Juneteenth and My Job

[Deleted]

I’m not sure this is worthy of its own thread, but I wanted to talk about it, and I didn’t want to disrupt the thread I usually post in, by writing about something that may ruffle some feathers or seem controversial.

Last year when the Juneteenth holiday became federal law, we did not get the holiday even though we are federal employees. It was passed too close to the holiday, and there were issues because our holidays are included in our contracts between our unions and our employer. That was understandable, nobody I know made too much of a fuss about it.

This year, it was all worked out, and Juneteenth is a holiday for us. The way our holidays work, the actual day of all holidays and the 2 days before that day are the “holiday schedule”. That is because we all have different days off. For example Memorial Day is always observed on a Monday. I’m off on Mondays and Tuesdays, so my “holiday” is Sunday.

Our contract states that management should let as many people off on holidays as possible, and run with a skeleton crew, only drafting if they don’t get enough volunteers.

I NEVER volunteer to work holidays lol. But they usually “draft” me, meaning I usually have to work my holidays. We get drafted by seniority, they start drafting with the people with the least seniority and work their way up through the seniority list until they feel like they have enough people. I’ve been there more than 24 years, and I’m still a peon on the day shift, so I usually get drafted to work my holidays.

Now that I’ve explained how it works….. for the Juneteenth holiday, they drafted EVERYBODY, all 3 days of the holiday schedule, on every shift. I can only recall ONE time that they drafted the person with the most seniority on my shift, who also happens to be the person with the most seniority in the building, he’s been there over 40 years. And that was at least during our busy season. This is our very slow season. 

I feel some type of way. The majority of the employees on the workroom floor are Black, at least 70%, and that’s me being generous because I don’t want to exaggerate or lie. And I work in a city with a lot of history concerning the Civil Rights Movement, a city where unfortunately, race is still kind of a big deal all these decades later.

WHYYYYY would managers choose THIS holiday to draft EVERYBODY? They didn’t do that for Memorial Day, which was just a few weeks ago. And you bet I’m interested in seeing what they do for the 4th of July. We have new people running things, and they are white. They were in charge before Memorial Day. 

I haven’t shared my thoughts with any of my coworkers, but I HAVE been thinking about it. Yesterday and today, work was so slow in my area that I moved around, working in other areas, just to have something to do. Like I said, it’s our slow season. So why spend a bunch of money making us come to work on the Juneteenth holiday and paying all of us holiday pay, when it’s very likely that we’ll just be sitting around twiddling our thumbs? Many holidays are slow anyway, because businesses that produce and bring us our work are closed. WE are closed to customers on holidays, but not the facilities that do all the behind the scenes work. But even with that, nothing moves from our facilities on holidays. On holiday weekends, nothing moves from our facility until Tuesday mornings.

Given the demographics and the fact that it’s our slow season, it just doesn’t sit well with me that they made this unusual move on the first Juneteenth holiday we get. If I’m doing too much thinking like that, or being overly sensitive, I’m willing to listen if that’s what y’all think. 

So what DO y’all think? Also, if your job is such that you make those kinds of decisions, would you do the same thing?

[raeoflyte]

I would be asking the same question.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

It sounds racially motivated to me. 

[saveinla]

That sounds fishy @pinkcshmere. I am not sure what I would do - check in with your union?

[haapai]

At best, they just didn't grock that there was a new federal holiday and it completely escaped their radar.

At worst, they went out of their way and wasted tons of money making sure that nobody got a three-day weekend.

I haven't worked through all the angles yet but so far it's coding "jerk move".  Three-day weekends are rare and precious. 

I'm sorta hoping that there's a white coworker who would have ordinarily not been drafted who also angry about this waste and tomfoolery. 

[Deleted]

It sounds like a vengeful racially motivated piece of **** to me. I don't much believe in coincidence and I do believe in azzhats flexing their muscles

[debthaven]

I'm from NY and I'm generally happy to think the worst of most people ...

But in this case, I'm honestly wondering if it's merely stupidity. 

