1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Al Zon Media. 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,160 Speaker 2: Hey everybody, Robert here, I wanted to let you know 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 2: that two of our hosts at Zitron of Better Offline 4 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 2: and Molly Conger of Weird Little Guys, are in the 5 00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 2: running to win the Webbys right now or to win 6 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 2: Webbys in their respective categories. If you just google their 7 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:22,200 Speaker 2: names at Zitron, Webby we bb Y or Molly Conger Webby, 8 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:25,360 Speaker 2: you can find them and vote for them. There will 9 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 2: be links in the show notes as well, Sophia, you'll 10 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 2: put them in, so please do vote for them. 11 00:00:32,120 --> 00:00:34,200 Speaker 3: Welcome, Dick it Out and here a podcast. I asked 12 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 3: the question what happens when the people who are trying 13 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 3: to help put things back together are also being exploited 14 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 3: in the process. I am your host, Mio Wong, and 15 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 3: today we are going to be talking about a union 16 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:48,519 Speaker 3: that is attempting to do exactly that. And with me 17 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 3: to discuss this are Jess and Hazeus, who are mentors 18 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,000 Speaker 3: for Friends of the Children PDX and members of the 19 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 3: Friends PDX union network. Yeah, Jess, Zeus, welcome to the show. 20 00:00:58,240 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 1: Thank you so much for having us. 21 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you. 22 00:01:01,320 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm really happy to talk to you both because 23 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 3: I think this is a very very unique and interesting union, 24 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:10,160 Speaker 3: especially you know, talk about especially right now. But to 25 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:13,959 Speaker 3: get people sort of rolling, can you explain what Friends 26 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:16,440 Speaker 3: of the Children is and what it is that you 27 00:01:16,480 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 3: two do. 28 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 5: Yeah, So Friends of the Children is. It's a national organization. 29 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:28,199 Speaker 5: It's a nonprofit, but they're there are individual chapters throughout 30 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 5: different cities. We work out of Portland, which is the 31 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 5: founding chapter and also the largest one. Some of the language, 32 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 5: I'll say that it's like used from the website and 33 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 5: from like the mission statement that really encompasses what our 34 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 5: role is and also how it is told to like 35 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 5: our community partnerships and the families and youth that we 36 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 5: work with. Is that we are committing to youth when 37 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 5: they are typically around kindergarten age level and they're being 38 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 5: paired with a mentor and they will have a mentor 39 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 5: or until they graduate the program, so that usually ends 40 00:02:04,200 --> 00:02:06,240 Speaker 5: up being a total of twelve and a half years. 41 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:09,239 Speaker 5: And that like within that, we were doing a lot 42 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 5: of like individualized care and support. We work with them 43 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:15,680 Speaker 5: in the schools, we work with them outside the schools. 44 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 5: We help them get into extracurriculars, We help them with 45 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 5: like social emotional regulation, developing relationships with other youth in 46 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 5: the program, and really just like being a consistently reliable 47 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 5: human being. And one of the big pillars of our 48 00:02:31,320 --> 00:02:35,000 Speaker 5: organization is the commitment to long term which sometimes can 49 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 5: be an issue when you are facing a lot of 50 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 5: high turnover as an organization. We both have eight kids 51 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 5: on our roster, as do most mentors, and within that 52 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 5: we have youth. I personally have youth that have been 53 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 5: assigned to me that have just started in the program, 54 00:02:53,240 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 5: meaning that they were like maybe first grade when I 55 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,520 Speaker 5: was assigned to them. And then I also have youth 56 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 5: that are middle school level that have had several different 57 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 5: mentors in the past, some that have stayed there for 58 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:11,080 Speaker 5: maybe a few years, and like sometimes there's ones that 59 00:03:11,120 --> 00:03:13,239 Speaker 5: have been there for months. 60 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 4: Yeah, if I can add to that. The kids we 61 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 4: work with, they're enrolled into the program because they have 62 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 4: some risk factors in their lives that would lead them 63 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 4: to needing a little bit of extra support and help. 64 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 4: So we work with a lot of kids that come 65 00:03:34,840 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 4: from immigrant families, from families that have you know, single 66 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 4: parent households, foster care families, and kids kids that like 67 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 4: unfortunately are likely to face some challenges that our society 68 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 4: and the way it's built up will deal to them, 69 00:03:57,560 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 4: and our goal is to help them through those challenges, 70 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:04,800 Speaker 4: just be there for them so that they have a 71 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 4: chance of you know, graduating high school or entering adulthood 72 00:04:11,880 --> 00:04:16,000 Speaker 4: without having you know, having had kids or facing like 73 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:22,400 Speaker 4: the justice system. It's kids that we love dearly that 74 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 4: we work with in a similar way as like you know, 75 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:31,400 Speaker 4: a program like Big Brothers Big Sisters. But we are 76 00:04:32,279 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 4: paid mentors, which is the big difference, right, We're not 77 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 4: volunteer based. We are employees basically social workers for all 78 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 4: of the families that we work with. It's honestly, like 79 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 4: it's a great job, and I think right now, especially 80 00:04:48,360 --> 00:04:52,039 Speaker 4: like super necessary because things are falling apart. 81 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 5: Yeah yeah, and yeah, just adding like one that made 82 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 5: me think of how with in the work, Like I 83 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:04,560 Speaker 5: think social work is a very apt choice of words 84 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,360 Speaker 5: because we are paired with the youth and it doesn't 85 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 5: like stop there, like we work like we work with 86 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 5: the families. We also work with like the siblings too, 87 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 5: because sometimes you'll have a youth that maybe is the 88 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 5: only child in that family that for whatever reason got 89 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 5: a mentor, and then you support also, I mean it's 90 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 5: a choice, but I would say that most mentors definitely 91 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,120 Speaker 5: opt into being there for siblings and family members in 92 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 5: the household and making sure that they're also showing up 93 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 5: for the caregivers to help them create a loving home. 94 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I mean, you know, I think that you 95 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 3: can you can look at this and see how it's 96 00:05:43,960 --> 00:05:46,280 Speaker 3: supposed to work structurally, And you know, you were talking 97 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,039 Speaker 3: about like, I mean, this is supposed to be a 98 00:05:50,640 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 3: like over a decade long commitment to these kids, right 99 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:56,919 Speaker 3: that ideally you're working with the same person and you 100 00:05:56,920 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 3: know you're forming really deep emotional attachments because you can't 101 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:03,360 Speaker 3: not do that if we're doing this kind of work. 102 00:06:03,400 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 3: But then also, you know, in order for that to work, 103 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:11,000 Speaker 3: I think it's you know, you can see this the outside, like, 104 00:06:11,040 --> 00:06:13,279 Speaker 3: in order for this to work, this has to be 105 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,440 Speaker 3: a job that you could stayably do for a decade, right. 