There was a time when being a postal employee meant, for the most part, being fat and happy, figuratively for some of us and literally for others.

George Curcio, Editor/Legislative Representative

We had concerns, but relatively speaking, with periodic and personal exceptions aside, they were good ones to have.

Mostly they came from enjoying abundance and excess, and we fretted about how the wealth was going to be divided, and whether we each were getting our "fair share," based upon what we perceived that to be.

Our issues mostly focused on quality of life rather than economic survival because the latter was satisfied through our contract.

We worked for the Postal Service knowing that we would not be laid off, because of the clause in the contract that had been secured for us by our union through the collective bargaining process.

We worked knowing that it would be extremely difficult for the Postal Service to fire us, and it would have to be due to circumstances largely of our creation that they would even try to do so.

Many of us knew we would never act in a way that might threaten our jobs. The rest of us seemed to be reassured that even if we did act egregiously and were fired, the Union would get our jobs back for us and provide "another chance."

And the Union did just that, time after time, for so many of its members.

So we felt secure. Given that feeling, we then started to focus on the little things in the workplace that seemed much more important than they would have if we were instead had to focus above all else on simply keeping our jobs.

A funny thing then happened within many of us. We became dissatisfied when we did not get our way, or felt we were not getting that to which we were entitled in the workplace.

And then we started to blame the very organization that had given us security in the workplace in the first place: the Union.

In an ironic twist, we took all that the Union had to give us, convinced ourselves we had acquired it on our own, and decided the Union, and its officials, to be the "bad guys" when we did not get our way on the lesser issues.

Basically, we developed an attitude of "It’s all about me," and we were able to do so because the Union had secured for us the security to feel that way.

Not having to worry about our jobs, we started to worry about other things.

Who is getting more overtime than I am?

Who is getting more schedule changes than I am?

Who is getting assignments better than the ones I am getting, and why am I not receiving them?

Truth be told, in the "good" times such as those most of us have experienced during our postal employment, such concerns are legitimate and a natural progression along the hierarchy of needs.

But they have an underlying dangerous effect in the way they shape our attitudes and behavior. They take our eyes off the focus of the very principles of Unionism and the foundation for successful efforts by the Union to serve us as members.

Many of the concerns such as those described above inevitably end up creating a situation that seems to pit one Union member against another.

We look to the Union to defend our personal interests and to asert our rights over others. But when it is one member’s interest against another, the Union can rarely satisfy both parties.

So the Union does the only thing that can be done: it applies the rules of the contract to the situation at hand, and seeks the prescribed remedy.

If the contract supports us, we are very happy with the Union. But if it goes against us, suddenly the Union is the culprit and blame for all that we do not like about our jobs.

So when we do not make "regular" for a number of years, we blame the Union.

When management gives us only one day off each week for a number of years, we blame the Union.

Although the Union is the only advocate the employee has during such times, we quickly lose sight of that. We act as if the Union would not like for all of its members to be regulars rather than PTF’s, or as if the Union would not like for all of its members to have two rest days each week.

Truth be told, there is not a Union official in our building who would not love for Mid Florida to be a workers’ paradise, with a workforce comprised only of regulars with the full rights and benefits thereof.

It is Management whose actions are in conflict with such goals and ideals, and it is Management that should be held accountable.

It is the Union through its past successes that has allowed us to expect things to be so much better than they currently are.

We are now living in a different world, and that is no more obvious for anyone than it is for postal employees, who seem intent on denying that the times are a-changin’.

Plants are closing, positions are being eliminated, and workers’ security is being threatened. All of the benefits that offset the lousy aspects of our job are being threatened and are under attack.

It is Management that is responsible for all of the above, with only the Union standing in its way.

As management seeks to close facilities and excess people to other locations several hours away from their homes, it is the Union that is trying to stop them.

As management seeks a "flexible" workforce devoid of regular employees who are guaranteed set schedules, hours and days off, it is the Union that is trying to stop them.

As management understaffs its facilities, causing undue stress to exisiting employees while denying employment to prospective employees in need of decent-paying jobs, it is the Union that is trying to stop them.

Yet each day, within the workplace, Union members heap scorn upon their Union stewards and officers for not doing enough for them. They blame the Union, sometimes ending their membership with the intent of making some sort of statement.

Blaming the Union, especially to the point of "getting out," does indeed make a clear and simple statement.

It says that your selfishness blinds you to a point where you have absolutely no understanding of how you got to where you are today, of who is working against your interests, and who is seeking to protect you.

If you’re unhappy with your Union, as the old saying goes, next time Management violates your rights, ask to see a supervisor.