Count on my, after 17 years in the industry I see all the changes and now we are at the point that I feal offended some time with this ridiculous low ball offers, the high cost on this day is killing us and this companies are taking advantage. Let my know when we start.
Id like to have a conversation with you about this topic. Maybe I can help.
Cindy Clarkâs Linked Profile
Cindy
Yep I think that would be a great idea
Hi Dustin,
Count me in! I would love to work on this project with you as I too am tired of not being able to feed my family because I am being cheated out of what is rightfully mine!
(CA) Looks like things are warming up to start a union. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Claims of unfairness, cheating, the rightful deserving of who knows what. By nightfall, there will be some who will show up outside the grange office with pitchforks and torches. âWeâll fix those dirty bast**ds!â, theyâll cry out. âWeâll UNIONIZEâ.
These folks either did not read all the reasons previously stated on this thread explaining why a union wouldnât work, or, they disbelieve it. No matter. The posts were well-intended and one can choose to accept the arguments therein, or not. No harm done either way.
It will be an interesting exercise to watch the unionization efforts of those who feel they canât make a living to feed their families as a notary. Indeed, I often wonder who made promises that the earnings of a notary would be enough to âfeed the familyâ. A few hard-working [and lucky] entrepreneurs have made a nice living as a notary. The vast majority accepted that being a notary is a part-time gig and were excited to supplement their household income in a fun and professional way.
As independent contractors, notaries can accept or decline any job offered to them and whatever pricing is proffered. If one doesnât like the fee structure, one can simply negotiate or not accept and move on. What demand can a notary make for more money? Try demanding and see if it works. Think a union demand will work? Title and escrow will suggest the demander go pound sand.
What leverage will a union have, anyway? Demands not met? - âletâs go on strike!â Sure, and let the non-union workers slurp up all the available work whilst the strikers hold out for another $10 per assignment? Yeah, thatâll work for sure.
In an environment where time is of the essence, even a work slow down wouldnât work. And, donât forget, the state government will undoubtedly intervene on any union job action because the reasonable and customary exercise of commercial business cannot be impaired. The general public has a right to complete itâs third party transactions in a fair and equitable, and timely manner as well. Think the state will allow disgruntled notaries to cramp the system by not performing their duties (as officers of the state, mind you) and causing homebuyers and home sellers to not complete their transactions on time? Better think again.
In the meantime, Iâll be out there, performing my notarial duties and collecting my negotiated fees with relish, knowing my colleagues are all tied up the in the red tape and futility of unionizing. May the Force be with you.
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You hit the nail right on the head,
Ok so a kiosk what happens when the internet, electricity is down. Now what? When you need a signing done that day? I doubt it will be that simple.
(CA) How often does your local ATM go offline??? If the kiosk isnât working, find another one or call a mobile notary or go to the UPS store. There will always be some around (like me).
Câmon dude, get creative.
Ever heard of internet banking??
Yes sir. Iâm very interested in creating a union. I would participate and like to discuss it. When can we get started?
(CA) OK, all the union advocates out there. Hereâs what Iâve found in my research regarding unionization:
The discouraging reality is that current labor law makes it all but impossible for workers (that is, in this case, independent notaries) to form or join unions. Even in the rare cases where workers do manage to start unions, these organizations are sharply limited in the representation that they can provide to workers.
Start with the fact that only about one in 10 non-union workers say they would know how to form a union if they wanted to. Thatâs understandable because the process is long, complicated and risky for rank-and-file workers like notaries.
Although employers (i.e., signing services, title/escrow/lenders) are legally barred from disciplining or firing workers involved in the union organizing process, many such employers will do so anyway, because the penalties are so low. In short, they simply wonât hire unionized notaries. Why should they? Nothing forces them to do so. And if workers [notaries] do manage to win union elections against these long odds, they still have to reach a first contract. Signing services, title companies, etc. will drag the process of entering into a union contract on for years until workers lose steam. (Imagine the demand for funding from notaries to pay legal expenses to unionize! Yikes!) Moreover, notaries simply lack union rights altogether; independent contractors like notaries in many states cannot collectively bargain with their employers. And price fixing laws pretty much eliminate any real bargaining power.
On top of these barriers to forming a union is the fact that current labor law makes it difficult, if not outright impossible, for unions to provide the services that workers say are most important, like having a voice when it comes to how work is to be performed, what the wages (that is, fees) will be (considering every state has rules and regulations on fee maximums) or even what benefits are available and requisite within the union contract. Unions can bargain with multiple employersâbut only if all those employers voluntarily agree to do so. It is entirely unlikely that any such employers (i.e., signing services, title/escrow/lenders) will agree to work together to bargain with the notaries over contract issues. And, do you really want the employers banding together to fight union demands? The employers could form their own âassociation(s)â and counter any [perceived] gains the union will afford. Battle lines will be drawn, you can count on it.
Lastly, and maybe most logical of all points is the inevitable elimination of notaries as we think of them today. As I have opined elsewhere on this forum, artificial intelligence and mechanical automation will overtake this industry in the next few years, The technology is already there. Look around you. Cars, and now big-rig trucks, drive themselves as an obvious example. How much longer will truck drivers be needed? Even the mighty Teamsters Union cannot stop that innovation forever.
Amazon, Apple, Google and most other high-tech, low-touch providers will introduce remote capabilities that will dwarf our industryâs latest gimmick, RON, as an example. âSo what?â, you say. Well, try establishing a union in the face of burgeoning technology that will soon eliminate your job as you know it today. Sorry, but that is reality, like it or not.
So, there you have it. I will say no more on this subject unless asked a specific question. Incidentally, I was once a union member and disliked it. In turn, most of my professional career was entrepreneurial and I was always independent and joyously able to set my own destiny and rely on my training, skills, ingenuity and perseverance to make my way in business. I saw union membership as an unwanted crutch. Unions have/had a place but our world is changing right before our very eyes. When did the last meaningful union come into existence? What did it really accomplish?
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Actually, we are commissioned (at least in every state Iâve ever heard of), we are not licensed. We are appointed as a public officer by the state (please feel free to correct me if Iâm wrongâŠlol)
HenceâŠ
âMy commission expiresâ.
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