Most companies portray themselves as a "member" of the community, boasting of their community spirit on their website and listing their various philanthropic initiatives, hoping that the community sees the company as a positive force. As one of our companies states on their website, they are "proud to support causes that help to strengthen our communities and the lives of the people who live in them."

And yet, many of these same companies continue to outsource -- or threaten to further outsource -- good Union jobs with no thought to the impact such outsourcing has on the greater community. Since the 2004 contract with CUNA Mutual Group, our Union has lost over 600 members at that company alone, with people laid off and jobs moved out of state and overseas.

A study published in 2014 illustrates that outsourcing like that hurts local economies. This study focused on state and local governments but many of the lessons can be extended to the private sector with ease. For example, the study found that:

There are many factors that go into this. For jobs outsourced but kept within the community, the costs are often higher because, while money is saved on worker's wages, the savings gets eaten up by overhead and the need for those private companies to make profit on every transaction. For jobs kept "in house" but transferred to a different site, the hit on business continuity is often high, with customers having to go from highly trained Union personnel to lower-paid and inexperienced workers out of state. For jobs outsourced and offshored, the issues are usually those of productivity.  According to Forbes (generally no friend to Labor):

All of these moves hurt the community that the company proudly says it supports. Instead of paying workers in the community, that money is going out of state or out of the country. Fewer jobs means fewer people spending money in the community (including buying the company's own products!). The threat of outsourcing is also brought to the bargaining table as leverage to bring down the wages of the Union workers that are left, further diminishing the amount of money spent at businesses within the community.

For those who are laid off, the impact on the greater community may be lower taxes collected even while higher spending by the local government on things like food stamps, unemployment compensation, and other aid to struggling families. Money spent to support un- or under-employed workers may result in less spending on things like infrastructure, making it harder for the company itself to continue doing business in that community.

How ironic that when companies see a worker's salary as only an expense to be managed and minimized instead of an asset to the company and the community, those actions can result in damaging the very community that the company takes such pride in being a part of!

The idea that the Union and the companies we work for are at odds just isn't true. We are all on the same side when it comes to doing what we can to make sure our companies succeed. We work together to craft contracts that are fair and equitable. The Union supports the business because we all want the business to succeed.

I can't emphasize this enough: The contract isn't the "Union" contract. It is the contract that the company has with the Union. Together we created it. Together we've agreed to it. Together we will do all that we can to see that everyone adheres to the agreement. Your voice is part of the discussion because the Union is your voice.

But when companies use outsourcing there are many unintended consequences to both the community and the company. One of those consequences is described by Forbes magazine:

In response to the company's threat (imagined or implied) that all workers are expendable many of us feel great stress. We know that driving for Uber isn't going to provide health insurance and selling crafts on Etsy isn't going to provide a pension. So maybe we keep our heads down and our noses clean. We seek to please our managers, maybe by working through breaks or answering emails in the evenings or weekends.

And, especially if the manager is anti-Union, maybe that leads to a feeling that we have to "choose sides" when it comes to an issue that might involve the Union, as if the Union and the company are on different sides. Workers don't call in Stewards when facing discipline, they don't take advantage of all of the benefits won for them by the Union (including time off, breaks, etc), and I've even heard that some people don't want to come to Union Membership meetings because that would seem to be taking sides!

Sure, there are disagreements. Sometimes a company has one idea of what is in the best long-term interests of the business (such as short term profit over long term investment in a productive workforce) or they have interpreted the Contract in a way that the Union takes issue with. There isn't a need for any of us to have to "choose" our Company over our Union. We're part of both, and both parts are working for what is best for the company. Calling in the Union to be your voice in these matters is NOT taking sides, even if your manager doesn't like it! In this, we are all on the same side. Brian Fusie, manager of Employee and Labor Relations has stated that if a manager -- or any one -- engages in retaliation in any way the "penalty will be swift and severe."

We all want our companies to succeed and one very real way to do that is to make sure our Union succeeds. The voice of the worker has to be part of every consideration the company makes, for the benefit of the company and community.

Membership meetings are held the third Wednesday of the second month of the quarter, at 5:30 PM in the Union Office: 701 Watson Ave, Ste 102 in Madison.

This is your Union. Your participation gives us the tools we need to face the continued opposition of both companies and politicians. We strive to make the meetings relevant and to the point. Please  participate in the democracy that is your Union.