Monday to Monday

I resigned from my well paying job last monday morning and went right back to work. After five days on administrative leave, I was ready to be in the field again. SEIU took over on a Tuesday and things were chaotic yet strangely calm. Not much to do, simply decisions to be made, and phone calls to answer. Lots of phone calls to answer. The trusteeship was expected by everyone involved, it was just a question as to when.

In fact, the prior two months were spent in a holding pattern. After a year of organizing endlessly on one emergency or another-- the international, the contract, anything in between-- it was strange to not be on a directive, not pushing some program in the facility. December we bargained, but both sides of the table knew it was futile. Everyone dancing the waiting dance, not about to be caught refusing to bargain, but not about to do anything significant.

I think it was January 28th. We all knew they were coming that week, so we were camping out in our facilities. I spent so much time there I almost slept there. It was early morning when I got a call from a 202 number. I was in a cafeteria having breakfast with some members. This, by the way, is one of my favorite traditions as a representative. Once a week I have breakfast with 5 Filipino men in the cafeteria. We all talk for a little, then sit quietly read the paper, occasionally talking shit on their manager or commenting on the state of the economy. They tolerate my little idiosyncrasies-- cussing loudly over breaking news, or dipping my sausage into a mini-tub of Kraft pancake syrup. After a half hour they go back into the kitchen, and I run off to talk to their coworkers in some other area of the hospital.

I didn't answer the 202 call. I had just talked to one of my friends who had answered her phone-- "The International just called me!! They told me not to report to work!! But I've been here for two hours already!"-- I was in the same boat. Under the trusteeship we knew we had to work our darndest to not be fired for insubordination-- no unemployment if we were fired for being insubordinate. So i let the 202 call go to voicemail.

As I listened to the message my appetite left me. It was a woman clearly reading from a script-- "Hello, this is so-and-so from SEIU. I'm calling to confirm that we sent you an email to tell you not to report to work today. SEIU-UHW has been placed in trusteeship based on the decision by Ray Marshall..." My members looked at me with curiosity as I tossed my food in the trash. I told them what happened and made sure they were ready to deal with whatever situation arose. My members are great, always ready, very self sufficient, on the whole. I got in my car and went home.

I was put on admin leave, indefinitely, with the rest of the UHW staff that wasn't immediately fired. I was called to a meeting with SEIU two days later.

It was an internal battle to decide to show up to this meeting. I knew that I was going to resign on Monday morning, February 2nd. Should I really put myself through whatever might happen at this meeting?

to be continued.