Day 7

[wook77]

So it looks like that, effective 6pm Friday, November 13th, I will be losing my second job. The local union has decided to call for a strike. It looks like a "lockout" strike rather than a traditional strike where any employee can cross the picket line.

A "lockout" means that every hourly employee, regardless of union affiliation, loses their jobs. That means that I cannot reapply for my job as a temporary worker. It means that I lose my insurance in December. It means that I'm stuck without that income. It means, for all intents and purposes, I'm fucked.

I'm trying not to cry about it because that isn't going to solve anything. I'm more just pissed right the fuck off. The entire sticking point between the union and Fry's boils down to: new hire employees will be asked to pay $5/$10/$15 (depending on level of coverage: employee/spouse/family) weekly. I'm losing my job over someone having to put in 20 bucks a month for health insurance that happens to be one of the best plans if not the best plan in the market.

Srsly? I'm losing hundreds of dollars a week, I'm losing health insurance, I'm losing out on all sorts of shit because someone's going to have to put in 20 bucks a month? Really? Way to fuck over the employees, UFCW 99. That totes makes me want to say "go union".

The people supporting the strike are also the very same people that think that the Public Option plan has death camps and will ration care (like you cutting off my insurance doesn't ration my care, you fucks). These same people want to take away part of John Flora's (the president of Fry's) salary and redistribute it to the front line staff but also think that communism is bad and ebil and Obama is an ebil Commie Pinko Bastard. What do they really think that redistribution of wealth is? Fuckers. Ignorant motherfuckers.

I have no idea how I'm going to make my bills or what I'm going to do about the surgery I have scheduled in January. I have to have this fucking surgery and I've already lost out of having it once because Fry's cancelled my insurance and didn't re-enroll me at the correct time. I just don't know what I'm going to do if I lose this job.

Comments

[waxbean.livejournal.com]

I don't really have anything useful to say, Wook -- just that you're in my thoughts. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the strike is canceled. xoM

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks <3 I'm really hoping so, as well. There's a rally at the union offices tomorrow that we're all going to try to get to. We're going to demand a vote so that the union will at least listen to their members that none of them want to strike.

[mindabbles.livejournal.com]

Oh god, I am so, so sorry. How incredibly stressful. I hate that the purpose of unions seems to have been so lost in some places. This is not what the labor movement was supposed to be about. I'm sorry.

[snegurochka_lee]

THIS, exactly. How on earth a union can justify doing this to its workers is appalling. I'm so sorry, wook. :(

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks. IDEK what the fuck they're on about other than blind posturing. The union isn't even CONSIDERING the deal that Fry's just offered. They're just going to strike and the Fry's employees are left scrambling. They're fucking over the employees that they're supposed to be protecting.

I ran in to work to pick up potatoes (not hte important part of the story :P) and got caught by a reporter talking to a coworker that's going to lose her house and the insurance for her kids when this strike happens and so I guess I'm getting quoted in the paper with something similar to:

I'm a big supporter of organizing labor for the betterment of all but this isn't organizing labor. This is posturing and powerplays that end up punishing the workers when the union should be the one working for us.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah, exactly. This union is all about protecting the worst members of the workforce and then pulling this sort of shit. There was one guy that was driving a forklift drunk in the back and had a big ole accident and got to keep his job because the union successfully argued his termination case. They also defended a guy that tried to beat up another employee. Then they defend the lazy motherfuckers who just don't do a damned thing.

But they don't fight for the lady in the meat department that keeps getting fucked with FMLA to take care of her husband that has cancer. They say there's nothing they can do for he to ensure fairness of FMLA. They also don't help the lady that got screwed on her vacation time so she lost her insurance AND two weeks worth of pay.

Obviously there's a reason I'm anti-THIS union. I believe in organized labor but not when it's acting like this over petty bullshit.

[kerryblaze.livejournal.com]

Grrrr.... I'm annoyed and angry on your behalf!