106 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:23,440 Speaker 5: Yeah, Yeah, which I will say we do and I 107 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 5: want to do. I want to give so many props 108 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:29,640 Speaker 5: to one of our mentors who has stayed for twelve 109 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 5: years and has graduated their youth. But of of all 110 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,359 Speaker 5: of our co workers, I believe it's only one that 111 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:39,960 Speaker 5: has currently been able to do that and has stayed 112 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:41,640 Speaker 5: there as long as I have. 113 00:06:42,520 --> 00:06:45,280 Speaker 4: Yeah. Yeah, And the truth of the fact, like, yeah, 114 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 4: a for any job, twelve and a half years is 115 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 4: a really long time, right, I mean six years is 116 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 4: a really long time. And with this job, we're like 117 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,760 Speaker 4: we're an emotional sponge for a lot of things. Right, 118 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 4: So our kids go through everything that you could imagine, 119 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 4: and and within that, like everything good and everything bad 120 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 4: that you could imagine. And our job a lot of 121 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:18,560 Speaker 4: times is like we can't solve the things that are 122 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 4: affecting these kids, but we can take in some of 123 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 4: those negative feelings and that grief, that anger, We can 124 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:32,640 Speaker 4: take it in and almost like dissolve it a little bit, right, 125 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 4: But within that, like it can affect us so so much. 126 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,000 Speaker 4: And that's where Yeah, the sustainability part of like twelve 127 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 4: and a half years in this job, like that is 128 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,920 Speaker 4: a lot and and you we need a lot for 129 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,680 Speaker 4: that to like at all be be possible. 130 00:07:53,600 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, like that there's this way in which 131 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 3: you're effectively what this job is is like you're the 132 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 3: person who is trying to like mitigate the impact of 133 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:08,400 Speaker 3: like all like literally all of the structural systems of 134 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 3: violence that exist in this entire country and how like 135 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:14,920 Speaker 3: how they're just sort of targeted down on these kids 136 00:08:14,960 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 3: and your job is to like try to like protect 137 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 3: them as much as possible. And that's unbelievable amount of 138 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:27,840 Speaker 3: like physical and emotional labor. And then also like, I 139 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:29,960 Speaker 3: don't know, it seems pretty bad that there's only been 140 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 3: one coworker who's been able to graduate their kids, like. 141 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 5: Just to clarify for history that's been in like our time. 142 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, I don't know if like over. 143 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,120 Speaker 5: The thirty years, I hope that other people have, but yeah, 144 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:48,280 Speaker 5: in recent years it's only been the one. And also like, yeah, 145 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 5: this is a job where you are not necessarily able 146 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 5: to like undo the systems at play, but trying to 147 00:08:55,040 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 5: support them. And like we as mentors are inevitably also 148 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,600 Speaker 5: facing those systems against ourselves. And like, one of the 149 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 5: reasons that I think people gravitate towards this job is 150 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 5: their empathy because they have those shared experiences. One of 151 00:09:13,960 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 5: the things that is kind of heavy in the culture 152 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:21,200 Speaker 5: of friends is being asked your why when you start, 153 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,679 Speaker 5: like why did you choose friends? And for a lot 154 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:27,559 Speaker 5: of people, it is because of wanting to be the 155 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 5: person that they needed when they were going through those 156 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,160 Speaker 5: periods of time. So there's bound to be like a 157 00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 5: lot of like reactivation of feelings inside yourself that I 158 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,560 Speaker 5: think we all, like I want to say, like every 159 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 5: mentor I've worked with an incredible job of like handling 160 00:09:44,160 --> 00:09:47,240 Speaker 5: that and like taking good care of themselves. But it 161 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:51,920 Speaker 5: is definitely something that like takes a lot of regulation, 162 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 5: and I think empathy is one of the greatest skills 163 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 5: in this job. But it also yeah, it also then 164 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 5: leads to us need greater needs of self care and 165 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 5: things like that. 166 00:10:02,800 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, And like I'm I guess like people this in 167 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:08,200 Speaker 3: perspective for like people listening to this as like, Okay, 168 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 3: your job is to be the person like in the 169 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 3: friend group who like manages like when someone's like having 170 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 3: an emotional crisis, like you have to like help them 171 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 3: deal with it. And that is your job for like 172 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 3: eight kids like the worst shit in the world, like 173 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,199 Speaker 3: Jesus Christ's Oh good Lord. 174 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 4: It's honestly, like like hearing this, it's always really helpful 175 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,160 Speaker 4: to hear someone's outside perspective of our job, right because 176 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 4: we get so so into it, so into the muck 177 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 4: of like what this job can be and I think 178 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,600 Speaker 4: like overall, like like social work, it's not just like 179 00:10:47,679 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 4: our our job, but like I'm sure other social workers 180 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,760 Speaker 4: and people in care industries like we have that like 181 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:59,480 Speaker 4: continuous like vicarious trauma that makes us forget like how 182 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 4: how our job is sometimes and then it's helpful to 183 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:07,320 Speaker 4: hear other people mention it because it's like, yeah, wow, 184 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 4: our job is kind of crazy, and and the work 185 00:11:09,800 --> 00:11:13,120 Speaker 4: we do is like really important and really important for society. 186 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 4: And also yeah, like it's hard. It's hard work. 187 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:22,559 Speaker 5: It's it's hard, and it doesn't like really have an endpoint. 188 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:24,959 Speaker 5: Like we have the hours we work with kids, and 189 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,320 Speaker 5: then we have the hours we think about them and 190 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,320 Speaker 5: the things going on in their lives. And sometimes it's 191 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:34,120 Speaker 5: like sweet things. Like a lot of times it's sweet things. 