rate of pay justified by the amount of actual teaching experience?

Teaching is a craft that must be learned in addition to the actual subject being taught......yes, some people are natural teachers...but you can't expect to start at the top.

This, IMO, is the crux of what unions deal with. Collective bargaining. For some people, its a bargain. For other, it is not.

Let me reiterate my point, a science degree is worth FAR more then a Physical Education degree.

The key comes in how you define worth. In terms of market value, which is a combination of demand, compensation, and societal need, good scientists are worth more. In an environment where more market forces are allowed to determine pay, typically, scientists find themselves getting paid twice as much as the average teacher. As you improve, this figure improves exponentially.

Comparitively, the same person with a physical education degree, who is not able to find a teaching job, will find themselves working for two or three times the minimum wage, at best, at some health club. There are exceptions, but not many.

Unions level the playing field. They remove market forces from the various specialties and stick everyone in the same pot. Except that market forces aren't really removed. Now they get reversed, so they end up driving highly skilled people out of high need and high skill jobs like science and math (this is why I'm moving on to grad school and the private sector). This is the root cause behind the shortage of math and science teachers in this country.

And I, personally, can speak to this cause. I like teaching. I'm good at it and my students excel. Yet, I know that I could be getting paid twice as much somewhere else and that I could be supporting my family better with my science training.

Here's the bottom line. I'm not trying to be elitist. This is just the way it is as I see it.

 

[Makalakumu]

But isn't that what the unions advocate to an extent? Sure, most have a 2 year climb up the salary ladder but after that the guy that's been there for 3 years is making the same thing as the guy with 30 years experience. IMO, yes, the lower pay IS justified by the actual amount of teaching experience... a true meritocracy drives people to excel instead of sitting on their asses collecting a paycheck for doing the bare minimum.

Teacher pay is a little more complicated then that. Typically, a teacher with no experience and no education beyond a bachelors degree will make about a third to half as much as a teacher with thirty years of experience and a Phd. In the Hawaiian public school system, new teachers start at about $33,000. The top of the pay scale maxes out at around $80,000.

Here's an example of a teacher pay scale.

http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/ats/PDF/BTU_Teacher_Salary_Scales.pdf

You can see how years of experience and education level is factored into it. By the way, this is one of the higher scales for teacher pay that I've seen.

 

[Tez3]

I don't know how it goes with unions in America but unions reps/shop stewards here do a lot of work with the employer. We have a lot of laws for health and safety so the unions and employers work together to make sure the workforce is educated about safety. Often when there are employees in trouble the union will act as a welfare source for the employer where they don't have a welfare officer. If it's a disicplinary matter the union rep will act as an advisor for the employee. the unions here provide other services, like legal advice for work and outside matters, they get discounts for insurances and other services for their members.

In the civil service the unions and management have regular meetings to sort out any areas before they become problematic. There is a legal requirement to consult unions before major changes take place like relocations, redundancies etc.
this is the main civil service union, I don't know if it's like your unions or not. Most of our civvie workers are in it. It's a very active union.
http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/index.cfm


This is UK teachers pay.
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=75906

 

[BlackCatBonz]

I don't know how it goes with unions in America but unions reps/shop stewards here do a lot of work with the employer. We have a lot of laws for health and safety so the unions and employers work together to make sure the workforce is educated about safety. Often when there are employees in trouble the union will act as a welfare source for the employer where they don't have a welfare officer. If it's a disicplinary matter the union rep will act as an advisor for the employee. the unions here provide other services, like legal advice for work and outside matters, they get discounts for insurances and other services for their members.

In the civil service the unions and management have regular meetings to sort out any areas before they become problematic. There is a legal requirement to consult unions before major changes take place like relocations, redundancies etc.
this is the main civil service union, I don't know if it's like your unions or not. Most of our civvie workers are in it. It's a very active union.
http://www.pcs.org.uk/en/index.cfm


This is UK teachers pay.
http://www.nasuwt.org.uk/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=75906

The unions in Canada operate very similarly.

I am a member of a "skilled trades union", and while I don't agree with everything that happens within our 'local', they do represent us the way we want to be represented (mostly) because the same guys once worked in the field.
They ensure fair pay, reasonable work hours, educating apprentices and journeymen, and manage a fairly decent pension.