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm really trying not to cry over it and maintain that annoyed angry thing. So it helps that you're there, too :D

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

I know a lot of deals get done at the eleventh hour, so to speak, in situations like this, so don't give up hope that something will get done. In the meantime, start looking for something else, just as a precautionary measure. Good luck, sweetie.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

That's what we're hoping. There's a rally at the offices tomorrow which should hopefully help. Especially considering that the union isn't taking phone calls, or responding to emails/mail from employees that are anti-strike.

We're all looking for new jobs but, unfortunately, the hiring situation is ridiculous down here. There are 5k applications for the positions that we're going to be forced out of just at my store (about 250 positions) so that'll tell you how much the unemployment situation really really sucks down here.

[emiime.livejournal.com]

Oh my God.

What is wrong with people. This seriously made me tear up, I'm so fucking angry on your behalf and on the behalf of all the uninsured (uh, including myself and Gregor, I guess, but that wasn't my initial thought) and underinsured workers being affected by assholishness and stupidity.

I just. I'm so sorry.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

The tearing up thing keeps happening here, too so <3<3<3 for the support. I can get shitty insurance through my main employer but that doesn't kick in until I get 5k in health costs and then they'll pick up the rest of the tab. My surgery is over 20k so I'll get that 5k mark but, still, who the fuck has 5k just sitting around?

Do you get insurance eventually through your new employers? It's so fucking scary not to have insurance.

[emiime.livejournal.com]

Jesus, no kidding. This is the issue that's been getting me angrier than anything else lately, because it's so goddamn personal and people who are against nationalized healthcare have no fucking clue what they are doing to people like you and me.

Catastrophic only. Which is pretty fucking useless, really.

[red_squared]

*squishes tight*

That fucking sucks. I'm so sorry, lovely :(

[wook77.livejournal.com]

*clings*

Thanks. It really does but we're working to try to get the situation to improve. There's now a rally planned for Monday at the union offices since they're not taking phone calls or emails in support of not-striking.

[ciel-vert.livejournal.com]

*massive hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

*clings HARD*

[lilyrose-fic.livejournal.com]

That's really fucking awful. More and more I find myself being totally disgusted over the behavior of unions, to be honest.

I am so sorry. I wish I could say something that would make it better.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Me too. I think they've lost contact with their original mission to make things better for the workers rather than themselves. The union president makes over 250k a year and argues about taking away Jon Flora's salary. Well, dude, you're making about 100x what the top hourly employees are making so fuck off and DIAF.

It's ok, being there helps!

[syredronning.livejournal.com]

:(((( This is hypermegacrap and I wish I could help.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

It's all right, knowing that you're caring is enough! We're trying to make the union listen to us about not wanting to strike. We're going to have a rally and stuff so we're working through it. We were all just so numb yesterday when we heard the news.

[drusillas-rain.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry - I hope things somehow work out :(

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Thanks. We're starting to organize and get a rally going to tell the union that we don't want to strike. Hopefully they listen to us.

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry, hon. *hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

*clings*

We're working through it but we were all rather numb and hurt and angry and upset.

[fiona-fawkes.livejournal.com]

Well fuck. *hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

inorite?! Fuckers. *clings*

[maple-mahogany.livejournal.com]

That's awful! I'm so sorry!

There is a really valid and good reason for unions to exist. Then sometimes some union reps come along fuck everything up. :(

[wook77.livejournal.com]

<3<3<3 Thanks!

Yeah, there really are amazing reasons for unions but this one seems to do its best to kill any and all support they might have had. They fight for the guy who wrecked the forklift while driving drunk but don't help out the woman being denied FMLA to take care of her husband with cancer. They keep picking the wrong battles. They'll fight for the dude who tried to beat the shit out of another coworker but won't fight for the lady that lost her health benefits when she got fucked out of vacation time. They'll fight for teh lazy sod that doesn't do a fucking thing but smoke outside but they won't fight for the dude who can't get his department head to abide by the seniority rules and, thus, loses out on hours all the time.

I just really do NOT like this union. At all.