192 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 5: We're I'll see something and be like, oh my gosh, 193 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:37,719 Speaker 5: you know who love that? And like things like that 194 00:11:37,760 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 5: are like oh, great idea, or oh, let's go see 195 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 5: this movie. And a lot of times it's like worrying 196 00:11:43,960 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 5: though too, and knowing that there is there is only 197 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 5: so many things we can control and some things we 198 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 5: just have to be the person that's there as they 199 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 5: have to go through something which Yeah, it's it's hard 200 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 5: because we all so obviously, like developed such loving relationship 201 00:12:03,160 --> 00:12:03,880 Speaker 5: with these kids. 202 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,520 Speaker 1: It's hard to see kids that you care about so 203 00:12:07,679 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: much that sometimes the most you can do is just 204 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:12,679 Speaker 1: be there. Yeah. 205 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:16,360 Speaker 5: It definitely is a job that, like to some degree, 206 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 5: is sort of always with you. 207 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:19,200 Speaker 4: Yeah. 208 00:12:19,360 --> 00:12:21,640 Speaker 3: We have a joke about this with this job, where 209 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 3: it's likely if do what you love and you'll never 210 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 3: be free for a single second of your entire life 211 00:12:28,080 --> 00:12:30,120 Speaker 3: because you're just always awes. 212 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's so true. Yeah, as you say this, I 213 00:12:34,679 --> 00:12:37,040 Speaker 4: worked till like nine point thirty last night because I 214 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 4: was like, you know what, I'm enjoying this so much 215 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:41,079 Speaker 4: checking out with my guys, So I'm just going to 216 00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:42,920 Speaker 4: keep working. Yeah. 217 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. So, speaking speaking of keeping working, we need to 218 00:12:46,679 --> 00:12:48,840 Speaker 3: go to ads and then we will come back and 219 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:51,760 Speaker 3: talk about the ways in which this job that requires 220 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,640 Speaker 3: an incredible amount of structural support to keep people there 221 00:12:54,679 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 3: for like over a decade, is failing to do that. 222 00:13:07,880 --> 00:13:12,120 Speaker 3: And we are back. So Okay, now now that we've 223 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 3: sort of talked about what this is, let's talk about 224 00:13:16,840 --> 00:13:19,400 Speaker 3: the actual union. It was just the thing. 225 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,800 Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, so can can you talk about sort of 226 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,440 Speaker 6: how how did organizing for this union start and what 227 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 6: were the sort of issues that could have brought everyone 228 00:13:28,559 --> 00:13:29,680 Speaker 6: to be like, Okay, we need. 229 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 4: To do this, yeah for sure. So we first brought 230 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:41,920 Speaker 4: about our petition to unionize in March of twenty twenty three, 231 00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:46,559 Speaker 4: so that was two years ago, a long time ago, right, 232 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:51,760 Speaker 4: But the work for unionization, obviously, the organizing behind it 233 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 4: had started like much before that. When I first joined Friends, 234 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 4: it was in September of twenty too, and I knew 235 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 4: that the work had already been like happening the summer before. 236 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 4: What was the catalyst was post covid. 237 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: A. 238 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,400 Speaker 4: Obviously a lot of people left, given what COVID did 239 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 4: to a lot of industries and especially care work. But 240 00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 4: then likewise, a lot of people were fired and where 241 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 4: many would say like fired without like a full on, 242 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:32,320 Speaker 4: like deep process that included a program manager who you 243 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,920 Speaker 4: know was was really listening to friends and advocating for 244 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 4: the mentor role and they were let go, which spurred 245 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 4: a lot of people to want to start organizing. Some 246 00:14:42,760 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 4: of the issues that we face, like the pay obviously, 247 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,240 Speaker 4: like within social work in general and nonprofit work, like 248 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 4: it's never going to match up and never gonna really 249 00:14:53,200 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 4: be as good as like the cost of living, especially 250 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,280 Speaker 4: here in Portland, but the pay compared to like all 251 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 4: of the emotion, the work and all the work that 252 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,240 Speaker 4: we do was just not there and not sustainable. It's 253 00:15:05,280 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 4: why people were not able to stick around because frankly, 254 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:12,560 Speaker 4: we were looking at the same issues that our families 255 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:16,080 Speaker 4: were facing of, like you know, food of insecurity and 256 00:15:16,160 --> 00:15:21,080 Speaker 4: needing to like get food stamps, or like needing like 257 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:25,160 Speaker 4: rental and like housing assistance because our pay was just 258 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:30,240 Speaker 4: not up to par. Those are a few of the issues, Jess, 259 00:15:30,280 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 4: I don't know if you have other thoughts. 260 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:34,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you touched on a lot of them. 261 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,360 Speaker 5: I think it's hard to stay in this job if 262 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 5: you are looking to have a family. There's been issues, yeah, 263 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 5: with pay, with insurance, with other sorts of things that 264 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 5: have led to mentors leaving rather than like staying there 265 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,760 Speaker 5: even if they like really wanted to stay there, just 266 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:53,240 Speaker 5: wouldn't necessarily allow for them to have maybe like the 267 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 5: life they wanted and also just honoring. I think with 268 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:04,840 Speaker 5: like bereavement leave and critical issue leave has been areas 269 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:09,480 Speaker 5: that haven't really been addressed. We have had very tragic 270 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 5: things happen in the in our working community with the 271 00:16:13,040 --> 00:16:18,480 Speaker 5: families that have drastically affected. Yeah, the well being of 272 00:16:18,520 --> 00:16:20,120 Speaker 5: mentors and staff members alike. 273 00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, and I mean, you know, this is a job 274 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:28,760 Speaker 3: that structurally is designed to be a kind of like 275 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:30,760 Speaker 3: like again, if the goal is to have one person 276 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:35,760 Speaker 3: from like kindergarten to on healthy like a graduating high school, right, 277 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 3: like that is something that requires like nineteen fifties nineteen 278 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 3: sixties style forwardism, Like you have one job for decades, 279 00:16:45,880 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 3: and the only way you can to that is if 280 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:52,680 Speaker 3: people are incredibly well supported. And it's like the fact 281 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 3: that it's like, Okay, you're trying to do this, but 282 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 3: you're not paying people enough money to fucking afford food, 283 00:16:58,560 --> 00:17:01,960 Speaker 3: Like what the hell, like Jesus Christ. 284 00:17:02,560 --> 00:17:06,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, just like yeah, oh my god, yeah, or even 285 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 4: I mean it's still something that we're fighting. But like 286 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:14,440 Speaker 4: our our workplace like doesn't provide health insurance for dependence, 287 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 4: which I think, oh my god, she's really ironic, giving 288 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:20,720 Speaker 4: how much we care for kids. And then some of 289 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,240 Speaker 4: our mentors and other coworkers that have kids, like have 290 00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 4: to spend so much money on health insurance for their 291 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 4: own personal. 