Ten Reasons To Picket With A Positive Attitude

1) "Without unions, you wouldn't have labor laws in the first place. The right is the right to collective bargaining, not a right to a good deal. But dismantle collective bargaining rights, and you have no opposing structure to protect - even minimally - against exploitation." -- Cameron Skeene

2) Unions developed as a way for workers to join forces against the inequality of bargaining power that exists between an individual worker and an employer. When an employer is dealing with one employee, the balance of power is with the employer. When the employer is dealing with an organization that represents all employees, there is less power imbalance. In other words, there is strength in numbers.

3) The strike mandates were obtained through a democratic process. Not everyone voted in favour of a strike but an impressive percentage of members did, and these members represent a variety of different unions and job descriptions. We are not alone ; we are part of a common front. Nobody wants to strike. Quite the contrary. This strike is a last resort, the result of months of frustration over the government's refusal to negotiate a new collective agreement in good faith. It is a legal strike and essential services will be provided.

4) If you can't make the cause about you, then make it about someone else, perhaps a devoted teacher you know or admire, a child with special needs who is struggling, a vulnerable client without an advocate who is on an endless waiting list.

5) I am exhausted after 30 years working in public health. And yet my colleagues with only a few years experience are showing the same signs of wear and tear. It takes a lot more energy to do the job than when I started years ago. Clients are older, more frail, and resources are more limited than ever before. I could choose to coast until my retirement but what about the people I leave behind? Will health issues force my younger colleagues to leave the system? Or will they stay, depleted and jaded, until they drop? I am standing up for all of you, even though I am tired too. The system is broken but I refuse to give up on it. I will not be apathetic.

“The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference.” ― Elie Wiesel

6) The new health reform will centralize services. As a result, there will be less representation from the community on many levels. As unionized members, we have a strong, collective voice and an established medium by which we can express it. Let's not squander this opportunity to demand better, on behalf of our most vulnerable citizens.

"Scientific data show clearly that a decentralized system is closer to the centres of decision- making and allow for health and social services to be better adapted to populations needs, especially those of the underprivileged or those living in rural or outlying communities. Contrary to industry, which seeks the production of uniform and standardized services at the best price, health systems need to be able to adjust services to the needs of the populations being served.

The disappearance of local institutions risks standardizing services throughout a regional territory, hence diminishing access to more marginal populations while increasing the inequalities of health. The creation of regional mega structures will result in an important loss of linguistic, cultural and community identity. Those institutions that have been serving their community for many years and are essential for their role in maintaining community ties and supporting community development will be lost.

Scientific evidence does not support the presumption of Bill 10 that there will be a reduction in bureaucracy with the centralization of decision-making. National and international experience has shown time and time again that the proposed reform will not have the desired effects and, in fact, will make healthcare delivery more complex. We should learn from these experiences instead of increasing the centralization of decision-making in our healthcare system." -- François Béland

7) Do a little research about the history of unions and you will see that despite the bad rap they get today, a lot of good has come out of them and non-unionized workers have reaped the benefits too. Here are a few examples: child labour laws, minimum wage, workplace safely laws, pregnancy/parental leaves, sexual harassment laws, social security, public education for children, etc.

8) A little fresh air, some exercise, and solidarity is good for team building.

9) Our union has worked very hard to represent us under difficult circumstances. Whether you opted to strike or not, please show them your support.

10) "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

These are things that matter, peeps. Take a deep breath and picket with passion this Thursday.

Infertility

In my dream

a small child plays peek-a-boo in a crib

under the broad leaves of a banana tree

swaying delight

she reaches for the handsome young man

who is laughing - white teeth under a flower

I am there too

suspended in this photograph of my grief

alone without memory of her

suffocating like breath pressed to heart.

(April 2003)

Death of a Goldfish

I am not claustrophobic yet cannot imagine swimming in a fishbowl while big moon faces peer in, gigantic shapes that block the sun with their useless gaping mouths sucking oxygen from the room, stubby fingers tapping ripples through the glass.

