I’m bushed. I’m on the sofa, my feet are up on a table and I’m bushed. I’m home from a day of negotiating.
At work, I am represented by a union. For over twenty years I have been part of the union’s negotiating committee. The members of the committee have changed over time. Currently, there are three of us, plus a union rep from Boston.
The company sends an outside labor attorney and a high level company manager. I’ve been sitting opposite the attorney for at least ten years.
Obviously, I can’t (and won’t) talk about what’s going on, except to say I like having the members negotiate. We have an obligation both to the members as employees and to make sure we’re working at a thriving business.
Everything the members get, the company has given up. Everything the company gets, the members have given up. That’s the difficulty.
We meet again tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we’ll reach agreement and be done with it for a few more years. I can’t take too many days like this.
I wish unions didn’t have such a bad rep, because they really can accomplish good things without being too restrictive and costly. And, if they had a better rep, I wouldn’t have to explain my involvement to friends.