Skip to main content

Time to write the obituary on the union entitlement mindset

Date Posted: January 25 2008

A dirty little secret? Hardly. More like a tattoo on our forehead that everyone can see easily but us.

Union Entitlement Mentality is killing us in the marketplace. Union Entitlement Mentality is slowing production, retarding change and eroding work ethic. It is a highly paid welfare program for some of the blue collar union members across all crafts in the U.S. and Canada.

I would define it as a belief that union affiliation automatically comes with considerations and entitlements that do not correlate to personal output, work ethic or contribution.

Union entitlement and the apprentices. Every day we strive to instill a value system into tens of thousands of young men and women; and to remind them that their future opportunity hangs in the balance. We have a very limited window of time to influence them.

On the other hand, the vast majority of their time is on the jobsite with all kinds of peers who exhibit varying degrees of commitment. This is not to say that the majority they are exposed to are problematic; just the opposite.

However, when an apprentice sees an individual not contributing and perhaps detracting from the team effort, being paid the same as other workers, and the union and contractor standing by and doing nothing… that is a message we can ill afford to continue.

Having made presentations to tens of thousands of rank and file members this past year, I can tell you that our apprentices are having a very difficult time standing up for themselves on the jobsite. They see the old-school Entitlement Culture and want no part of it, but do not know how to address it without conflict. The "don't rock the boat" factor kicks in and they passively accept what they do not agree with.

Both labor and management need to be pro-active in assisting and supporting them as they develop their initial workplace value system. Codes of Excellence and Conduct as they are being implemented across North America are a great start, but they only form a framework for behavior and values; the rest is always up to the individual.

The demise of union entitlement. Many union leaders and business managers are afraid to take on this sacred cow. It can be a real political hot potato. But from the feedback I am getting, vast numbers of the quiet rank and file members are waiting for their leaders to take it on at a local level and stand up FOR THEM. Just because they are quiet does not mean they don't care.

On the other hand the contractors need to hitch up their pants and stop whining. You hear them moan about the quality of the workforce and lack of work ethic - but how many will terminate a bad apple vs. lay-off, and send them back to the hall and into the same system that perpetuates support of a marginal personal effort.

Bottom line, it is a team-based solution. Political courage on the part of the union leadership and pro-active filtering on the part of the contractors.

In summary, the Union Entitlement Mentality has evolved in a vacuum. When you don't clearly define who and what you want as your final outcome, those with the most dominant personalities or opinions will generally fill the void. And often it is those with the my-ticket-is-punched entitlement mentality.

It is time they read their obituary. Union Entitlement is Dead. Long live responsibility, self-pride and work ethic.

Mark Breslin is a trainer and author specializing in labor-management challenges and solutions. He is the author of the recently published Attitudes and Behaviors: Survival of the Fittest curriculum for apprentice training centers. The curriculum is now being used by union training centers, and has been established as standard course programming by other International Unions and apprenticeship programs. Instructional material including books, CDs, workbooks, instructor guides and support media information is available at www.breslin.biz.