Pink, could you suggest starting a "sign up sheet" for people to sign up for the holiday they'd prefer to work? Because people often have plans for one day off or the other, and it could suit everyone to offer to work one of those days, but not the other. 

Now that I’ve explained how it works….. for the Juneteenth holiday, they drafted EVERYBODY, all 3 days of the holiday schedule, on every shift.

I need to ask you, who is "they"? Because depending on your answer, I'm thinking I'm stupid/naive, and it is indeed racially motivated. 

Can you talk to your union about this? 

PS. I reread your post ... EVERYBODY, for all 3 days of the holiday, on every shift?! 

Yeah, it looks like racism.    Are there any (ideally Black) union members you could address this with?!

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this shit Pink.

[engineerdoe]

It is very suspicious. 

Does everybody get holiday for all three days if they happen to work all three days?

edit:
Just realized my question seems cras.  I was just thinking if people were getting paid holiday pay for three days I would be celebrating that fact loudly enough so management realized their mistake.  

I want to still believe that people can make honest mistakes but this really doesn't "feel" right.

[mcsangel2]

That is some bullshit right there.

[TheOtherMe]

I do know where you work and this is a slow time of the year.

I definitely think it's racially motivated.  I don't know what you do about it, but I hope it changes between now and Sunday.

Just got off a "genealogy" q & a about Juneteenth.  Main speaker was a Black woman from Galveston.  I learned more in the last hour than I have learned in my entire education about Black history.  That is why we are where we are--still.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:44:49 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I'm from NY and I'm generally happy to think the worst of most people ...

But in this case, I'm honestly wondering if it's merely stupidity. 

Pink, could you suggest starting a "sign up sheet" for people to sign up for the holiday they'd prefer to work? Because people often have plans for one day off or the other, and it could suit everyone to offer to work one of those days, but not the other. 

Now that I’ve explained how it works….. for the Juneteenth holiday, they drafted EVERYBODY, all 3 days of the holiday schedule, on every shift.

I need to ask you, who is "they"? Because depending on your answer, I'm thinking I'm stupid/naive, and it is indeed racially motivated. 

Can you talk to your union about this? 

PS. I reread your post ... EVERYBODY, for all 3 days of the holiday, on every shift?! 

Yeah, it looks like racism.    Are there any (ideally Black) union members you could address this with?!

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this shit Pink.

“They” are upper managers, including the boss of the entire facility, who tell lower level managers and supervisors what to do, including staffing for holidays.

Yes, EVERYBODY on all 3 shifts, Saturday, Sunday and Monday…… the 3 days of this holiday schedule.

Our union is aware. But “management has a right to manage”, the union can’t tell our employer how to manage, they can only hold them accountable if they violate our rights. Drafting us to work a holiday is not violating our rights. 

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:17:38 GMT -5 saveinla said:

That sounds fishy @pinkcshmere . I am not sure what I would do - check in with your union?

Please see my reply to debthaven as far as the union goes.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:36:15 GMT -5 haapai said:

At best, they just didn't grock that there was a new federal holiday and it completely escaped their radar.

At worst, they went out of their way and wasted tons of money making sure that nobody got a three-day weekend.

I haven't worked through all the angles yet but so far it's coding "jerk move".  Three-day weekends are rare and precious. 

I'm sorta hoping that there's a white coworker who would have ordinarily not been drafted who also angry about this waste and tomfoolery. 

They regularly waste money drafting more people than they need on holidays. But they don’t normally draft EVERYBODY. 

It’s not about 3 day weekends. People who have, say Wednesdays and Thursdays off, wouldn’t have a 3 day weekend even if they have enough seniority to have the holiday off. They would just not have to work Monday, the day Juneteenth is being observed this year. 

[dannylion]

This definitely sounds fishy.  It also sounds like the sort of thing that is sometimes resolved as soon as, say, the media starts wondering why it happened. Or when it gets escalated to the next echelon of management.  It's a petty power play, but it's the kind management can keep employing until someone shines a light on it and makes them explain themselves to someone with the power to make them uncomfortable.  If someone in your union has any contacts with the local media, it might be time to get together with them and have a chat about the weird thing that happened at work this week.  