I don't think you can lump all unions together as being terrible.
In some unions there is a real sense of solidarity and brotherhood, with workers looking out for each other.
It's not all rose coloured glasses, brotherly love and employer respect.
Some employers get away with as much as they can within the confines of the law.....and sometimes outside of it.
They will play on the fact that an unrepresented worker is easily replaceable in order to make them do something that they would not ordinarily do. As a union trained worker I took classes that made me aware of my rights as a worker and the employers duty to make sure that I am safe while performing my duties; that i have the right to refuse work that I deem unsafe because I am trained to do so and what changes or safety measures can be brought into place so that the work can be done with minimal risk to the worker.

I am not talking about the local unionized grocery store that forces stock boys to pay a disproportionate amount into union dues and not be represented. The union is there for the folks that have decided to make the grocery store their full time job.

There are lazy jerks in any profession and being in a union does not guarantee that they will keep their jobs.
It guarantees that people aren't treated like 'the help' or fired indiscriminately.

 

[Gordon Nore]

Teacher pay is a little more complicated then that. Typically, a teacher with no experience and no education beyond a bachelors degree will make about a third to half as much as a teacher with thirty years of experience and a Phd. In the Hawaiian public school system, new teachers start at about $33,000. The top of the pay scale maxes out at around $80,000.

Here's an example of a teacher pay scale.

http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/ats/PDF/BTU_Teacher_Salary_Scales.pdf

You can see how years of experience and education level is factored into it. By the way, this is one of the higher scales for teacher pay that I've seen.

That's comparable to my contract. I don't recall what the starting pay is, but it tops out in the low 80ks (Canadian) currently, in my school board, in Ontario. Negotiations have been underway to get all the boards at parity. In my pay grid, there are ten steps, if recall correctly. So assuming one starts at the bottom, it takes ten years to max out. Having had substantial experience adult and post-secondary experience, I started at step five, which the highest one can be bumped up to. For younger, less experienced teachers starting out, it's a bit of a climb.

However, in our school boards, there is no additional pay for a Ph.D., that I'm aware of. I think it tops out at the Master's or equivalent. When I was in the community college system, I believe there were seventeen steps to the top.

I must say that 80K US for a teacher surprises me. I've read that there are jurisdictions where teachers don't make that much.

 

[dungeonworks]

Well, lets see...as a UAW member working for General Motors:

• I get paid a fair and liveable wage for what I do.
• I have as much job security as can be had in this day and age. (current situation included)
• I have medical, dental, and optical. (less co pays on most things)
• As of now, I have a pension coming when I retire

• I have LEGIONS of people trying to kill all of the above and more because they do not have at least some or all of the benefits listed above.
• I have Union representation when facing expulsion or questions regarding benefits. (Think lawyer for shop rules)

All of the above has costs and is taken from each hour worked and is negotiated and agreed upon by UAW and management every 4 years. All of this costs me a mere 2 hours of pay per month (almost $60).

Being the breadwinner for a family of 5, with one being of special needs, I think I live a good life and am thankful for my job and the benefits and protections my union affords me. Had it not be for them, I would likely have had my pay cut 60%, lost all benefits, or maybe even gone altogether.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I don't know how it goes with unions in America but unions reps/shop stewards here do a lot of work with the employer. We have a lot of laws for health and safety so the unions and employers work together to make sure the workforce is educated about safety.

Same here. It's not all milk and honey, but unions here, working with management, have made progressive steps in workplace health and safety that affect all workers, union and non-union. This includes the legal right to refuse unsafe work and the right of all workers to be informed of hazardous materials in the workplace.

We had interesting idiosyncrasy in the management of our schools for many years. Principals vice-principals were actually members of teachers' federations. A previous government pulled them out without notice. It was unfortunate because a lot of little disputes could ironed out before they had to become grievances.

 

[Rich Parsons]

As of now, I have a pension coming when I retire
quote]

Since the GM Pension Fund is fully funded, if you are retired today or can retire in the near future then your pension will be funded. I do not see anyway the company stays in operation and this does not stay true. But, I am an engineer and not a lawyer, so take it for what it is, my opinion.