292 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:31,359 Speaker 3: Kids friends of some of the kids apparently how this works, 293 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 3: I can't say. 294 00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah, and honestly like big big picture thinking, 295 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:43,240 Speaker 4: Like the reason why we like started this whole unionizing 296 00:17:43,520 --> 00:17:49,119 Speaker 4: project was because we care so much about our kids, right, Like, 297 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 4: I when I first started working at Friends Like, I 298 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 4: think was the first mask mentor to be hired in 299 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 4: a fairly long time, after a lot of firings of 300 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:06,560 Speaker 4: other mass mentors and two of the youth that actually 301 00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:08,160 Speaker 4: it's more than two of the youth, but the first 302 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:10,520 Speaker 4: two youth that I was matched up with, they hadn't 303 00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 4: had a mentor for over two years, jeez, which is 304 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,400 Speaker 4: a really long time. Like when you you know, are 305 00:18:20,119 --> 00:18:23,720 Speaker 4: five six years old, and you're used to one person 306 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,680 Speaker 4: consistently picking you up every single week and hanging out 307 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:31,320 Speaker 4: with you and spending time with you for several hours 308 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:39,320 Speaker 4: for six or seven years, and then just like next day, 309 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:43,600 Speaker 4: next week, maybe even that same day, you find out like, oh, 310 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,000 Speaker 4: you no longer have a mentor, and you're not going 311 00:18:46,080 --> 00:18:49,720 Speaker 4: to have a mentor for two more years because people 312 00:18:49,800 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 4: keep leaving. People aren't wanting to apply for this job 313 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 4: because the pay isn't high enough. Right That then like 314 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:58,919 Speaker 4: creates like a lot of issues with the kids that 315 00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 4: we're dealing with. It's not like we are these like 316 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 4: saviors or like anything like along those lines, right, But 317 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:11,159 Speaker 4: when someone has consistent support and then that support is 318 00:19:11,280 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 4: lost for a long time, especially when you're a young 319 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 4: kid where it's been the majority of your life you've 320 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,199 Speaker 4: been having that consistant support, that then creates like a 321 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:24,120 Speaker 4: lot of trust issues and like overall like attachment issues 322 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:27,320 Speaker 4: that I you could face. And for me, that was 323 00:19:27,359 --> 00:19:29,639 Speaker 4: the main thing, like working with these kids and having 324 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 4: to like regain that trust was something that's like still 325 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:40,840 Speaker 4: to this day is like really emotionally like daunting. And I, like, 326 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 4: I will keep saying this. I love my kids so much, 327 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,720 Speaker 4: like I like can't stop thinking about them, And I 328 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:52,440 Speaker 4: want to be with my kids until they graduate, which 329 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:55,600 Speaker 4: would mean me staying at this job for another eight years, 330 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 4: which it's a long time, right, but I want to 331 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 4: do that. So I want to you know, get paid, 332 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:06,680 Speaker 4: have time off when one of my sadly this is 333 00:20:06,720 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 4: something that did occur where you've passed away that I 334 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,320 Speaker 4: worked with and like didn't have time off to like 335 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:17,399 Speaker 4: really grieve that hard stuff. And I just want to 336 00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:21,399 Speaker 4: be able to stay there until they're done with the program. 337 00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's like there's just just like a litany 338 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:27,159 Speaker 3: of horrors where it's like one, it's like you know 339 00:20:27,200 --> 00:20:30,359 Speaker 3: what when there is like it's not you know, like 340 00:20:30,400 --> 00:20:33,840 Speaker 3: turnover in a normal job sucks, but this is like 341 00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 3: when there's turnover because people can't afford to live their lives. 342 00:20:37,520 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 3: It's like you're just like ripping a hole in these kids, 343 00:20:40,119 --> 00:20:44,639 Speaker 3: like the fabric of their social lives. And then also 344 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,880 Speaker 3: it's like, yeah, one of these kids that is literally 345 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 3: your job to care for dies. You just have to 346 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,879 Speaker 3: fucking go to work the next day. Like it is 347 00:20:54,640 --> 00:21:00,000 Speaker 3: so hideous, and it's just like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 348 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 3: Like it makes sense that, like yeah, if people are organizing, 349 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:07,879 Speaker 3: because it's like, you know, like this organization is just 350 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:11,720 Speaker 3: systemically failing both the people that are trying to help 351 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,960 Speaker 3: and the people whose job it is to like help them. 352 00:21:15,160 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 1: And yeah, yeah yeah. 353 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:21,880 Speaker 5: I think one of the things that is like hardest 354 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,159 Speaker 5: to see while like working there is the ways in 355 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,639 Speaker 5: which this like job that you do, like that like 356 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:31,679 Speaker 5: I care so much about and love doing, but like 357 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 5: seeing this like institution in a way be like part 358 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:39,479 Speaker 5: be part of the problem because if we aren't like 359 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,360 Speaker 5: having it so that employees feel supported in the way 360 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 5: that they need to. 361 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: Like, life happens. 362 00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,560 Speaker 5: Sometimes people leave and like move and get a different 363 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 5: job for various reasons. But a lot of the times 364 00:21:53,520 --> 00:21:58,000 Speaker 5: it's it's because it's not sustainable and it's really hard 365 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 5: to leave, and like it's heartbreaking thing because I, like, 366 00:22:02,720 --> 00:22:07,159 Speaker 5: I want to graduate many of my youth and it 367 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,280 Speaker 5: is something that I think about of like how feasible 368 00:22:10,320 --> 00:22:12,560 Speaker 5: is that, Like I want to do it, and like also, okay, 369 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 5: then that means I got to be frugal and all 370 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 5: these other ways are et cetera. And yeah, and working 371 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:20,439 Speaker 5: with youth that have already kind of experienced loss and 372 00:22:20,480 --> 00:22:22,080 Speaker 5: wanting to continue to show up for them. 373 00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 1: The job itself feels so. 374 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 5: Sacred and like I feel so lucky to be in 375 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:29,080 Speaker 5: these kids' lives. And I think just a lot of 376 00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 5: the turnover has been out of like lack of sustainability 377 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,679 Speaker 5: for yourself, like for your well being. 378 00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:42,440 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, And I mean the turnover numbers were pretty well. 379 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 4: I think one time we calculated it and mentors where 380 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,760 Speaker 4: it was like a forty something like turnover mentors. Yeah, 381 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:56,400 Speaker 4: And a lot of that happened because in this two 382 00:22:56,480 --> 00:23:01,240 Speaker 4: year time period where we've been fighting for constrect they 383 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 4: also froze wage increases. So I've had the same the 384 00:23:07,840 --> 00:23:09,879 Speaker 4: same wage for the past two years, two and a 385 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,399 Speaker 4: half years that I've been working here, you know, and 386 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:16,919 Speaker 4: in that same time period, inflation has been prettique crazy 387 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:27,320 Speaker 4: and rent for me. Yeah, yeah, which which you know gladly. 388 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 4: Now we're we have this fight and we're at the 389 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 4: two year mark and not at the zero year mark 390 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:35,199 Speaker 4: and not looking forward to two more years of doing this. 391 00:23:35,280 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 4: But yeah, it's it's been hard to sustain this when 392 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 4: everything is increasing in price and our wages are completely stagnant. Yeah. 393 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 3: Yeah, So let's take one more ad break and then 394 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:51,119 Speaker 3: we will come back to talk about, Yeah, how how 395 00:23:51,240 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 3: unionization efforts are going. And yeah, we are back. Yes, 396 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:09,239 Speaker 3: let's let's talk about how this campaign is going. So 397 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,640 Speaker 3: you said you've been in barketing for two years. 