Joe Nuño: Job Security

Joe Nuno

Joe Nuño, FedEx Driver
Riverside, California

Dialogue 8: Job Security

Posted September 29, 2006

1. Do you feel secure in your job?  

As long as I keep working hard and watch every step I make, I feel like I’m going to be OK. Sometimes it’s a little tense, especially now that I’m trying to bring in the union. When people accuse me of doing it for myself, I remind them of the benefits we all will have as part of a union family. 

2. Can you recall a situation where you felt your job might be in jeopardy?

Yes – recently I was on a leave of absence while my license and security clearance were going through. This is the first time in a long time where I didn’t work, so I woke up some days wondering whether there would be a job for me when I got back. I don’t ever feel secure unless I’m working every day.

3. How has not being part of union company played a role in this?

A union worker has people to back them up. As a non-union company, we have to follow their ways or leave. Our voices mean nothing to them. A worker's voice means something in a union. In a non-union company, HR is supposed to be protecting us, though at times I feel they’re only protecting management.

4. What would you say to your friends and co-workers who feel their jobs might be in jeopardy?

I’d tell them that they have every right to join a union – under the National Labor Relations Act. No company can take that away from you. Even if they feel secure, I'd tell them to consider joining a union. Most of my co-workers don't feel secure in their jobs because they are either scared or feel they have nothing to rely upon.

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