I haven't been paying a great deal of attention to what's happening on the list lately. I've been feeling rather down and have been very busy in any case. There has been a strike by one of the bargaining units in my workplace, a strike that lasted 51 days. They have now reached a tentative agreement and are voting on ratification today. It is expected they will accept the new deal and will begin returning to work tomorrow.
I'm in management and, of course, not allowed to strike (thank God). All of my staff are members of this particular bargaining unit, as a result of which, they were officially on strike. Nevertheless a number of them chose to come to work. They were also *able* to come to work because in my building there was limited picketing. The building in which I work is private-sector-owned, but about 65% of the space is occupied by provincial gov't offices. In many locations, where the building is completely government offices, no on was able to get into work - at least, no one in that particular bargaining unit, which represents the majority of provincial gov't workers in this province. As a manager, I am supposed to be neutral and to support my staff regardless of whether they chose to be on strike and picket, be on strike and stay home, or come to work as usual. I have a great deal of difficulty understanding the union's firm position on "scabs" and its eagerness to punish those who chose to exercise their right to come to work, for whatever reason. In the last seven weeks, I have seen and heard things that were very disturbing. Stories of people receiving personal threats at the workplace or at home. Stories from managers I know who were redeployed during the strike to psychiatric hospitals and correctional facilities. Stories of inmates in prisons being locked down for seven weeks, without being allowed any time outdoors for exercise; of their not receiving their breakfast until 2 in the afternoon; of their being denied medications - including anti-psychotic drugs - until they were in a dangerous state. Of name-calling, spitting, and other horrible behaviours. I was on standby over the Easter weekend, to be redeployed to a psychiatric facility, should the need arise, for an undetermined period of time, probably to assist in meal preparation, cleaning and so on. As it turned out, I didn't need to go, but others I know did get sent out to the psych hospitals and the jails. Managers in the jails were virtually prisoners themselves, in these facilities 24/7 for the duration of the strike, not even allowed to go outside for a breath of fresh air. On on occasion, I had a union member literally in my face screaming at me about an issue she believed management was denying union members as their right. This was disturbing enough, but nothing compared to what so many others - on both sides - went through. These are people that work together and are going to be coming back into their workplaces - correctional officers, psychiatric nurses, cleaning staff, office staff. These are people who have more in common than most, and this was, when it comes right down to it, war. If a bunch of people who are supposed to work together and to share so much in common are so easily split into factions, I am not terribly surprised that people who share less in common, are so eager to hate one another. We like to think that we are rational and logical. We are not. Someone butts into line ahead of you at the bank or the store; someone cuts you off in traffic; some tough kid picks on your kid at school, and what happens? You get mad (probably). You want to fight back. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you can shake it off. Sometimes you swallow it, but it comes back to you later in another form. I like my staff and I'll be glad to see them all back tomorrow. I want to hug each and every one of them. I'm bringing them bagels and croissant and maybe some of Sharon's-recipe lemon bread tomorrow and I'm going to make coffee for them. I don't get it and maybe I never will. I wish people would just get along, but maybe that's not possible. There are times I think I should just slit my throat and get it over with. But not today. Everyone has an opinion about something but it's just an opinion. I don't think there is any one "right" way of thinking or acting, but there seems to be a multitude of wrong ways. Life is a minefield. Stepping stones? or sinking sand? Stepping stones on sinking sand? (It all comes down to Joni, and evidently, she kicked the maid; and Jesus lost it in the temple.) ______________________________________________________________________ Games, Movies, Music & Sports! http://entertainment.yahoo.ca
