I never thought I'd see the day
I have worked at this Hospital for several years now. There is a gentleman who has been there longer. He is conservative christian family values anti union to the core.
The last couple of years he has stopped arguing politics (mainly because he never won an argument and he'd just resort to the here's the liberal!.) One was his strong anti-union stance. I challenged him to watch Harlan County, USA and then think about our history when children worked the mines and died in the mines.
I referenced the GOP plan to lower the minimum age to go into the workforce. I told Chris if the GOP had their way, his two boys would be in the coal mines again, in a company town making MINIMUM WAGE and with safety measures removed thanks to GOP serving big business profit-gobbling ideals.
I told him the GOP does not care whether he and his boys died tomorrow, they are expendable labor. I then added that the reason he makes the decent salary at the hospital is because of unions. He scoffed. I pointed out that without the hard sacrifices of unions, we would not have a 5 day work week, 40-hour week, paid holidays off and FMLA (Which he uses regularly) I told him I had worked jobs where you got vacation (unpaid) and no sick leave, no insurance except for L & I.
After 7 years of off and on arguments, he said today he has signed the card to join the union our department is trying to get to represent us. Wow, his eyes are opening. slowly.
He is tired of things in the department and looks at a union as a kind of insurance policy against our overbearing "Hands-on everything" manager.
He even thinks we need to have a closed shop! (He is paying attention)
There is hope for some Republicans!
= new reply since forum marked as read
YOU were instrumental in your colleague's awakening. Well done!