I wanted to make life better (for a while) and save your tiny world with clean water and a clear view of the moon and the sun, but I tried too hard and instead, turned the fishbowl inside out, causing your death with my stupid pet store hose and my giant, clumsy hands.

Maintenance Day

I tell my clients
On bad days
Don't worry it's
A maintenance day,
Tread water
And try to stay afloat
Or ride the wave
You cannot fight,
Do just enough
To get through
And no more.
But --
What do I tell myself
On bad days?

Sick Day

I sent my son to school today despite the fact that he woke up feeling nauseous, sick enough that he couldn't eat his breakfast. "Maybe it's nerves.", I suggested unconvincingly. "Try some deep belly breaths." He had an outing today, an outdoor activity, the kind of thing that would normally cause him some anxiety.

The bus picked him up on time but I didn't feel any relief, only vague worry and of course, guilt. I had two important clients this morning. The visits had been coordinated with other workers who were to meet me there at a designated time. They wouldn't be easy to reschedule. I had to go into work.

And anyway, what if he was faking a stomach ache to get a day off?

I'd written a note to Ian this morning to validate my suspicions that he was faking. Ian is an elementary school teacher. He knows these things. Not to mention he'd faked his fair share of stomach aches growing up in order to get out of going to school.

I saw my clients and got through a busy day but the unease never left me. On my way to pick up my boy, I called the school daycare to give them a head's up. Madame Lise answered the phone. She said Sean was sitting next to her and was feeling very sick. I told her I'd be there as soon as I could. At 4:55 pm, exactly ten and a half hours after he'd told me how awful he felt, I picked up my son. He was white as a ghost, biting his upper lip, trying not to cry. He'd spent the whole day sucking it up, waiting me for me to pick him up, confiding he wasn't well only when it became unbearable.

Once home, I gave him a children's gravol and sent him to his bed where he slept for two hours straight.

"So how's the little faker?", Ian asked, when we touched base after work.

"He wasn't faking after all."

"You know, we talk about parents like you, the ones who send their kids to school when they're sick."

"No need to talk about me. I've done enough talking to myself since I picked him up."

I'd told Sean I was sorry he'd had such a difficult day, but what I was really doing was apologizing for letting him down. This morning, my gut tried to tell me the truth while my head shouted excuses. Ironic that I'm a healthcare worker by trade. I got a lesson in parenting and priorities today.

Moving Day

They said two boxes
would be enough
to transport thirty years of
agenda books,
exercise programs,
and
thank you cards
from people who have since died.

I took three instead
out of respect
for the dead.

Mother's Day

This past Saturday, I called my ex-husband to advise him about a birthday party our son was invited to because it is during his week-end on. The exchange was pleasant enough and as I said good-bye, I heard him start to say something, but it was too late, I had already hung up. A few seconds later he called back.

"I wanted to wish you a very happy Mother's Day tomorrow. You're doing a great job and I know it isn't easy under the circumstances. Thank-you."

I tell you, that small gesture meant the world to me. The best gift ever. I bawled.

Divorce tends to bring out the worst in us, particularly when it is acrimonious. We forget the good parts of the marriage, the qualities that brought us together in the first place. We avoid taking responsibility for our contribution to the break-up. And we blame our ex for warning signs that might have been there from the get-go, signs that we chose to ignore in our pursuit of domestic bliss. 

It worked for a while and then it didn't. Or it never worked. It's as simple as that. Own your part. Get counselling. Heal. Move forward. 

Yes, the aftermath can be challenging, particulary if you have children together.  But it doesn't have to be toxic. You can take a compassionate stance towards the person you once loved even if it is unrequited. And if that doesn't work, let go of the negativity and bitterness anyway. In the process, you will save your soul and be more present for your children. And you may even be open to loving again.