employment law, overtime

[Ned Bedinger]

McLauchlan, Kevin wrote:

> 
> Are any writers on this list.... gasp! ... unionized?
> How's that working out for you?


I sought a union once.  I had wearied of a certain manager's policies in 
assigning avalanches of TW work, and in using annual performance reviews 
(the gateway to annual bonuses and profit sharing) as "motivation" for 
us to accept the inevitable regular extra hours needed. Rather than 
leave the job, I hoped to influence management by finding union 
representation that could help bring about a more employee-friendly 
workplace.

What I found was the Screenwriter's Guild.  They offered collective 
bargaining and they apparently are willing to have tech writers as 
members, but they didn't seem to be very active in the sector I worked 
in.  So I didn't join, and for lack of effective advocacy in the 
workplace, then burned out on work, got laid off when the sector slid 
downhill, wasn't rehired when the company's fortunes changed, and my 
sense of professional dignity continues to exist only in the shadow 
world. Geez, are unions dead or something? How could my righteous work 
ethic lead me to that pathetic end?

Thanks for asking, it helps :-)


Ned Bedinger
doc at edwordsmith.com