Call to Action

It's taken time for me to determine what is important to me and the direction that I want my life and career to go. I've always felt passionately about advocating for others and working within the human services in some capacity. It wasn't until I began working in an agency that was organized that I began to feel a real passion for a specific type of advocacy work.

In the course of the last three and a half years, I've learned a great deal about the Labor movement and have become more and more involved in actions and shop organization. I went from being someone who didn't have a strong knowledge base of the Labor movement to a rank and file member to a shop steward and may now be transitioning into a Chief shop steward position. Every day, I've been developing more and more ideas and action plans for mobilizing our unit and cannot wait to continue to work on this cause and within this movement.

There are frequent misconceptions about union workers and the purpose behind unions. I often hear people refer to union workers as lazy people who want too much compensation and benefits and don't want to work their fair share. A common argument is non-Union workers do not make that much and do not have pensions, so why should Union workers? There is ever increase Right to Work legislation in almost every state in the union trying to limit the bargaining rights of union workers.

Union workers are not lazy; they don't want an exorbenant amount of compensation; and they certainly do their fair share of work. Right to Work legislation is actually Right to Work for Less. The question shouldn't be: why should Union workers get paid at the rate they do or have pensions? The question should be: why don't ALL workers get paid fair wages, have better benefit packages, and appropriate work conditions.

Unions are advocating for not only the benefits union workers deserve, but the compensation, benefits, and work conditions that every worker in the United States deserves. Current legislative proposals are not only an attack on union members, but on the middle class itself. If one evaluates the economic seperations within the United States, it is clear that the majority of the nation's wealth is within the upper 20%. Not only that, but if we break it down further, the upper 1% holds the majority of the wealth. Those not in the upper class are left with 30% of the nation's wealth. What we do is fight among each other for that 30% rather than fighting for our fair portion of the 70%.

I encourage everyone to question why the middle class is diminishing? Why are the tax burdens put on the middle class and the working poor? Why are corporations not paying their fair share of taxes? Why are tax credits still given when it is clear the "trickle down" system has not and will not work to improve our current economic climate?

This is a time for people to work together to change a flawed system. I encourage everyone to look not only at the federal system and legislation, but to evaluate proposals at the State system as well. In the state of Pennsylvania, the governor released his budget proposal that would cause significant cuts to human services and education. In education alone, he has proposed a 54% reduction in funding to higher eduction and a 50% reduction to funding for public education. He has proposed a school voucher program that could be the first step towards attempting to privitize the public education system. He continues to fight against taxing the corporations who are extracting natural gas from the Marcellus Shale. Closing the Delaware loophole, a method used by corporations to avoid paying taxes to Pennslvania, isn't even considered.

Often what often occurs when the economic status of the United States and individual states is in jeopardy is social services funding and programs are cut. Times when more people are experiencing personal economic hardship and increased unemployment are times when these services are needed even more, but are required to figure out how to do more with less. Yes, a spending cut should be considered; however, methods to generate revenue are equally important. The amount of revenue that could be generated in the state of Pennsylvania by taxing the corporations appropriately in the Marcellus Shale region, closing the Delaware loophole, and taxing smokeless tobacco products would fill the current budget deficit and place Pennsylvania in a better economic position.

The issues are not Union and non-Union. It's not Democrat vs Republican. It's about the direction our states and county will be going. I want a better quality of life for my children and for all the generations of the future. We need to begin to critically think about resolutions to the budget and the national and state deficits. I encourage everyone to write to their representatives, attend rallies and lobby days, and vote in every election, including the primaries. Primaries will be on Tuesday May 17th!!! Please get out there and use your voice!!!!

The first

Well, this is a first. I've never done anything like this before and I'm not sure how it will be but I'll give it a go. I'm having a bit of trouble sleeping tonight. My mind keeps going. I'm currently on leave from work due to a minor surgery, so I have a lot of time on my hands. I'm not used to this and have been struggling a bit with what to do with myself. The first few days were a blur of pain meds and sleep. I couldn't focus, so I didn't get much accomplished except for sleep. Now I'm feeling a bit better, although I'm still restricted from work and normal activity.


So today, I felt like I needed to do something. I've downloaded my textbook for my first summer course, but am not feeling much motivation. There's only a two week break, so I'd rather not spend that reading up for my summer course. I did some research and created some forms for my Union shop, but lost focus rather quickly. So I decided to start reading The Five Minds of the Future by Howard Gardner.


I've read Gardner's Multiple Intelligences years ago and enjoy his theory and writing style. His discussion in the Five Minds of the Future is focused on the minds that he feels people and societies need to develop and encourag in order for people to function in the society of the future. Although I haven't gotten far, he focuses on including cultural competance, citing an increased ease in connecting with others from across the globe (blogging is a perfect example). I've very interested to get further into the meat, so to speak, of his discussion.


Regardless, his writing style includes using relative examples to further illustrate his points. One of his examples in regards to his proposed "disciplined mind" revolved around a member of a work force moving into a management position and attempting to maintain his previous friendships with workers in the company. Ultimately, the new manager realizes he cannot maintain these friendships in the same regards and moves away from those friends.


This is where we get to why my mind won't stop going tonight. This example struck a chord in me because it recently occurred at my work. I had a friend I cared about deeply recently move from being a co-worker to a member of middle mangement. Without going into the dirty details of everything that has happened in the two months since this move occurred, I'll say that he has turned his back on people who have supported him through life and career challenges, people who had his back no matter what. These people he has turned from are some of the most intelligent, supportive and loyal friends someone could ask for. I know because they are my friends as well. Our group cares not only about ourselves and each other, but about people and the world in general.


Despite reading Gardner's example and explanation on discipline, I'm struggling to understand how someone can do that to people they at one time had called friends. This is what has kept my mind spinning tonight when I should be sleeping. How can someone turn their back on others who have been there for them and care about them? How can someone choose to turn their back on a cause they defended to argue from the other side? Why do I care when others seem to be able to quickly abandon people and things they at one time identified as important? And why does moving along on your career path need to change other areas of your life?


I've thought about a number of ways of approaching this person. I could go into his office, shut his door, and scream at him, like I promised him I would do if he sold out. I could confront him appropriately and talk with him about it. I could do nothing and move forward seeing this as a learning opportunity.

Where I'm at now, I believe I will not waste my time and energy confronting him, but use this opportunity to develop a better understanding of people and relationship dynamics. I will use this opportunity to learn to develop better boundaries and to trust my instincts. I will use this opportunity to not become jaded and guarded, but to motivate and encourage loyalty and change within myself and others.


I find myself asking what is my definition of success? To me, success is remembering who I am regardless of where my life takes me and continuing to support, encourage, and challenge those I care about and remind them to do the same for me.