398 00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:19,400 Speaker 5: So we had our petition for recognition on March twenty third, 399 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,120 Speaker 5: twenty twenty three, so that was over two years ago. 400 00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,040 Speaker 3: And then our chez Yeah yeah. 401 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 5: Our employer didn't formally recognize us, but through the process 402 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,680 Speaker 5: of like voting, we got over ninety three percent of. 403 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:39,359 Speaker 3: Wow, Yeah, that's an incredible. That's incredible. 404 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 5: It's super great, and it's also like, wow, we all 405 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 5: really need it. Yeah, And like there were some other barriers, 406 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:52,680 Speaker 5: including like not being formulaly recognized. Like we also had 407 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 5: management contest a few positions that I believe most, if 408 00:24:57,640 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 5: not all, we were able to successfully happy part of 409 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:03,880 Speaker 5: our unit. And then we didn't have our first bargaining 410 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 5: session until September of twenty twenty three, so like almost 411 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:09,560 Speaker 5: six months. 412 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,240 Speaker 1: I think if I did the math right. 413 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:17,480 Speaker 5: After we formally presented our letter for recognition, yeah, yeah, 414 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:20,000 Speaker 5: and like throughout that process, so now it has been 415 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 5: like Haesus is quite good at keeping track of it. 416 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,680 Speaker 5: But I think as of today we're about at five 417 00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 5: hundred and eighty days of bargaining. 418 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 3: God. 419 00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:31,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 420 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 5: Yeah, it's been a long one and it hasn't been 421 00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,680 Speaker 5: It's been like also a choppy journey where there has 422 00:25:38,760 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 5: been delays in scheduling, delays in just getting different articles 423 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 5: back in time. One of the biggest ones obviously was compensation. 424 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,240 Speaker 5: And I think I can't quite remember the period of time, 425 00:25:53,280 --> 00:25:57,280 Speaker 5: but we presented it over a year ago. I think 426 00:25:57,840 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 5: maybe I could be wrong, and it took like it 427 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:07,040 Speaker 5: took several several several months for us to get anything 428 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 5: back from management, which yeah, was. 429 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,200 Speaker 1: A big bummer, amongst other things. 430 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,200 Speaker 3: It sucks. It sucks, like. 431 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,720 Speaker 4: And obviously that's the one that we have yet to finalize, 432 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:22,760 Speaker 4: like a yeah, as we're talking right. 433 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:24,040 Speaker 1: Now, Yeah, it is. 434 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,119 Speaker 5: Insurance and compensation are still our last two articles left. 435 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:33,639 Speaker 4: Yeah, and some of the like the difficult things. I 436 00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 4: mean when you are working on a project, I mean, 437 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 4: I wouldn't be surprised given like really when these conversations started, 438 00:26:43,359 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 4: if we're looking at like over nine hundred or one 439 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:50,080 Speaker 4: thousand days of like really talking about this, but then 440 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:55,359 Speaker 4: when you're dealing with bargaining for five hundred and eighty days, like, 441 00:26:55,440 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 4: it's exhausting. It is so exhausting. We have regular meetings 442 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 4: that we attend to that our bargaining meetings were specifically 443 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 4: scheduled outside of work hours, so that like the people 444 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,760 Speaker 4: on our bargaining team and other union members would have 445 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 4: to put in that extra time outside of our forty 446 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:21,400 Speaker 4: hour week. Yeah, and within that, like the hardest part 447 00:27:21,680 --> 00:27:27,000 Speaker 4: is when you directly confront right your managers and your 448 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 4: bosses about like the rights and the things that you need. 449 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,399 Speaker 4: So much of it like boils down to respect, right 450 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 4: and your respect as like a worker and the value 451 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,520 Speaker 4: that you have as a worker in your organization, and 452 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 4: when there is the pushback on that, it honestly is 453 00:27:47,000 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 4: like for me at times was debilitating. Right when you're 454 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:55,120 Speaker 4: doing this work and your workplace is stretching things out 455 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 4: for so long, yeah, and you're pouring your heart out 456 00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:03,679 Speaker 4: your kids, like really trying to do the best that 457 00:28:03,840 --> 00:28:07,960 Speaker 4: response from our you know, our supervisors and managers, like 458 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,399 Speaker 4: it really was hard. What was hard for me was 459 00:28:12,400 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 4: hard for other union organizers in our workplace, and was 460 00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 4: hard for all of our workers where we started thinking 461 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:20,199 Speaker 4: like dang, like what is the value that we have 462 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 4: like in this workplace? What is the value that we 463 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,520 Speaker 4: intrinsically have in the work that we're doing with our kids? 464 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,119 Speaker 4: It's a lot, And it's a lot when you're facing 465 00:28:28,200 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 4: all these systems that our kids are facing and like 466 00:28:30,880 --> 00:28:33,720 Speaker 4: taking those things in and then are trying to change 467 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,440 Speaker 4: those systems. Finally able to try to change those systems, 468 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:39,440 Speaker 4: and we learned that like, oh wait, like the place 469 00:28:39,480 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 4: that we're working is actually part of these systems too, 470 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 4: and it's doing the same things that we're like fighting 471 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,960 Speaker 4: to have our kids, like have better lives, Like we're 472 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 4: facing it right now from inside the house. 473 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,880 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, I wanted to add into yeah very much, 474 00:28:55,920 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 5: realizing that like our management is also in a way 475 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,600 Speaker 5: operating you know, maybe like a corporation, which isn't the 476 00:29:04,640 --> 00:29:07,360 Speaker 5: hope you would have for a nonprofit. And one of 477 00:29:07,360 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 5: the steps we had to take as a union was 478 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 5: filing a UOP so unfair labor practice, which cited like 479 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 5: I had mentioned before, like delays and scheduling and also 480 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,080 Speaker 5: regressive bargaining, which just means that like the way in 481 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:28,480 Speaker 5: which they're presenting things would have lessened our like quality 482 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,680 Speaker 5: of conditions. So definitely not what you want to be getting, 483 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 5: not what you want to be handed across from the 484 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 5: bargaining table. 485 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 4: Yeah yeah, yeah yeah. Within this process, they were currently 486 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 4: sourly workers, but they tried to change just to hourly workers. 