# Merit shop Vs. Open shop



## calimurray (Apr 29, 2007)

My question is what is the difference between a merit shop and a open shop?

I think i work for an open shop where the pay is okay but something better could be right around the corner if you know what I mean.

Well anyway I recieved a call yesterday from a merit shop looking to interview with me. I looked at there website they seem to alot of industrial and commercial work, which around my neck of the woods seems only union contractors tackle. This shop seems to get pass the union picket lines, why and how? Is a merit shop the closest you'll get to union benefits. Or is a merit shop just another name for a non union shop?


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

I know what an "open shop" is, but I've never heard of a "merit shop." I guess I'd have to ask them.

The opposite of "open shop" was always a "closed shop" when it mattered to me.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

calimurray said:


> My question is what is the difference between a merit shop and a open shop?
> 
> I think i work for an open shop where the pay is okay but something better could be right around the corner if you know what I mean.
> 
> Well anyway I recieved a call yesterday from a merit shop looking to interview with me. I looked at there website they seem to alot of industrial and commercial work, which around my neck of the woods seems only union contractors tackle. This shop seems to get pass the union picket lines, why and how? Is a merit shop the closest you'll get to union benefits. Or is a merit shop just another name for a non union shop?


There is no law that says you cannot cross a picket line. That is a decision you and you alone must make. 

A merit shop is a nonunion shop that claims to pay based on one's "merit." The problem is (from an employee's standpoint) that it is the boss who determines how much you "merit."


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## waco (Dec 10, 2007)

Glad to have an answer for that one. Thanks.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

Merit Shop=Open Shop=Non-union


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## calimurray (Apr 29, 2007)

I have an oppurtunity to go work for a merit shop I was merely asking if anyone knew the philospy behind the merit shop belief system.

Maybe I'll have to wait until I go to the interview and let them explain what it is. Which all i was trying to do was get a heads up. Oh well thanks for any comments.


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## randomkiller (Sep 28, 2007)

I work for a Union shop that has operated more like a merit shop in the handling of workers knowledge and abilities since it's start. We were taken over by a large company and they haven't changed any of that, yet. I went to a meeting last night with other parts of our company (aquired small shops), and guys that are new are not as fond of the new owners, most only get Union required scale and benes. I guess they couldn't take away what we already had, and I think my old boss upped the anty with some guys before the take over. I had a year in 
before the take over and get several dollars an hour over scale, fulltime (no gps) truck use, 5 sick / personal days, and a week's company paid vacation.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

calimurray said:


> I have an oppurtunity to go work for a merit shop I was merely asking if anyone knew the philospy behind the merit shop belief system.
> 
> Maybe I'll have to wait until I go to the interview and let them explain what it is. Which all i was trying to do was get a heads up. Oh well thanks for any comments.


Just Google "Merit Shop" there's plenty of links to their stated philosophy.


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## calimurray (Apr 29, 2007)

*ABC Definition of Merit Shop*

Merit Shop Philosophy

The merit shop is a force for economy and efficiency in construction, regardless of labor affiliation. The merit shop is union and open shop firms working side-by-side, free of interference, providing on-time, on-budget construction with safety, quality and cost effectiveness as our goal. 

Preservation of Freedom

Upholding Merit Shop principles is very difficult for many contractors. Some firms accept the line of least resistance and decide to follow the union road accepting, in reality, the closed shop. They accept the advantages - a hiring hall to supply workers and preferential treatment on certain job sites. At the same time, they accept the disadvantages - union bickering, strikes, political intrigue and other problems that come wrapped within the organization package. 

Other firms will follow the non-union road, having no relations with union men or union firms if they can prevent it. This, too, has both advantages and disadvantages. Such firms compete in an open marketplace, but lose the use of hiring hall manpower sources. They remain "independent" only with the continuing consent of their own employees. They have to face up to the problems of a mobile "free labor market." 
Right to Choose

Because the phrase Merit Shop might mean different things to different people, to clear up any misconceptions, we are presenting here the origin of the term as it is used by the Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc. 

Organized originally to support the open shop, ABC asserted as its chief purpose, the creation of a climate where union and independent firms could work together in harmony. 
As ABC was invited into heavily unionized areas, we found the "open shop" connoted "anti-union" and, therefore, the phrase caused the merit of this harmonious method of working to be lost because of semantics. Therefore, ABC developed the phrase Merit Shop. Many people do not understand that Merit Shop is a business way of life for both employers and employees. It means the preservation of the individual worker's freedom to choose whether he wants to be a union member or not. It means that union and independent contractors should be protected in their right to do business with each other, regardless of their firm's relations. In bidding, it means that the job goes to the lowest responsible bidder - whether the firm is union or independent. 

Taken off of www.abcflorida.com


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