 

[GBlues]

Well, lets see...as a UAW member working for General Motors:

• I get paid a fair and liveable wage for what I do.
• I have as much job security as can be had in this day and age. (current situation included)
• I have medical, dental, and optical. (less co pays on most things)
• As of now, I have a pension coming when I retire

• I have LEGIONS of people trying to kill all of the above and more because they do not have at least some or all of the benefits listed above.
• I have Union representation when facing expulsion or questions regarding benefits. (Think lawyer for shop rules)

All of the above has costs and is taken from each hour worked and is negotiated and agreed upon by UAW and management every 4 years. All of this costs me a mere 2 hours of pay per month (almost $60).

Being the breadwinner for a family of 5, with one being of special needs, I think I live a good life and am thankful for my job and the benefits and protections my union affords me. Had it not be for them, I would likely have had my pay cut 60%, lost all benefits, or maybe even gone altogether.

Yeah that's what I was trying to get at earlier. I don't think you can ask for much more than that. Plus I don't think that you can get it without a union, ( well, not easily anyways.). :asian:

 

[Makalakumu]

Despite my posts above, I am not against unions. I see them as democratic institutions and I see them as essential features in the labor market. As others have noted, often times, the union is the only thing that makes a difference between a living wage and poverty.

The sad thing is that I feel like a lot of the resistance against unions is a deep seated resentment of people who don't have what they wish they could have. That resentment was marketed and bought by a large segment of the populace and its being used as a weapon to divide people...

...rather then look at the people who wish to see us divided.

The bottom line is that Unions provided America with a standard of living and a strong middle class that has never been seen anywhere in the world. Elite managers have decided that American's are too rich and that Unions have to go. Thus the marketing campaign of division.

I'll write a longer post when I have more time and hopefully, I'll be able to counter point Bob's historical analysis. IMO, he fleshes out some important points, but he's missing the big picture by not understanding the nature of capital.

Here's a hint, those who control society are those who create capital. Those who create capital create it from nothing at all.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I look forward to your counter point

 

[Makalakumu]

Unions and Origin of Capital
By John Kedrowski

Where does money come from? The heart of all our societies issues stems from this. I team my physics students that all money has a hidden exchange rate in energy. That every unit of currency is equal to an amount of joules. Whether we acknowledge this exchange rate or not has direct bearing on how we live our lives.

Simply put, if a government or private agency decides that we need to expand our money supply to the Nth degree, in order to avoid inflation, we need to collectively find places to put all of these extra units of energy. Thus, we are left with a hard choice. If our economy is predicated upon an ever expanding pool of goods that correspond to an ever expanding pool of money, then we need to do everything in our power to keep people in a position where they need to purchase.

The end result of this is an endless stream of waste where all of our national wealth ends up in a landfill. I tell my students that in the future, the only profitable place to find things of value will be in the trash. Our streams of junk have energy values attached to it that are a direct result of our every expanding money supply.

So where does money come from? Absolutely nothing. Money comes from absolutely nothing. For those of you who still think our currency is backed by gold, think again, that was ended in 1973 by President Nixon. But that action was just the death knell. Franklin Delano Roosevelt made it illegal for Americans to OWN gold. The reason why all of this is important is because it forces people to accept legal tender. If you are allowed to own nothing that could compete with the legally circulated currency, then you are bound by it.

And we are bound by it. Bound to an ever-increasing pile of trash in which our grandchildren will find a goldmine of foolishness.

In the United States, all money originates as debt. All debt originates from banks. All banks borrow from other banks. Eventually, all banks borrow from the Federal Reserve. There is nothing “Federal” about this organization.

It is owned by private corporations, by private banks, owned ultimately by shareholders. There is nothing federal about where our money originates. It is purely a fraction of what the shareholders want at any given time. Thus, the vaunted interest rate, the rate at which banks borrow from the Federal Reserve, is nothing more then a racket set by the most elite portions of this nation.

New money is created when a bank signs a loan agreement. This money is created via government fiat. At rations of 10 dollars to 1 on deposit, this can continue. Often, through creative accounting, banks can create money at rates of twenty or thirty to one and if they add fees, they can literally create infinite money because they need not hold anything on as a deposit at all.

Thus we have our infinite drive to consume, our insatiable drive to spend, our never ending stream of waste.

Enter the Unions.