487 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 3: Oh my god. 488 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 5: Yeah, which again like we're always working, you know, we're 489 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 5: always working, so unless you want to pay me for 490 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 5: twenty four. 491 00:29:56,040 --> 00:30:01,240 Speaker 3: Hours, you know you're talking about like, yeah, that they're 492 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 3: behaving like a corporations, Like oh yeah, this is exactly 493 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,720 Speaker 3: what like by employer did to me, which is like 494 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:08,600 Speaker 3: like one of like one of the largest media companies 495 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:10,560 Speaker 3: in the world, and they dragged out negotiations for two 496 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 3: years and like, you know, you're talking about this sort 497 00:30:13,040 --> 00:30:14,840 Speaker 3: like just like oh, they're like the filling of disrespect 498 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 3: where they're just not getting stuff back to you. And 499 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,240 Speaker 3: it's like I remember, you know, like we'd be sitting 500 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 3: there for a bargaining meeting and they wouldn't and they 501 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 3: would be an hour late, and they'd be an hour 502 00:30:23,400 --> 00:30:27,120 Speaker 3: late because they hadn't like bothered to beforehand spend time 503 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:29,320 Speaker 3: drafting out what their responses were going to be, so 504 00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:31,280 Speaker 3: they were frantically trying to get it done before we 505 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:32,720 Speaker 3: were there, and we're all just sitting there for literally 506 00:30:32,760 --> 00:30:34,880 Speaker 3: an hour waiting for them to show up. But it's like, Okay, 507 00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:36,840 Speaker 3: there are people in this unit whose job it is 508 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,800 Speaker 3: to stand next to car bombs, like and you can't 509 00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 3: show up on time to your to this to this 510 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,479 Speaker 3: meeting that you have know was going to happen for weeks. 511 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:48,800 Speaker 3: Like it's just I say this. Every single level of 512 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:51,800 Speaker 3: these episodes was like this is an incredibly common Unielistic 513 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 3: tactic is draw out the first contract because that's that's 514 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,840 Speaker 3: like the second point where unions fail after like the 515 00:30:56,960 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 3: after after you get like recognition votes is like here, yeah, 516 00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:03,720 Speaker 3: for sure, you know, Like I mean I think there's 517 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 3: something that we expect corporations to do this, but it's like, Okay, 518 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 3: this is an NGO that's like the point of which 519 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:14,120 Speaker 3: you're supposed to be like helping underprivileged, underprivileged youth, and 520 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:15,800 Speaker 3: then they're like we're going to turn around and we're 521 00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 3: going to screw over different underprivileged youth. 522 00:31:18,560 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 4: Like yeah, it sucks, yeah, And I think that's like 523 00:31:22,720 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 4: for me, one of the things that just like mess 524 00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 4: with my mind the most is that, like we're not 525 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:31,640 Speaker 4: selling a product, right, We're not trying to like get 526 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 4: revenue or anything along those lines. Right. So, like our 527 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,400 Speaker 4: job is a job that we actually like fully love 528 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 4: and like want to stick around, like not not just 529 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 4: for our own like financial you know, peace and our 530 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:50,960 Speaker 4: own like financial security. Like we want to stick around 531 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,680 Speaker 4: this job because we care about the job. And you 532 00:31:53,720 --> 00:31:56,959 Speaker 4: know that's not to like like other you know, businesses 533 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 4: and other workplaces that unionize, a lot of times people 534 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:03,640 Speaker 4: want to do that because they want financial security, right, 535 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 4: And I think for a lot of NGOs, nonprofits and 536 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 4: care work, like we unionize because we want to stick 537 00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 4: around both because of financial security, right, but also because 538 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,280 Speaker 4: we just like care so much about the work that 539 00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 4: we're doing and to be faced with actions by our 540 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:31,960 Speaker 4: workplace that you know, try to dissuade us from that, 541 00:32:32,160 --> 00:32:34,160 Speaker 4: try to like you know, in a sense, like it 542 00:32:34,160 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 4: felt like stopping us from wanting to stick around like 543 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 4: that again really hard, really hard, And I think like 544 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 4: a really like psychologically hard part that comes with unionizing 545 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,200 Speaker 4: in the care work field in the like nonprofit space. 546 00:32:50,680 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 5: Yeah, like, this isn't a job that people are going 547 00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:57,320 Speaker 5: to take for the money, but we do need to 548 00:32:57,400 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 5: be receiving like equitable pay and benefits so that we 549 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:05,360 Speaker 5: stay at this job like this by all means, and 550 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:08,240 Speaker 5: like still like this is the same way I feel 551 00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 5: about it to this day. I remember like reading the 552 00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 5: little like job description for this role and was like, Oh, 553 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:18,960 Speaker 5: this is dude, this is like my dream job. This 554 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,760 Speaker 5: is like one hundred percent what I want to spend 555 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:28,120 Speaker 5: my energy towards. Yeah, and yeah, I think that's a 556 00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 5: huge part of why we were able to get like 557 00:33:30,320 --> 00:33:33,840 Speaker 5: that ninety three percent and to have also like routine 558 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 5: support for different actions and stuff is just because we 559 00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:42,560 Speaker 5: have people that care so much about wanting to stick around. 560 00:33:43,360 --> 00:33:46,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, and that's the thing that ngngos, you know, and 561 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,760 Speaker 3: you see this in abortion work, you see this in like, 562 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,200 Speaker 3: you see this in nursing, you see this in all 563 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,160 Speaker 3: of these different fields. Is like, that's the thing that 564 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,880 Speaker 3: these NGOs used to exploit people, is you know, like 565 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:01,239 Speaker 3: is the basic human see and love and care that 566 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,560 Speaker 3: we have for the people who were caring for and 567 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:08,479 Speaker 3: there and these people are like, aha, look at this. Aha, 568 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:11,320 Speaker 3: these people they care about the thing that they're doing. 569 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 3: We could underpay them and overwork them. It's like, why 570 00:34:16,200 --> 00:34:17,279 Speaker 3: is there system work like this? 571 00:34:17,640 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 7: Like it's just. 572 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:23,160 Speaker 3: What a terrible way to decide an economic system. 573 00:34:23,360 --> 00:34:24,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, just good lord. 574 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,520 Speaker 3: Oh, let's talk a little bit about, like, you know, 575 00:34:28,560 --> 00:34:30,319 Speaker 3: what kinds of organizing things you all have been able 576 00:34:30,360 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 3: to do, and the kinds of things you've been able 577 00:34:31,560 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 3: to accomplish by you know, working together even in these 578 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:38,880 Speaker 3: really kind of like I don't know, structurally difficult conditions. 579 00:34:39,640 --> 00:34:40,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, we've had. 580 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:45,000 Speaker 5: We've had a multitude of different actions over the past 581 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,000 Speaker 5: you know, over the past one hundred and eighty days. 582 00:34:48,880 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 5: I think one of our one of our biggest ones 583 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 5: by far, which was I think also was just one 584 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,760 Speaker 5: of our most beautiful in a way was no member 585 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,879 Speaker 5: of Last year, we did an info picket and it 586 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:06,080 Speaker 5: was one of those things too where it was very 587 00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:09,080 Speaker 5: well planned out, but also even with the best of planning, 588 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:12,160 Speaker 5: midway through we had a shift location based off of 589 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:17,359 Speaker 5: just changing information we were getting, and we had one 590 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:21,000 Speaker 5: of our little bits. It's because our union is called fun. 591 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 5: A lot of our posters were SpongeBob themed, so instead 592 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 5: of imagination, you know, it's compensation. 593 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:32,719 Speaker 1: And the rules. 