[lurkitty.livejournal.com]

*Big hugs* I'm hoping and praying this situation works itself out before it comes to losing your job. I know how helpless a feeling it is to have no job, no money and no insurance, and then get severely ill. This just sucks.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

We're hoping that the union will listen to us when we have a rally tomorrow.

The worst part is that I'll still be employed but still not having enough money. They couldn't have waited until April when I won't need this job anymore.

<3<3<3 I'm just glad you have a job again. So much stress and emotional angst and stuff goes along with being unemployed. It totally fucking sucks to watch someone go through it so I can only imagine what it's like to actually go through it.

[coffeejunkii.livejournal.com]

wow, i didn't even know that was possible. how can the union influence whether or not you have a job? they're not the employer! that's really insane.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah because we're under a contract that states the terms and conditions of what the company can pay us, etc. The union is sort of like your parents talking to the school when you were a kid. So it can call you in sick regardless of whether you want to go to school or not. (bad analogy, sorry)

[dark0feenix.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry, hon. *hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

*clings* Hopefully the union listens tomorrow at the rally.

[midnitemaraud-r.livejournal.com]

*HUGS* I'm sorry sweetie.

Fuckers! Write a letter. To the union, to the local newspaper, congress, the White House, whatever. I don't know if it'll help - probably not in the scheme of things - but it might make you feel better to vent, and you can school the bastards while you're at it about what hypocritical fucktards they are.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, we're totally doing that. We called the newspapers and the news stations around here that there's going to be a rally tomorrow at the union headquarters. I'm also getting quoted in the paper here tomorrow because I went to pick up potatoes and ended up talking to a newspaper dude about the strike. A coworker told him about she's going to lose her brand new house and the insurance for her kids if the union does a lockout because she's not union and they won't cover her insurance. I think we really represented ourselves well.

We're also all over the newsboards of the local papers telling people that we don't want to strike when they start in on the whole "fry's workers are lazy and dumb for wanting to strike right now" because, dude, we don't want it.

[shabzilla.livejournal.com]

Ugh I don't understand how people consider this $20 (or less!) extra a month as such a bad thing. But I guess change is always met with resistance. :(

Sorry you have to go through all this, but I hope it works out hun. *hugs*

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah, sorry but 20-60 bucks a month depending on the whole single versus family thing is completely reasonable. My mum has the same insurance through the government and she pays 250 bucks a month for a single plan. Fry's pays 750 bucks a month for the singleplan insurance. I think putting in 20 bucks a month is reasonable.

I think it boils down to a case of a dick-comparison contest between the union and fry's/safeway's management. Right now, Fry's/Safeway management seems to actually fucking care about what the employees want.

We're planning a rally tomorrow so hopefully that goes off well. Just so much stress, yanno?

[midnight-birth.livejournal.com]

I'm really sorry to hear that. That sounds awful. I can't even begin to understand how unions could do stuff like that to their workers, and how people, in general, could be so stupid. :(

I'm a left-wing fascist, I guess you could say, so I guess I don't need to tell you my beliefs about the necessary ways to deal with "strikes" like this and the people who are responsible for them.

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I just don't get the whole posturing thing. It's freaking ridiculous.

[starlitshore.livejournal.com]

D: Wook, I'm so sorry. God, I hate strikes and unions that think they're "dong what's best for everyone" or, probably more accurately, are just in it for themselves. I'd help, but I have about $500 to my name. I really hope things work out for you. Is there anything else near you that you can quickly pick up?

Alternatively, you could go the Weeds route. I hear it's a lucrative business. ;)

♥

[wook77.livejournal.com]

Exactly! they'rerreally just concerned with not looking like pushovers or something. This union is awful. I know there are a lot of fantastic unions out there but this one is awful.

Don't worry about it, my mum and dad are going to help me out with the fundage. The health insurance is another ball of wax but I'll figure something out.

AND LOL@ WEEDS ROUTE! OMG LOL<3<3<3 Thanks for the laugh, I totally and completely needed it!

[starlitshore.livejournal.com]

YAY FOR PARENTS! *\o/*

:D I'm glad I could make you laugh! <3

[shygryf.livejournal.com]

*hugs*