In 1913, the Federal Reserve Act was passed and the latest version of a European Central Bank passed onto American soil. It had been a long time since American’s accepted a Central Bank, Andrew Jackson killed the last one, not before they tried to kill him twice. Once, they shot him and only wounded the war hero. The next time, both pistols misfired and the old man beat him away with his cane.

Old Hickory understood the destructive power of central banks. He was a generation away from the folk that wrote the Constitution and demanded that all money be coined in Gold or Silver. He also understood the undue influence that foreign governments could have if all of our banks were connected in this global network.

After Old Hickory killed the bank, the insidious influence of other nations who created their money by private elite fiat, begun to hold sway. Some have said that the Civil War was nothing more then the failed war of independence for our true constitutional values and that the wrong side lost.

Now we are held in awe of the Teutonic Mind Science and minimized to our parts of the cog.

When “capital” accumulated in the United States, it should be noted that capital was none other then fiat money. The individuals that had climbed high on the pile and worked through the power of government to throw their competitors down.

Thus the Federal Reserve act and the Income Tax amendment, a further raping of the individual, because now the people who create the money for the government, OWN a portion of your labor.

The last bastion against this economic tyranny is the Unions. People who don’t really understand where money comes from or that elite psychopaths control us for their own benefit, understand that with a Union job, I can get a decent living wage.

Our Constitution allowed for people to organize under the bill of rights and this allowed for political movements among the people. Some of these movements turned violent. Some of these movements were subsumed by the Elite and turned into weapons against us. Women’s Suffrage is a great example, the elite pushed this in order to double the workforce, inflate the money supply, and stick all of our children in government crèche schooling so they can all be indoctrinated in obedience and self hatred.

So, what are unions now to people who control the money supply of the entire world?

An obstacle.

Unions are democracy in action. They are people demanding value for their work. They are people uniting against an onslaught of global banking interests in order to preserve their standard of living. If these global interests decide to terminate unions, they need to kill the movement through thoughtful adds and by controlling education.

If you have no idea where money comes from, how can you understand politics on this country? Jefferson would roll over in his grave!

Unions are a response to Tyranny. They are a democratic movement by people who ultimately wish to preserve the value of their money. It all comes back to my physics class. All money has a hidden exchange rate in energy. If you continue to print an infinite amount of money, then you need an infinite amount of trash and consumers. When money is created from debt, then you need to constantly lower prices in order for consumption to keep going strong.

The end result is a never ending string of political tricks that willingly convince people to impoverish themselves.

My advice to Unions is to **** Negotiation. Arm yourselves and beware of Obama. He’s got Left cover and he will break strikes “for the polar bears.” I’m not saying this will happen, but don’t’ be surprised.

Unions are going to have it really hard. Attacked from the left and the right. Everyone hates them…according to the media. That is why everyone should join one. That’s another reason why to make sure your 2nd amendment rights are upheld.

In my opinion, Unions represent the ideal that Jefferson hoped for. A little revolution now and then is good for a democracy. The unions scare the hell out of the feds. Now you know why.

 

[Brian King]

GBlues wrote:

So I'll ask you again BOB, and everybody else that thinks unions are a bad idea, WHO HAS MY BACK! THE LITTLE GUY?!?!

Job security is an illusion in my opinion no matter if you are union or not. Keeping in mind that today might be the last day of your current employment can give you strength. Make every hour that you work worthy of your wage and a little extra. See something needing doing do it, figure a way better way of doing something let people know don’t keep it to yourself. Treat those below you as equals and listen to them and let them share the rewards. Treat those above you as resources, watch them and learn from them and let them share in your ideas. Admit your mistakes early and with out prompting. All this and more still may not guarantee that you will have a job tomorrow, but it does guarantee that you can look in the mirror in the morning and know your worth. It is not the employ that gets your reward but it is the doing everyday your best that the reward is earned.

I think that some unions do serve a need. In my family are many iron workers, steel workers and crane erectors. They travel around from city to city and state to state country to country working often where there is a boom. They work for a different company at almost every job. There is a need to combine for insurance and retirement needs and their unions fill these needs. I do not know if it is the most effective vehicle but it is the one running right now. I myself visit many companies each day, some are large and some a very small. Some are union and some are not. Talking to some union types I feel a little sorry for them for they are stuck in place. Stuck in the mediocrity of not being able to excel and be rewarded for the excellence. They look around and see the guy next to them do the minimum or less and they earn the exact same amount. If they look at advancing there are often road blocks placed in the path by the union under the logic of protecting employees. It seems to sap the strength drive and energy from them making them robotic in their labor. It is a loss for both the employee and the employer and all of their families.