594 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,919 Speaker 5: Yeah, and I think it's indicative of like also how 595 00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:39,640 Speaker 5: much people that work with us are playful and sweet 596 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,120 Speaker 5: and why we're are good at our jobs of working 597 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:48,960 Speaker 5: with kids. And yeah, we had very high turnout. I 598 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,000 Speaker 5: think we had forty something people within our own organization 599 00:35:53,120 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 5: that showed up for that. We've done smaller actions too, 600 00:35:56,239 --> 00:36:00,279 Speaker 5: by just asking for community support, like we've had caregivers 601 00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:04,200 Speaker 5: write letters of support to different people in management. 602 00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,680 Speaker 1: We've also done a few pack the. 603 00:36:06,719 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 5: Rooms for bargaining sessions, like especially when there have been 604 00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:12,880 Speaker 5: times that have felt like there's been some semblance of stalling. 605 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:16,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, those are just some of them chime in with others. 606 00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 4: Yeah, within that and I think, like an interesting thing 607 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:23,799 Speaker 4: about nonprofits. Our revenue comes from donors, right, so we 608 00:36:23,880 --> 00:36:26,800 Speaker 4: have to play this like fun game of like, Okay, 609 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:29,600 Speaker 4: how do we communicate with our donors, right, so that 610 00:36:29,680 --> 00:36:33,160 Speaker 4: we make sure that they know that, like you know, 611 00:36:33,440 --> 00:36:36,239 Speaker 4: this is part of like what they're donating to. But 612 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,840 Speaker 4: then within that also like you knows, ask for money 613 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:42,960 Speaker 4: as well, right, because we do want you know, better 614 00:36:43,040 --> 00:36:47,080 Speaker 4: pay and better benefits. Right. So we've contacted donors and 615 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:51,319 Speaker 4: will still plan to do that with both that ask 616 00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 4: of like support the union and support our organization, right, 617 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:56,440 Speaker 4: because the thing that we care about the most is 618 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 4: the work that we do with our kids, and for 619 00:36:58,239 --> 00:37:01,680 Speaker 4: that to happen, we wow our organization to like stay 620 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:06,600 Speaker 4: afloat truly, right, Yeah, some of the wins that we've gotten. 621 00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:12,560 Speaker 4: I mentioned earlier that they were trying to have us 622 00:37:12,600 --> 00:37:16,359 Speaker 4: be hourly workers, and that was a big campaign that 623 00:37:16,560 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 4: we like were fighting back on for a long time. 624 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:24,640 Speaker 4: It's also like what precipitated the ULP filing. I made 625 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 4: too many buttons. 626 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:30,200 Speaker 1: That said you. 627 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:32,279 Speaker 3: Could never have peuty buttons. 628 00:37:31,680 --> 00:37:35,640 Speaker 4: Truly that said I worked forty plus hours a week 629 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,160 Speaker 4: because one of the people on the bargaining team for 630 00:37:38,239 --> 00:37:41,600 Speaker 4: management at the bargaining table asked if we even worked 631 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 4: forty hours a week while we were talking about this, 632 00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 4: And that's like one of those instances that I mean 633 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,719 Speaker 4: like yeah, wow, that's like a little disrespectful and like 634 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:56,160 Speaker 4: really bites. So we all were wearing these pins regularly. 635 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 4: We you know, we signed a strike pledge where we 636 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:02,799 Speaker 4: had like eighty something percent of the unit say that 637 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:05,440 Speaker 4: like if we came to voting for a strike, people 638 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:09,680 Speaker 4: would strike. And the big win was like, Okay, great, 639 00:38:09,719 --> 00:38:11,640 Speaker 4: we get to stay a salaried workers because they walk 640 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:16,880 Speaker 4: back on that on that threat. We our time off. 641 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:21,840 Speaker 4: We have a time off contract or agreement now that 642 00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:24,520 Speaker 4: like some of my co workers that have been around 643 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,879 Speaker 4: a long time, once the contract gets ratified, they'll have 644 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:29,919 Speaker 4: like two more weeks of time off. 645 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:31,760 Speaker 3: Hell yeah, hell yeah. 646 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:35,120 Speaker 4: Because they haven't. They've been around for seven years and 647 00:38:35,160 --> 00:38:38,440 Speaker 4: they're still at the same amount of time off basically 648 00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:43,040 Speaker 4: that I'm at and that I've been at since the beginning. Yeah, 649 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:45,560 Speaker 4: And when it comes to wages, like, well, we're still 650 00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 4: figuring that out, but some of the gains that we 651 00:38:49,719 --> 00:38:53,359 Speaker 4: are potentially looking at is like incredible. Like I looked 652 00:38:53,360 --> 00:38:58,040 Speaker 4: at the numbers yesterday of like what hopefully given like 653 00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 4: where we're at right now in in the agreements, like 654 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:04,560 Speaker 4: what I would hopefully get and I straight up like 655 00:39:04,719 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 4: teared up looking at the number because it felt like 656 00:39:08,719 --> 00:39:14,040 Speaker 4: such a big change in my financial status. Right and yesterday, 657 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:16,680 Speaker 4: like as I said, I worked on nine thirty pm 658 00:39:16,719 --> 00:39:20,200 Speaker 4: with my kids, probably because I had this like massive 659 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,839 Speaker 4: like weight of you know, this financial doom that I'm 660 00:39:23,880 --> 00:39:27,200 Speaker 4: looking at somewhat lifted at the hope of the winds 661 00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:30,319 Speaker 4: that we might get from this contract. So it's been 662 00:39:30,840 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 4: incredibly hard, incredibly long, way too long, and all of 663 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:37,719 Speaker 4: it is so is going to be so worth it, right. 664 00:39:38,160 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 4: I hope that's something that the listeners really get that, 665 00:39:41,239 --> 00:39:46,239 Speaker 4: like this is hard work, but in the end, like 666 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,239 Speaker 4: is the change that we were hoping for, you know. 667 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 5: Yeah, And recently, one of the things that we did 668 00:39:54,120 --> 00:39:55,920 Speaker 5: do just like a run through of just to kind 669 00:39:55,920 --> 00:39:58,719 Speaker 5: of boost morales andceparketing has gone on for so long, 670 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 5: was compile all the wins that we have so far 671 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:05,520 Speaker 5: just through Tha's so still tentative, but yeah, it did 672 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,080 Speaker 5: map out a lot of huge things. One of the 673 00:40:08,120 --> 00:40:10,200 Speaker 5: things we do a lot in this job is drive 674 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:17,360 Speaker 5: and we don't have many things in policy about cleanings 675 00:40:17,400 --> 00:40:20,360 Speaker 5: or repairs. When something happens in your car with a youth, 676 00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 5: like say they throw up, it happens with kids like 677 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,440 Speaker 5: that isn't necessarily something that would have been like covered. 678 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 5: We would have had to just pay for that cleaning ourselves. 679 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:32,560 Speaker 5: And like mileage is a huge thing where one of 680 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 5: our potential like big wins is that we'll get like 681 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:39,000 Speaker 5: full mileage covered rather than having to like deduct time 682 00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:42,480 Speaker 5: from like this illusion of having an office where we 683 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:47,400 Speaker 5: would have to minus some mileage in whatever way made 684 00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:51,920 Speaker 5: sense with where our buildings were located. Despite even if 685 00:40:51,920 --> 00:40:54,360 Speaker 5: our kids were like totally somewhere else where we were 686 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:57,719 Speaker 5: picking them up, it definitely wasn't like the most sensible 687 00:40:57,760 --> 00:41:01,239 Speaker 5: way for us to be like be fully reimburse for 688 00:41:01,280 --> 00:41:02,040 Speaker 5: what we were doing. 