It’s a problem of motivation, all right? Now if I work my ass off and Initech ships a few extra units, I don’t see another dime; so where’s the motivation?
Peter Gibbons, Office Space, 1999
If you have a bad quarter the bosses roll out office dehydrators
They actually keep you at your desk and make you pee in vitamin water bottles so you can get more screen time in.
Take the treat, thank the management and still fight for better wages and conditions. Its not either/or and if you think it is you’re a fucking idiot. You should ALWAYS be fighting for more.
Who are you talking to? No one is disagreeing with you, not to that degree for sure.
Its a mindset thing, it really ticks me off that I see this type of image on social media and at my own job all the time like its a either/or thing. Admittedly this one isnt as infuriating as most but still…
When they have a BBQ breakfast at my work. Between 60 people they spend $300 on bacon, eggs and sausages. It costs them $5 a head once a month and theres always 2 or 3 people spouting off about raises but these idiots arent in the union, they just complain about being given a free breakfast and do nothing to actually generate momentum towards better wages and conditions.
If my union came back from wage negotiations with $5 per month I would immediately quit the union and start looking for a new job. $5 a month is an INSULT of a raise, but a free lunch is still a free lunch. Take the free lunch, thank the boss for organising it and still fight for better conditions. This was given to you, you didnt have to fight for it so be grateful, but still fight for what you deserve.
Yea, I’m not that desperate, though. These worthless acts should be openly mocked for exactly what they are: management’s idea that we are stupid enough to actually be fooled by that shit.
It would be far more worth it to me to take the bottles and return them than give them any satisfaction and/or validation. They are worth so little to me that I don’t mind throwing them back and management should know that. These aren’t “treats”, they’re cheap replacements for significant moneyary compensation.
Free breakfast is certainly a little bigger than this, but it still doesn’t actually do anything to help anyone. It’s just another thing they can point to to pretend like they care while ignoring the only thing that will ever truly matter which is that they need to fucking pay us. I’ve had bosses before that pull that shit and then you ask for a raise that at least matches inflation and they try to tell you that “inflation doesn’t work that way.”
So if we’re talking “mindsets” I really don’t have much time for people that think shit like vitamin water instead of a bonus is a “treat” we need to be grateful for. I never did like the taste of boot.
Or work for a company that doesn’t pollute and kill its customers. This company is owned by Coke and it’s just sugar water with B-whatever added to it to make it “vitamin.”
Ok. So, I’m pro Union. I’ve spoken to Teamster Local 25 about coming into my ambulance company.
We can’t move forward unless I bring in 3-4 additional employees for a meeting. I do not know the context of that meeting.
I have asked around. Cannot corral 3+ employees to meet with that Union.
I guess that makes it a dead end.
I fully admit to being ignorant to laws surrounding union rules.
So, of course, I find it obscene and ridiculous that unions can’t hit the ground running the moment someone rings the bell.
From my understanding, unions require a vote from employees before being able to negotiate contracts with management. So if they want a few more people to come to a meeting, it’s probably because they need a sense of whether they’re gonna win that election and / or there is interest from more than a single employee.
Getting a union can be a long process, just to get to the bargaining table. Successful campaigns require a tireless dedication from at least one employee who wants to fight.
All worth it IMHO, and I’m heartened to hear about labor action for EMS staff. Best of luck in your efforts!