Winds of Change

By Al Horn

If you live in the southeastern portion of the United  States the only winds that you want to see change are the ones generated by the  recent onslaught of hurricanes. The winds these storms have pushed across the  land have impacted millions of lives. For some, they have weathered the changes  before and will have the knowledge if not the strength to move past the fury  that has been unleashed upon them. For others, they will be forever changed in  ways they could never have suspected.

Here in the  Midwest, the breezes have been kind. We missed the normal smelter known as the  month of August. Truth be told, we could more easily pass for a temperate zone  as compared to our brethren in the Southeast. That's not to say we are not  experiencing any changes of our own. We had unusually cool weather and more  rainy days than we are used to. At the same time, all the normal changes have  taken place. People passed away and babies were born just like any other year.  I'm sure we all undertook personal changes in our everyday lives. For me, the  winds of change are about to pick up.

I work as part  of the maintenance staff for an electronics company near St. Louis. We are  currently engaged in negotiations for a union contract. Right now there is a lot  of posing taking place on both sides. The union claims the company is rich while  the company claims to be paupers. Both sides know the other is exaggerating and  the game of give and take can sometimes be very vocal.

I should state  now that the company, like most companies, didn't want a union here to begin  with. Both sides presented their arguments to the plant staff as to why things  should change or stay the same. Despite pleas and promises of change, the  maintenance group voted to be represented by a union. The company disputed how  things had been set up. The drawn out battle left a bitter taste in the mouths  of some. Now that the legal skullduggery is complete, the game is afoot.

The company  management and the union reps tend to play games with each other and the  maintenance staff. At times this can be entertaining. Most of the time, it's  just plain monotonous. Still, everyone, staff and management alike, can feel  which way the wind is blowing.

For the most  part, nobody likes change but a whole lot of people say that change is good.  Interaction between management and staff has already begun to evolve. Everybody  is a little more guarded about the comments they make. Rumors abound. Rumors are  based on a combination of fact and fiction. They swirl about us and buff against  our emotions. A word said in jest today might be taken quite seriously  tomorrow.

Like the storms  arising out of the Atlantic Ocean our negotiations will build in strength. Lines  will be drawn. Naivety has already been exchanged for cynicism. When the dust  finally settles our lives will have under gone changes that we could only have  imagined before now. In the mean time, let's enjoy the gentle breezes.