"release time" (or why unions suck #47)

[dead0man]

I just learned about this crap.  So, some people work for the union, not for the govt (some full time ifyoucanbelieveit), but get paid by the govt.  WTF is this nonsense?  How have I never heard of it?

[Statilius the Epicurean]

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[dead0man]

and?  Does that make this horrible practice any less horrible?

[Fight for Trump]

Stewards performing union work at the company's expense is standard practice with private sector unions, too, although usually only a few hours a week for administrative tasks. During the peak of union negotiations or training, they may work a week or two full-time, too. Unions basically cannot function without this.

Most governments have multiple unions representing their employees - one for outside staff, one for administrative staff, one for each type of uniformed staff, one for tradespeople, and perhaps one for middle management. It may be "inefficient" from a business perspective, but they are different groups with different interests, and they all need their own time to conduct their business.

However, one of the reasons many rank-and-file union members are dissatisfied with their unions is that a relatively few number of lazy stewards tend to take all the union time for themselves, so instead of a healthy system where stewards are just regular members who spend a few hours a month representing their union brothers and sisters, you end up with a small, unrepresentative clique of activists who basically hold patronage positions.