Off-track

Not food or exercise. Good to go there. Meaning more this is an off-track post...off-topic post? Maybe that's more accurate. So as I posted earlier I got a new job at George Brown College. Full-time. Permanent. Pension. Benefits. 35 hour work week. Union. The whole shebang. I'm officially a grown up with a grown up job with an employer taking 13 bloody percent of my gross income per pay period for a pension....le sigh. Anyway...I've been there 4 weeks now (as of this week) and I really like it. Duties are good, manager good, co-workers good (most of the time). So why does this seem like it's leading somewhere? There's gotta be a "but" in there somewhere right?

And you'd be right. I have one issue with the whole environment. That's the union. Or maybe not the union, but the way people working as part of a union behave. Now please do not lambast me with stories on power to the people and the purpose behind unions. I get the purpose behind unions. I think in theory (as with a lot of things) that unions are very good entities that make sure the employees don't get screwed over by "the man". However, what it also causes is what I see as laziness (extreme laziness in some regards). Some people I've spoken with have made quite vocal complaints about their working situation and how they do so much work and get nothing in return. HAH! Try working for a private international language school and THEN you'll really feel what it's like to work your ass off for a$$holes who don't care about your or the company and pay you peanuts to boot. I'm sorry, but unless you're like maintenance or something else requiring manual labour, your job is pretty cushy. Especially if you're in the middle section of the college (aka, not a manager of a super busy, stressful department). If you're like most of us in a support staff role, you're making 40-50K per year (or more depending on how long you're been there), working 35 hours per week, full benefits, etc. for doing not a heck of a lot. What do you have to complain about?? Then you push it further by going to the "bathroom" and disappearing for 20 minutes (several times a day), or ignoring students (who were there for, btw) just because you can't be bothered to get up out of your chair. Seriously...I saw this today. Student's hand was up in the exam lab...the proctor was on facebook.

I'm not saying I've never checked my facebook or email or sent some text messages during working hours. But I sure as hell don't do it when I'm busy, or when there's work to be done. There's a time and a place for everything people.

I think the job security, as crazy as it sounds, is the key factor here. I've never had job security. Ever. I've always had to watch my back. Not necessarily for my performance, once I entered my particular field I did fairly well...consistant good reviews from students and employers alike. However, I always had to be on the look out for budget cuts, seasonal changes, pissy coordinators etc. So this is new territory for me. But what this job security seems to be doing is creating this laziness and sense of entitlement in the union workers (I guess now I'm one of them, but beside the point). Not wanting to do anything beyond your job description, and a lot of times not wanting to do things WITHIN your job description that you just don't like. That's what's crazy to me. In this environment, if you are a permanent union employee, it is pretty much near impossible to fire you. And what kills me, is as I mentioned above, it's a CUSHY job! It is not difficult. Why don't people want to push themselves? Why don't people want to not just do their jobs, but do their jobs WELL? Why coast? That's not cool to me.

Am I the abnormal one? Honestly, I'm not a johnny do gooder, but I do want to do my job and do it well and advance eventually. I don't want to coast. I'm not interested in that.

Anyway....this whole thing is new to me. All that I hope is that I don't fall into the same feeling as the rest of them. I never want to take my job for granted, and I never want to coast.