GBlues I am sorry that you lost your job. There will be another and God willing a better place of employment. That fellow that you said was stealing from his boss and a drunk. There is likely a reason this person is a thief and a drunk and a person to feel sorry for and sympathy with. Doing dangerous work around thieves and drunks is stupid so it may be in the long run that you are better off in a different environment. You did your job and did your best. Keep the pride in doing a job well and strike the bitterness from your heart and you will not only sleep better but you will give strength to your family and that strength will be returned a hundred fold. This too shall pass. Good luck brother.

Warmest Regards
Brian King

 

[dungeonworks]

Brian,

I am unsure of which speciffic union jobs/companies you are reffering to, but in the UAW working for GM, I have many options open for advancement and the people I work with are not robotic slugs as you described or stuck in mediocrity. I could apply and go for skilled trades, special assignments (which I have done), and more classification jobs within the plant...all with their own benefits. To even imply that the Union is responsible for an unhappy or lazy person is a freaking JOKE (I've had two surgeries from work related injuries)! I have had a plethora of non union labor jobs before I hired into GM 14 years ago...and nearly all were dead end with little pay and offered a lot of physical pain and no benefits at all. I worked with more life hating alchoholics in construction than I ever did in any of the 4 assembly plants. They all had one common denominator....THEY WERE BROKE AND BUSTING THEIR BUTTS FOR PEANUTS!

I'm not saying Union people are perfect, without corruption in some instances, or that it's members are without victims or compromise, but my GOD their is such a misconception out there that we are lazy and do noting. I got news for evreryone...IT HAPPENS IN NON UNION JOBS TOO!!!

If you truly enjoy worrying about your job every minute of every day or that you can get strength from it or that GOD will get you a new job, then good on you. I like the "illusion" of job security the UAW has negotiated for me. It seems fairly real....either that or my schizoprenia is really kicking in!

It's a funny thing when people point fingers at speciffic people and apply thier impression/opinion of that single being an entire organization. One bad apple...

 

[Tez3]

A big thing here with the unions is education, not the work related kind only but also further education as in university degrees. The TUC works with Ruskin college in Oxford.
http://www.ruskin.ac.uk/about/history

http://www.unionlearn.org.uk/index.cfm/ltu/


Union reps and shop stewards are members of the workforce not a separate entity, if the workforce loses their jobs the union reps do as well. the average union dues here are about £7 a month, thats less than $14. for that you get advice, help, someone watching your back. If you never need it it's insurance if you do and it saves your job it's priceless.

My father was a strong believer in the unions, he remembered the bad times when the unions kept people going, supported them and how much thngs would be without them.

"Talking to some union types I feel a little sorry for them for they are stuck in place. Stuck in the mediocrity of not being able to excel and be rewarded for the excellence. They look around and see the guy next to them do the minimum or less and they earn the exact same amount. If they look at advancing there are often road blocks placed in the path by the union under the logic of protecting employees. It seems to sap the strength drive and energy from them making them robotic in their labor. It is a loss for both the employee and the employer and all of their families"

There's no way this is true of the majority of union people, in fact I can see it being true of hardly anyone. The unions are the one that negociate the pay rises and the bonuses so everyone benefits. I know of no place that blocks anyones promotion because of unions putting 'road blocks' in the way, in fact I don't even understand what these roadblocks are! The unions here are working very hard at improving peoples education precisely so that they can progress.
I don't know what employment laws you have but you shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

$60 a month in an industry averaging $15-20/hr is fair.
$40 a month in an industry where wages hover at or close to minimum (currently $7.15 in NY) isn't, IMHO.

 

[Sukerkin]

As with so many things we speak of here that are outside the strict purview of the martial arts, I am struck that it would seem that we are speaking of very different things when we talk of "Unions" in America and Britain.

