Juneteenth and My Job

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jun 22, 2022 18:00:32 GMT -5 swamp said:

I’m not sure where to post this, but this is as good place as any. 

On juneteenth I was perusing Facebook and a local know it all posted something about Juneteenth being stupid because it causes racial divisions.  Later in a comment she said something about not needing the holiday because we already have MLK day celebrating the day MLK freed the slaves. 

Oy. 

Clearly she wasn't a Republican because around here they go to great lengths to let you know they can't be racist because Lincoln freed the slaves and he was a Republican.

I guess the " I'm not racist I know black people" mantra has gotten stale.

[TheOtherMe]

BIL can't be racist because over 20 years ago he rented one of his junky farm houses to a black man.  So there.

[Tiny]

Jun 16, 2022 17:40:31 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

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. 

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?

Do you do the holiday coverage for President's day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also observed as Columbus Day), and 
Veterans Day? 

I ask because my Mega Corp employer decides what federal holidays close down the office(s) and which do not. 

Last year we did have Juneteenth off - but it was more of a "if it doesn't impact a project" and to clear it with your manager.  This year Juneteenth was on the list of official office holidays - and was worked into any scheduled work/projects as a day off.   (thankfully it doesn't fall at a critical time (a month end/quarter end or some other business cycle "must get the work done" time of the month).   So it really is a holiday for nearly everyone in American offices at my Mega Corp.  

If you are doing "holiday" coverage for all the other federal holidays - and this years Juneteenth coverage was different than what is typical for "holiday" coverage..     I, too, would be thinking - a message was being sent to the employees... 
and not a good one.  

I'd be sabre rattling and wanting my employer to be better prepared for next years Juneteenth holiday  (give them a nice way to fix this problem.)  I'd expect next years Juneteenth to be handled just like all the other holidays. 

And if my employer came up with some convenient emergency that would require every one to work that holiday - at the last minute ... I'd consider talking to the union and or lawyers. 

[Tiny]

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 employer had a Juneteenth presentation (via video conference) and while I knew some of what was presented there was tons more I didn't - I wish I had taken better notes - my memory isn't what it use to be - I will be  going down some additional rabbit holes exploring/expanding on the "new to me stuff" but it will be a little harder.   

I am woefully uneducated.     and that means my "sliver" of knowledge is probably nonexistent knowledge for lots of Americans....  

[geenamercile]

I would say something does feel off since this was not handled as any other holiday.  I would certainly wonder about the message being sent as if this is not a real/important/we do not agree with it/ holiday and everyone works.  I also wonder if when they looked at what would happen if they followed their normal holiday procedures they noticed that a disproportionate amount of African Americans would be working, and felt to stop any complaints about that it was better just to make everyone work.  I do not know, but I would want to ask questions on why the change.         

[swamp]

Jun 22, 2022 20:50:19 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

Jun 22, 2022 18:00:32 GMT -5 swamp said:

I’m not sure where to post this, but this is as good place as any. 

On juneteenth I was perusing Facebook and a local know it all posted something about Juneteenth being stupid because it causes racial divisions.  Later in a comment she said something about not needing the holiday because we already have MLK day celebrating the day MLK freed the slaves. 

Oy. 

Clearly she wasn't a Republican because around here they go to great lengths to let you know they can't be racist because Lincoln freed the slaves and he was a Republican.

I guess the " I'm not racist I know black people" mantra has gotten stale.

She can’t be racist.  Her grandchildren are mixed race 

[Deleted]

Jun 23, 2022 11:36:02 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Jun 16, 2022 17:40:31 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

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. 

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?

Do you do the holiday coverage for President's day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day (also observed as Columbus Day), and 
Veterans Day? 

I ask because my Mega Corp employer decides what federal holidays close down the office(s) and which do not. 

Last year we did have Juneteenth off - but it was more of a "if it doesn't impact a project" and to clear it with your manager.  This year Juneteenth was on the list of official office holidays - and was worked into any scheduled work/projects as a day off.   (thankfully it doesn't fall at a critical time (a month end/quarter end or some other business cycle "must get the work done" time of the month).   So it really is a holiday for nearly everyone in American offices at my Mega Corp.  

