cycle,
Signatory contractors (teams) hire and fire, not unions, that I’m aware of. The teams employees belong to what they call a pool of union members. When individual members break rules of conduct (by-laws) that are supposed to represent the entire membership equally and fairly, those members are typically fined and occasionally suspended, sometimes both. With these cheating players, the best way to punish them would be through their wallet, by heavy fines, which get donated to charities.
A productive union would then place members in the workplace, designated to represent the unions best interest and uphold the by-laws for all members, equally. In the players union, they have player reps, on each individual team. So consider that the Astros player reps watched the opposing team union members get cheated daily, for years, which did effect those opposing members livelihood. Those player reps either didn’t report the cheating, or the leadership they reported it to, swept it under the rug. The cheating got stopped by MLB, not the players union.
Union leadership should want feedback from the workplace. Every member in my union can walk in any district council, ask for a grievance form, and receive one immediately to fill out before you leave. I can file a grievance against the top dog, or the newest member, doesn’t matter who, but the grievance needs to be legit. Every member has this right, and every member knows they can be filed against, which gives the process credibility and keeps the membership marching united in the right direction, within the by-laws. What unions can’t have, is their membership running rampant for selfish reasons. The memberships beliefs and by-laws must come first, and that belief must come from the members hearts.
When I look at the cheating players, their player reps and the players leadership, I don’t see a united brotherhood. Evidently their union has different values than what I’m used to. The cheating members remind me of children who can’t tell themselves no, and make it stick, but that’s more of an adult quality.
sorry so long winded, the topic is dear to my heart.