My union local gave 72-hour strike notice this afternoon, so I could be out on the picket line as early as 4pm on Monday. It makes my tummy hurt with worry to be in this sort of position, but I also don't think it's right to take whatever the City decides to pay (less than inflation, I mention again, with a proposed cut to pay in the last few months of the weird 39-month contract that would nullify the previous year's increase) without getting something in return. That's what collective bargaining is: give and take to make everyone sort of happy.
There are over 600 managers in the City that work outside the unions and who will essentially be keeping operations going as much as they can. Since they don't seem to do much other than hold meetings with each other, it's really hard to see how they can do anything during the city shutdown. There is very little chance anything will be settled this summer.
In short: I am poor in the short- to medium-term, so welcome invitations to free/cheap things for distracting amusement. This includes bike rides, beach visits, the Art Gallery (since I have a membership to that), and the like.
Maybe I can finally catch up on all my stupid homework for the classes I'm doing this summer. I really don't like the one class very much, only because there isn't enough time to absorb all the information she's throwing at us. The other one requires a bunch of reading, and that would also be easier to do with more time. I wonder how hard it would be to read while walking the line...
Is that what Johnny Cash sang about? Maybe I should listen to the words instead of just the music. I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about unions. That'd be Woody Guthrie.
Tonight I will commiserate with a few co-workers and classmates. And will try to pretend for the remainder of the weekend that everything will be OK.
Currently reading :
Perfect from Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life
By John Sellers
Release date: 06 March, 2007
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