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:49:29 GMT -5 engineerdoe said:

It is very suspicious. 

Does everybody get holiday for all three days if they happen to work all three days?

edit:
Just realized my question seems cras.  I was just thinking if people were getting paid holiday pay for three days I would be celebrating that fact loudly enough so management realized their mistake.  

I want to still believe that people can make honest mistakes but this really doesn't "feel" right.

To respond to your post, I need to explain a little more about how it works. 

My regular days off from work are Monday and Tuesday. Like I said before, holidays that fall on a Monday, Sunday is my holiday, because of how the holiday schedule works.

Because Monday is my regular day off work, if they made me come in Monday, it would be overtime pay (time and a half) instead of holiday pay (double time, except for Christmas, which is 8 hours of straight pay, plus time and a half). To make me work on Monday (since it’s my regular day off), they would have to draft everybody on my shift whose holiday is on Monday, before they could make me work Monday. Which they could’ve done this time, since they drafted everybody each day. My *holiday* is Sunday, because Monday is my regular day off work. 

If my off days were Saturday and Sunday, I could volunteer to work Saturday, Sunday and Monday for the holiday schedule. That would mean I got paid OT for Saturday and Sunday, and holiday pay for Monday. And they would have to let me work those days before they started drafting people.

It’s kind of complicated and I don’t know if I’m explaining it well. 

During my 20+ years there, supervisors and managers have always had an issue with the fact that employees like me can actually make more money than they do if they’re willing to work OT. 

This was not a mistake. They know how they have to pay us for working our holidays and off days on a holiday schedule. 

[Opti]

Jun 16, 2022 19:06:35 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Jun 16, 2022 18:36:15 GMT -5 haapai said:

At best, they just didn't grock that there was a new federal holiday and it completely escaped their radar.

At worst, they went out of their way and wasted tons of money making sure that nobody got a three-day weekend.

I haven't worked through all the angles yet but so far it's coding "jerk move".  Three-day weekends are rare and precious. 

I'm sorta hoping that there's a white coworker who would have ordinarily not been drafted who also angry about this waste and tomfoolery. 

They regularly waste money drafting more people than they need on holidays. But they don’t normally draft EVERYBODY. 

It’s not about 3 day weekends. People who have, say Wednesdays and Thursdays off, wouldn’t have a 3 day weekend even if they have enough seniority to have the holiday off. They would just not have to work Monday, the day Juneteenth is being observed this year. 

If this is true, I think it can only be protested after the fact. Media or the DOL after it can be proven people weren't needed or far fewer of them were. Some folks are mad it was made into a holiday. Others might be upset that the number of federal holidays increased.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

If it wasn't a deliberate conscious decision it was definitely unconscious bias because how can you fail to read the room that badly unless your head is up your butt?

I can understand not wanting to bring it up because it's not them it could come back to haunt.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 19:16:40 GMT -5 dannylion said:

This definitely sounds fishy.  It also sounds like the sort of thing that is sometimes resolved as soon as, say, the media starts wondering why it happened. Or when it gets escalated to the next echelon of management.  It's a petty power play, but it's the kind management can keep employing until someone shines a light on it and makes them explain themselves to someone with the power to make them uncomfortable.  If someone in your union has any contacts with the local media, it might be time to get together with them and have a chat about the weird thing that happened at work this week.  

We are not allowed to talk to the media.

We also have a no strike/no lay off clause for us old timers, at least. I think new hires can be laid off, but my old ass can’t, and we still can’t strike. Or talk to the media.

And honestly, since I haven’t shared my thoughts about it with any of my coworkers, for all I know, they might not really care. But it’s entirely possible that they do care, and it’s just that nobody has said anything about it to me. I mostly keep to myself at work, so it’s entirely possible that I’ve just not been privy to any chatter about it.

Either way, it’s rubbed ME the wrong way.

[azucena]

Pink - seems icky.

