Day One

Once upon a time, there was a girl who dreamt of having something more than just a job. She wanted to be able to prove that she was more than a silly cashier at a grocery store. She knew she had brains, and she wanted to use them. For five years she searched...and searched...and searched. There was, however, always something holding her back from reaching her goal of attaining a "better" job. It was the timing, it was the insurance benefits, the wages, the thought of having to hire a child care provider...there was always something holding her back. 

Then, one day, all those things seemed to vanish. It didn't matter anymore if they existed or not; she was ready. She was ready to begin a new adventure, no matter what. And so...

April 30, 2012 was my first day at my new job. I knew it was going to be a big change. It was difficult making the transition from part-time to full-time; leaving my two girls in the care of someone else was, at times, heartbreaking. I began to realize what having two full-time jobs was like. My work day wasn't over when I left the office; it continued until everyone was in bed and all the housework was done. I've learned to balance it over the past 18 months. Many days housework goes undone, which was difficult at first. There used to be days where I would wake up at 6 am, get ready, get the girls up, get them ready, drop them off at the babysitter's house, go to work, pick them up, come home, clean, clean, clean, make dinner, clean, clean, clean, get them ready for bed, and CRASH. Mind you, my husband was working nearly 12-hour shifts at the time. Needless to say, I was beyond stressed. Nowadays, I get done what needs to be done and enjoy the sometimes short time that I have with my loved ones. I am really, truly grateful for that time. 

My family has also made some strides financially as of late. We work hard. And, for some time, we were as thousands upon thousands of people all over the world who lived beyond their means. It became this vicious cycle of debt and collections and creating more debt to clear other debt. It was hard. It was stressful. I loathed paying bills, so sometimes I just wouldn't do it. It wasn't always because the money wasn't there either; sometimes I just didn't want to tell my husband that we only had $50 to last the rest of the week. Living paycheck to paycheck sucks. 

After years of threatening to let him take over paying the bills, my husband finally took a look at things. And we sat down (a few times...for several hours) and created a plan. Turns out, when we stop buying the UN-necessities, we are able to save quite a bit. And pay bills. On time. Without late charges. It is amazing what we have accomplished after taking the time to team up and agree on things. I, for one, am really happy with the progress we've made! Until you have been at the point we were/have been, you can't understand the pride that comes from getting your finances on track! 

So, back to this "new" job. I am a clerk at my County's courthouse. I didn't really have any expectations when I started. I just wanted out of my last job. At first, it was like learning a new language. If you know anything about me, you'd know that I L O V E learning. If I could, I would make a living out of learning. So yeah, I was happy about it. And I caught on pretty quick. After 6 months, I was moved to a new department...one that was a bit more difficult. I took on the challenge with ferocity. I was going to kill it! And I did. In the year that I've been in that department, I've learned the ins and outs of all but one Court call. So, I feel pretty confident in where I stand as an employee. 

A few months ago, talk began spreading about the possibility of our union going on strike. Weird, I thought, I didn't think we could go on strike. I didn't think too much of it. But as time went on, the union and County Board members had more and more bargaining negotiations and talk turned from possibly striking to when the strike would occur. All the while, management spent months preparing for the impending strike. I listened when my co-workers spoke of it. I heard the anger in their voices. I know they are standing for something that they believe in. 

November 18, 2013: Will County AFSCME Local 1028, day 1 of strike. 

The only problem with this? I'm standing on the other side. 

Yes, I am a (fair share) member of the union. 
Yes, I crossed that line.

No, I'm not sorry. 

Want to know why?  Tomorrow's post will give more of my background, personal feelings/issues which led me to cross, along with how it felt to cross that line (you might be surprised!).