My overly low pay for what I do and my inability to do anything about it (other than upping sticks and moving to the area of a company that will pay what I am worth), is entirely down to the lack of collective bargaining power. If we were allowed a union then we could do something about it. Instead, those with the freedom to move and/or the lack of loyalty to their team, soon pass on to companies who pay the appropriate rate.

Unions are not the Devil, they are an essential aid for the common man in his battle against the owners of the means of production - yes, sorry, it's a Socialist ideal {boo, hiss!}. I make a guaranteed £1M a year for my company off my own effort alone. There is no fairness in the fact that I see less than 2% of that coming my way. It is that sort of 'leverage' that unions grew to prevent.

Just as the democratic process was born in blood, then so was the path that lead us to Unions. I find it hard to understand why it is that so many on the other side of the Pond are so set against the idea . Then again, I don't understand how you put up with your entire political structure either, so that probably means it's another case of agreeing to disagree :lol:.

 

[Makalakumu]

The "bad" thing about Unions is that they really do represent a political structure that has the potential to mobilize large masses of people and affect real political change. Unions could, theoretically, shut down society if things got so bad that the working man couldn't get a break anymore. It's happened in the past. It's happened in other countries...and that is the real history of Unions in the Industrialized Age.

To learn more about the history of Labor in the United States, I recommend People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn. It's a book that will open your eyes to a time when real people, like just about everyone on this board, got sick of their lot in life. So they banded together forced society to change. The book is written from a Left point of view, but its well researched and I think anyone can learn a thing or two by reading it.

Regarding my long hyperbole filled post above, thinking back, the point I was driving at is simple. The Elite managers of our society are afraid of Unions. they are more afraid of Unions then the complete joke political parties that we have now. Unions represent a societal structure that basically gives ordinary people a chance to fight back if pushed too hard. Without Unions, there's nothing even close that has the potential to affect societal change on a mass level. Without Unions, I think the average person is a sitting duck and would have absolutely no way to stop whatever government tyranny the elite have in store for us.

Thus you see the constant chipping away of Union power. You see the infiltration of big money and corrupt elements and the collusion of union leadership with that of the Elite. You see the general apathy of the populace as they no longer understand that a "weekend" is not necessarily something that is entitled. It's not the people's fault. Not when the Elite owns all of the major textbook printers and basically controls education through its various foundations.

In my opinion, Unions are a canary in the coal mine. When they are gone, any vestige of freedom in our country disappears. If you don't think Unions are that powerful, I want you to consider what would happen if the NEA and the AFT, the two largest teachers unions in the country, collectively went on strike. We could bar the schools and SHUT THEM DOWN. Anybody with school age kids would no longer be able to work because they'd have no one to take care of their kids. Society would grind to a halt and Teachers would suddenly have the ear of the entire nation.

THAT is the kind of organizing power that unions have. The elite do not want the people to have that kind of power.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I live in NY. I don't have a choice on unions. If there's one in a place, -everyone- is a member, even those who don't want to be. No Union, No Work.

Doesn't seem fair to me. To be forced to join a political organization to work and earn money to support my family.

Seems like something you'd find in one of those nations that are anti-democracy, you know, a Socialist state.

Funny how unions are a major plank in most socialist party platforms.

I'm not a socialist, don't support it at all. Why would I support a socialist institution?

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't trust the Teamsters to lead the revolution against Big Government. I'd follow Bill Gates before I followed them.

I prefer to keep my right to contract, my right to set my own rate, etc, to myself, rather than be forced to give them over to a third party who may not follow my wishes or intents, as a condition for work.

 

[Tez3]

I live in a country that has a socialist government, belonging to a union is not compulsory. It's highly recommended though.
Not all unions are Socialist believe it or not, some lean towards the conservatives.
Not all unions are even political some are and sponsor MPs.

Bob, do you hate socialism or communism? to us here, they are two very different beasts.


Here, whenever negociating a pay rise or something to do with contracts, working conditions etc the unions have a vote on what the members want to do. Then they'll have a vote on whether to accept whats on offer. It's up to the union members what the union negociates.
All the rep/shop stewards and officials are voted in by the members too even the full time ones, no one is employed by the unions as a representative of the workers without the say so of the union members. The elections are run for the unions by the Electoral Reform Society who ensure the elections are fair and untampered with.
The motto united we stand, divided we fall has never been more true than about the unions here.