Not nearly the same, but my company added Juneteenth last yr even with the late-ish legislation. I'd guess we are 95% white in the home office. We have Monday off again this year. I've heard of 4 sales trips to clients scheduled that day. Feels weird to me for folks to have scheduled work trips on a holiday off even if most clients are open. Becomes a sort of peer pressure to travel if you're invited on one of the trips on that day. No one travels on good Friday which is another day we have off that most clients don't.

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:44:49 GMT -5 debthaven said:

I'm from NY and I'm generally happy to think the worst of most people ...

But in this case, I'm honestly wondering if it's merely stupidity. 

Pink, could you suggest starting a "sign up sheet" for people to sign up for the holiday they'd prefer to work? Because people often have plans for one day off or the other, and it could suit everyone to offer to work one of those days, but not the other. 

Now that I’ve explained how it works….. for the Juneteenth holiday, they drafted EVERYBODY, all 3 days of the holiday schedule, on every shift.

I need to ask you, who is "they"? Because depending on your answer, I'm thinking I'm stupid/naive, and it is indeed racially motivated. 

Can you talk to your union about this? 

PS. I reread your post ... EVERYBODY, for all 3 days of the holiday, on every shift?! 

Yeah, it looks like racism.    Are there any (ideally Black) union members you could address this with?!

I'm so sorry you have to deal with this shit Pink.

I meant to respond to your crossed out stuff.

There is a sign up sheet posted weeks before any holiday. People that want to volunteer to work sign that sheet. If their days off work fall within the holiday schedule they can volunteer to work whichever days of the 3 day holiday schedule they don’t normally work, plus their holiday. It’s up to each employee which days they volunteer to work on the holiday schedule.

If a holiday falls on a Monday, I can volunteer to work that Sunday (which is my “holiday”) and that Monday, when I would be paid OT pay. If my off days were Sunday and Monday, I could volunteer to work Saturday, which would be my “holiday” and Sunday and Monday, both of  which I would be paid OT for. And they would have to let me work each of those days, before they can draft somebody to work, that didn’t volunteer.

I feel like I’m making it as clear as mud, so Imma hush now.

[jerseygirl]

Pink is there another ‘sister’ organization in another state or city that also did the same thing?
Or is it just your city that did this?



A sad and mean action if done to deliberately ruin the holiday

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 18:57:42 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I do know where you work and this is a slow time of the year.

I definitely think it's racially motivated.  I don't know what you do about it, but I hope it changes between now and Sunday.

Just got off a "genealogy" q & a about Juneteenth.  Main speaker was a Black woman from Galveston.  I learned more in the last hour than I have learned in my entire education about Black history.  That is why we are where we are--still.

My struggle is that I’d REALLY, REALLY prefer not to think that it is racially motivated. That is why I talked about it here, so y’all could check me if I was doing too much with how I feel about it.

I honestly don’t see the holiday schedule being changed at this point. But if it does get changed, I will report back. 

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 20:18:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Pink is there another ‘sister’ organization in another state or city that also did the same thing?
Or is it just your city that did this?



A sad and mean action if done to deliberately ruin the holiday

My employer is nationwide. The unions that negotiate for and represent us are all nationwide. 

Idk how facilities across the nation have handled this holiday. But like I said before, it’s not really a union issue because our managers have the right to manage and mismanage. As long as they don’t violate any of our rights. And making us work a holiday is not a violation of our rights,

[laterbloomer]

Jun 16, 2022 20:24:39 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Jun 16, 2022 18:57:42 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I do know where you work and this is a slow time of the year.

I definitely think it's racially motivated.  I don't know what you do about it, but I hope it changes between now and Sunday.

Just got off a "genealogy" q & a about Juneteenth.  Main speaker was a Black woman from Galveston.  I learned more in the last hour than I have learned in my entire education about Black history.  That is why we are where we are--still.

My struggle is that I’d REALLY, REALLY prefer not to think that it is racially motivated. That is why I talked about it here, so y’all could check me if I was doing too much with how I feel about it.