If you are doing "holiday" coverage for all the other federal holidays - and this years Juneteenth coverage was different than what is typical for "holiday" coverage..     I, too, would be thinking - a message was being sent to the employees... 
and not a good one.  

I'd be sabre rattling and wanting my employer to be better prepared for next years Juneteenth holiday  (give them a nice way to fix this problem.)  I'd expect next years Juneteenth to be handled just like all the other holidays. 

And if my employer came up with some convenient emergency that would require every one to work that holiday - at the last minute ... I'd consider talking to the union and or lawyers. 

We get all the federal holidays, I think Juneteenth put us at 10 holidays a year. They tend to draft more people for holidays during our busy season, but still not every single person on the 3 day schedule. This is our slow season.

They’ve already had a year to figure it out.

I am waiting to see what the holiday schedule for July 4th looks like.

[Deleted]

The holiday schedule for July 4th is the same Juneteenth. They drafted everybody again. I guess that’s the new thing to do. Even though work has been really slow lately.

[debthaven]

Crazy. I can't help but wonder whether they heard/realized they did a very crappy thing, so they're doing it again for July 4 so nobody can accuse them of racism (ie drafting everyone just for Juneteenth). 

I'm sorry you have to deal with this. 

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2022 16:32:02 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

The holiday schedule for July 4th is the same Juneteenth. They drafted everybody again. I guess that’s the new thing to do. Even though work has been really slow lately.

[finnime]

That really bites, @pinkcshmere.

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2022 16:36:56 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Crazy. I can't help but wonder whether they heard/realized they did a very crappy thing, so they're doing it again for July 4 so nobody can accuse them of racism (ie drafting everyone just for Juneteenth). 

I'm sorry you have to deal with this. 

I wondered about that too, because people did complain to the union. But whatever.

[grumpyhermit]

Maybe I"m dim, as I've never worked in a union environment, but could they just draft everyone for every holiday and effectively give you none? 

[debthaven]

I'm glad people complained to the union. 

[zibazinski]

My son works for a large beverage corporation. They gave Juneteenth off but are taking another holiday away. I don’t remember the one they took.

[Opti]

Jun 30, 2022 18:23:13 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

Jun 30, 2022 16:36:56 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Crazy. I can't help but wonder whether they heard/realized they did a very crappy thing, so they're doing it again for July 4 so nobody can accuse them of racism (ie drafting everyone just for Juneteenth). 

I'm sorry you have to deal with this. 

I wondered about that too, because people did complain to the union. But whatever.

Pink. do you think they are trying to get people to quit instead of working with the union on layoffs?

[Deleted]

Jun 30, 2022 19:17:35 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 30, 2022 18:23:13 GMT -5 @pinkcshmere said:

I wondered about that too, because people did complain to the union. But whatever.

Pink. do you think they are trying to get people to quit instead of working with the union on layoffs?

We have a no strike, no layoff clause in our contracts. They can’t lay us off. We can’t strike OR talk to the media.

They have offered “early retirement” a few times since I’ve worked there, as part of a Reduction In Force. A couple of times, they even offered extra money to get people to retire.

A lot of the new hires quit anyway. They have a totally different mindset than us old timers. And I can’t really blame them. I actually encourage some of the ones that I get to know to use the job as a stepping stone to get to whatever they really want to do in their lives. The days of giving 30 years of your working life to an employer that makes it clear they don’t value you as an employee, or even just a human being, are over.

Us old timers are more expensive than the new hires. They will never make the money we make, and some of their benefits aren’t quite as nice as ours. The really old timers are even more expensive because their retirement benefits are better than ours, as far as the pension goes. But they also didn’t/don’t pay into SS, so maybe it evens out somehow. Idk and I just concern myself with my retirement, not theirs.

All that to say, somebody like me, with 24 years in, is very unlikely to just quit. People that were hired over the last several years, quit for reasons before we even get to how they scheduled the Juneteenth holiday.

They aren’t trying to get people to quit. They are just making bad decisions like they usually do. In my facility, whatever makes logical and/or business sense, you can pretty much count on them doing the opposite. Idk why it’s like that.