I come from a family of union workers. Seriously. Your typical middle class union family. My dad was an electrician and worked for Caterpillar for many, many years. My oldest brother is a union carpenter and my other two brothers are union pipe fitters. Holidays consist of me and the other females in the family chatting amongst ourselves as the boys talk of all things union. I never really saw the draw of it. I mean, I understand the reason why unions were created. Many moons ago, working conditions were not what they are today and the unions served as a great voice for workers. And, sure, there may be some jobs that could still use the assistance of a union. But, for the most part, I think they're overrated. I believe advancement and raises within a job should be based on how well you perform your job. So, when I began a job that had a union, I stuck to the basics and decided to just be a "fair share" member. It didn't make sense to me to pay an extra $10 a month just to vote for things I really don't care about. Now, now...don't get flustered. I don't have to care. I didn't vote last year for President either. I just don't think many people running for any office are worth a damn. And, when you come right down to it, they are only looking out for themselves. Who doesn't? Which is fine.
That being said, I didn't base my choice to cross the picket line solely on the fact that I don't think the work I do necessitates a union. I did consider it. Highly. When word spread that those on strike would receive strike pay...$200 per week...I was all for it. After all, if you subtract the money that we spend on childcare, I would have been coming out ahead. But then I found out that because I was fair share, I wouldn't get that pay. So then I really got to thinking about it. Was it worth it to sign up to be a full share member? It didn't take me long to come to my conclusion. But even after I reached my decision, it still plagued mind for a while. And the more I thought about it, the more confident I felt in my decision.
Reason#1: Insurance
So, during a strike, you don't receive pay from your employer. You also don't retain your insurance benefits. Being that the insurance was one of the big draws for my job, my family uses those benefits. Want to know how good? Under the old contract, I paid a measly $50 a month for my entire family to have BCBS of Illinois PPO. Yeah. Good. And, it is one of the main things the union was/is fighting over. Obviously, insurance premiums are going up all across the friggin' country (kudos, Obama). So the fact that the County wanted to raise what we pay into that shouldn't have been a surprise. And, over time, they came down quite a bit. Last word was, they wanted to double what we paid. Ok. So...$100 a month instead of $50. I can dig. Because, seriously, if we chose to get insurance though my husband's work, it would quadruple. Ouch. I really couldn't argue with what the County was offering there. And as far as the strike goes, I wasn't about to give up having insurance for who knows how long when my entire family depends on it. It would be my luck that I'd go on strike and one of the kids would break an arm or burn their leg or knock out a tooth. No thanks.
Reason #2: Pay
As I stated in Day One, we have made some serious strides when it comes to finances. I'm not about to take two steps back. I heard people talking about how they need to call this place or that place to delay payment of bills or skip a month. Eff that. If I called, they'd be like, "oh, yeah, sure, let me file that under the 'send to collections' category." The union is fighting for raises for the County employees. The people at my work are the second lowest paid County employees. No, the pay isn't great. But it's money. And to be honest, they don't require a degree in rocket science to do it. Sure, we train for a good 6 months, but a high school diploma could probably get you in. Look around. There aren't many jobs out there. There really aren't many jobs that pay better. And to find better pay and benefits? Forget it. I'm not saying that there aren't intelligent people where I work. There are. There are also not. But again, good luck finding something that is going to pay you more.
Reason #3: Childish Games
Neither side is being very mature about it. But I think the union and the people representing it have acted more child-like than the County. Seriously. I expect it out of politicians. But the union that is supposed to be representing me? I scold my daughter for finger-pointing and placing blame on others. And I'm supposed to accept it from my union representatives? No thanks.
Reason #4: Religion?
Alright, you got me. I am not religious. But I believe in certain things. I believe in positive thinking. I prefer to see the best in the things that affect my life. So far, it's worked pretty well for me (see my last 2 posts from 2012). When I stopped focusing on all the bad things about my last job and focused on what could be, it...was. I also believe that what you project out is reflected back. So if I were to stand out on the street, complaining and yelling, full of anger and frustration, then that's what will be. I believe in gratitude. So, I am grateful for the job that I have. I enjoy the work that I do. And I hope that my tenacity pays off.
My goal in posting this is not to change anyone's mind about however they may feel about what I'm doing, unions, the County, or anything else. My goal was simply to explain where I'm coming from. I don't disrespect those who have decided to strike. Everyone has his/her own reasons. For some, the decrease in pay could severely hurt them. Others don't want the insurance to go up. There are even those who are simply the"lemmings," who are just doing it for the social aspect or to be accepted by their peers. It's not that I don't care what my peers think of me. Believe me, I do. Want to know a secret? I care a lot. But I care more about taking care of my family and doing what I believe is the best choice for me. And I hope that even if you don't agree with me' you can respect my decision.
Oh, and walking in the first day? It was a friggin' rush! Like the first drop at the top of a roller coaster. I pumped myself up with some sweet, sweet tunes on my drive in and listened to my iPod on the walk in.
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