I honestly don’t see the holiday schedule being changed at this point. But if it does get changed, I will report back. 

There is a remote chance they have some reason for meeding everyone on shift. The part that really sucks is that it doesn't seem like it's safe for you to ask. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

[jerseygirl]

Jun 16, 2022 20:29:03 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Jun 16, 2022 20:18:50 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Pink is there another ‘sister’ organization in another state or city that also did the same thing?
Or is it just your city that did this?



A sad and mean action if done to deliberately ruin the holiday

My employer is nationwide. The unions that negotiate for and represent us are all nationwide. 

Idk how facilities across the nation have handled this holiday. But like I said before, it’s not really a union issue because our managers have the right to manage and mismanage. As long as they don’t violate any of our rights. And making us work a holiday is not a violation of our rights,

But isn’t deliberately ignoring a federal holiday a BIG problem. Especially a very sensitive and biased problem. I’m thinking your union would want to be aware

[thyme4change]

Jun 16, 2022 19:42:15 GMT -5 azucena said:

Pink - seems icky.

Not nearly the same, but my company added Juneteenth last yr even with the late-ish legislation. I'd guess we are 95% white in the home office. We have Monday off again this year. I've heard of 4 sales trips to clients scheduled that day. Feels weird to me for folks to have scheduled work trips on a holiday off even if most clients are open. Becomes a sort of peer pressure to travel if you're invited on one of the trips on that day. No one travels on good Friday which is another day we have off that most clients don't.

I suspect white people will disproportionately get a holiday for Juneteenth. At least we kinda have to talk about it - but I am not convinced the intent of the holiday will stick (just like labor day).

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 20:31:21 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

Jun 16, 2022 20:24:39 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

My struggle is that I’d REALLY, REALLY prefer not to think that it is racially motivated. That is why I talked about it here, so y’all could check me if I was doing too much with how I feel about it.

I honestly don’t see the holiday schedule being changed at this point. But if it does get changed, I will report back. 

There is a remote chance they have some reason for meeding everyone on shift. The part that really sucks is that it doesn't seem like it's safe for you to ask. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

Because I have a union to back me up, I don’t really feel like it’s not safe for me to ask. I just don’t really want to deal with it.

I would maybe feel differently if I felt differently about the people that have been hired over the last few years. Idc what anybody says…… at my blue collar job, there is a very different mentality of the people that were hired in the last decade or so, compared to when I was first hired over 20 years ago. 

And that’s ok, I guess, if that’s just a sign of the times we live in now. And I’m not knocking a whole generation……because I’ve had temporary employees I preferred to work with over my permanent employee coworkers.

I’ve had enough conversations with supervisors and managers at my job to understand that their issues with problem employees are often prolonged because the supervisor or manager doesn’t want to think or read and wants to pretend they can’t fire a problem employee. They don’t want to accept that unions usually only win because union representatives DO read and understand the contracts…… and supervisors and managers don’t and won’t read the same materials. They whine and complain that they can’t hold employees accountable or fire them, when they absolutely can do both, but they need to read a little to do it right if they really mean business,

The unions don’t win so much because the employees they represent are angels, they win so often because managers can’t be bothered to read enough to do their jobs properly. 

But that’s not really what this thread is about, so please carry on…….

[busymom]

Sheesh!  Who owns your company, and are they members of the Proud Boys, or one of those other organizations?  That's just mean...

[Deleted]

Jun 16, 2022 21:16:07 GMT -5 busymom said:

Sheesh!  Who owns your company, and are they members of the Proud Boys, or one of those other organizations?  That's just mean...

You “own” my company. But my salary does not come from any taxes you pay,  even though I work for the federal government. 

If that doesn’t make sense to you, please just trust me, that what I said is true.

[countrygirl2]

Sure, as hell sounds racist to me. I think that's why they made everyone work so they can say oh no, we treated everyone the same, while they know they are not.  So, is management working that day too? Me bets they are not. I would be mad too. The stuff people do, then they wonder why people are poed.