689 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:04,840 Speaker 1: And those are all. 690 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:09,280 Speaker 5: Huge wins that we do have, Like obviously compensation insurance 691 00:41:09,320 --> 00:41:11,279 Speaker 5: are two of the biggest that we're still working on. 692 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:15,480 Speaker 5: I think recently, like almost within this week, we've started 693 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:18,759 Speaker 5: to tip in a way that feels like we may 694 00:41:19,120 --> 00:41:23,640 Speaker 5: be close to having a contract soon, which I do 695 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 5: want to say, like you know, as inspiration to everybody 696 00:41:27,040 --> 00:41:30,400 Speaker 5: out there that works for a nonprofit like unionize, and 697 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:33,200 Speaker 5: you know what, you might it might farewell for you. 698 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 5: I have hope for everybody, and like right now I 699 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:38,440 Speaker 5: think a lot of are, like a lot of my 700 00:41:38,480 --> 00:41:41,640 Speaker 5: coworkers are starting to have hope again because I do think, 701 00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:44,160 Speaker 5: like you said, it is totally a manipulation tool to 702 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:47,799 Speaker 5: have it drawn out so long. And yeah, it is 703 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:52,160 Speaker 5: exhausting to be basically stalled in your wage for two 704 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,200 Speaker 5: and a half years. But we are like gaining some 705 00:41:55,320 --> 00:41:58,239 Speaker 5: traction again, which I do think is something that we're 706 00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:03,080 Speaker 5: still being you know, cautious with just because right now 707 00:42:03,120 --> 00:42:05,360 Speaker 5: it does feel like management is working with us a 708 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:06,040 Speaker 5: little bit more. 709 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:07,839 Speaker 1: But I also think that there. 710 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:11,920 Speaker 5: Are reasonings around that, Like we're about to have in 711 00:42:11,960 --> 00:42:16,560 Speaker 5: a few weeks our biggest fundraiser for our work, because 712 00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:20,200 Speaker 5: like Casue said, we are majority donor based, and I 713 00:42:20,239 --> 00:42:22,759 Speaker 5: do think there's an appeal to management to have a 714 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:26,279 Speaker 5: contract by then. Ye, it adds to the whole we're 715 00:42:26,320 --> 00:42:28,319 Speaker 5: doing good work and we treat our employees as well. 716 00:42:28,880 --> 00:42:32,160 Speaker 5: I hope that that is something then that is fulfilled 717 00:42:32,160 --> 00:42:35,279 Speaker 5: by them in an honest way, not just a superficial way, 718 00:42:35,560 --> 00:42:38,800 Speaker 5: because we are still pushing for a little bit more 719 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:42,879 Speaker 5: right now, and have bargaining coming up next week. So yeah, 720 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:46,560 Speaker 5: I'm really hoping that what they're showing us isn't just performative, 721 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:48,600 Speaker 5: that we really might be able to get to a 722 00:42:48,640 --> 00:42:52,120 Speaker 5: point where there is something that is truly good for us, 723 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:57,759 Speaker 5: because we're all ready we're all ready for a contract. 724 00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:02,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, as you know, as someone who got our contract, 725 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:04,640 Speaker 3: like it doesn't. It doesn't magically solve everything, but like, 726 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:05,440 Speaker 3: my god. 727 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:09,000 Speaker 7: It should make your life better, like it is, it 728 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:13,520 Speaker 7: is absolutely worth it. Yeah, Okay, So how can people 729 00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 7: support y'all both sort of locally here and then just 730 00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:19,799 Speaker 7: like broader because most of the people are not. 731 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:24,520 Speaker 5: Here Honestly, most of our like people in like management positions. 732 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 5: Information is public if you want to email them in support, 733 00:43:27,719 --> 00:43:32,480 Speaker 5: go for it. Also, just like encouraging either your workplace 734 00:43:32,520 --> 00:43:34,600 Speaker 5: if you work in kind of a social work setting, 735 00:43:34,800 --> 00:43:36,799 Speaker 5: or like you know, if you know people that are 736 00:43:37,440 --> 00:43:40,520 Speaker 5: because this whole field of work takes such a toll 737 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:43,800 Speaker 5: on people and it is the most necessary work, and 738 00:43:44,320 --> 00:43:48,400 Speaker 5: I think it's really easy to fall into the mindset 739 00:43:48,560 --> 00:43:51,319 Speaker 5: of I'm doing this for the greater good, not you know, 740 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:53,680 Speaker 5: not for money, not for these things but like you 741 00:43:53,760 --> 00:43:58,080 Speaker 5: also deserve to feel okay and taken care of and 742 00:43:58,160 --> 00:43:59,920 Speaker 5: like have the things you need to be. 743 00:44:01,440 --> 00:44:03,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, hey, says anything else do you want to add? 744 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:09,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I would add that, Like we have 745 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:15,040 Speaker 4: an Instagram right as friends PDX Union Network. It's a mouthful, 746 00:44:15,200 --> 00:44:19,840 Speaker 4: but will link then inscription, Yeah great, And then within that, 747 00:44:20,040 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 4: like if you're in Portland, like make sure to like 748 00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,960 Speaker 4: follow us and like pay attention to what we're posting 749 00:44:27,000 --> 00:44:30,840 Speaker 4: because we you know, hopefully we do not have to 750 00:44:30,840 --> 00:44:33,799 Speaker 4: get to a point in striking, especially the place that 751 00:44:33,840 --> 00:44:36,560 Speaker 4: we're at right now with our contract, but in truth, 752 00:44:36,600 --> 00:44:38,480 Speaker 4: like we're looking at five hundred and eighty days and 753 00:44:38,480 --> 00:44:40,120 Speaker 4: that is quite a long time. 754 00:44:40,360 --> 00:44:40,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 755 00:44:40,680 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 4: And then also like if if listeners do have the 756 00:44:44,160 --> 00:44:47,360 Speaker 4: ability to donate, if they could donate some funds for 757 00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:51,000 Speaker 4: Friends of the Children Portland and somehow in their notes 758 00:44:51,040 --> 00:44:54,200 Speaker 4: be like I support the union, Like I think that 759 00:44:54,200 --> 00:44:57,680 Speaker 4: could also be a really interesting way to show the 760 00:44:57,719 --> 00:45:02,759 Speaker 4: support that like are supporters have, like for both the 761 00:45:02,760 --> 00:45:06,440 Speaker 4: work that we're doing on the youth level, but then 762 00:45:06,480 --> 00:45:09,839 Speaker 4: also like in the union side of things too, there's 763 00:45:09,880 --> 00:45:12,520 Speaker 4: been a lot of like communication of like, oh, this 764 00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:16,200 Speaker 4: is really going to impact like the development side of 765 00:45:16,239 --> 00:45:20,040 Speaker 4: our organization and like all of the things that like 766 00:45:20,440 --> 00:45:23,759 Speaker 4: our fundraising team is going to have to do to 767 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:28,480 Speaker 4: like meet these which again I think, yeah, that would 768 00:45:28,480 --> 00:45:32,960 Speaker 4: be more true if like our executive director wasn't making 769 00:45:33,120 --> 00:45:36,319 Speaker 4: like what like five times as much money as I 770 00:45:36,360 --> 00:45:41,600 Speaker 4: am Zeus Christ. Yeah, but yeah, showing that support, like 771 00:45:41,880 --> 00:45:44,879 Speaker 4: it doesn't have to be a lot, but showIn our 772 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:48,680 Speaker 4: bosses just how much like the populace like is supporting 773 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:52,000 Speaker 4: our unionization efforts like that power do you really don't too? 774 00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:55,359 Speaker 4: And and then also like it impacts our kids, like 775 00:45:55,400 --> 00:45:57,799 Speaker 4: our kids, like that's the truth of it all, Like 776 00:45:58,800 --> 00:46:00,920 Speaker 4: I want my kids to have the best life that 777 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:04,920 Speaker 4: they could possibly have, and sadly we live in a 778 00:46:04,960 --> 00:46:07,480 Speaker 4: world where money really dictates that. 779 00:46:09,040 --> 00:46:13,640 Speaker 3: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, so those are will we will 780 00:46:13,680 --> 00:46:15,360 Speaker 3: we will, we will have links in the description to 781 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:19,040 Speaker 3: all of that, And yeah, thank you too both so 782 00:46:19,120 --> 00:46:21,000 Speaker 3: much for coming on the show and hope I hope 783 00:46:21,000 --> 00:46:24,319 Speaker 3: you win, and yeah, I hope you get to go 784 00:46:24,400 --> 00:46:26,840 Speaker 3: back to caring for these kids and not and also 785 00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:29,759 Speaker 3: while not having to worry about like being able to 786 00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:30,440 Speaker 3: live your lives. 787 00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:31,799 Speaker 4: Thanking me it's so much. 788 00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:36,160 Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, thank you so much for having us. Yeah, 789 00:46:36,200 --> 00:46:38,839 Speaker 5: of course, honestly, it's been great talking about the work 790 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:43,080 Speaker 5: because it is it is really important work, and I'm 791 00:46:43,080 --> 00:46:44,200 Speaker 5: happy we get to do it. 792 00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:49,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's it's wonderful and yeah, and so this is yeah, 793 00:46:49,880 --> 00:46:52,440 Speaker 3: this is bin. It could happen here, and yeah, i'd 794 00:46:52,480 --> 00:46:54,880 Speaker 3: also go unionize your workplace. You can do it. I 795 00:46:54,960 --> 00:46:59,400 Speaker 3: guarantee it. 796 00:46:59,400 --> 00:46:59,959 Speaker 1: It could happen. 797 00:47:00,120 --> 00:47:02,440 Speaker 8: Here is a production of cool Zone Media. For more 798 00:47:02,480 --> 00:47:06,800 Speaker 8: podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website Coolzonemedia dot com, 799 00:47:06,920 --> 00:47:10,000 Speaker 8: or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 800 00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:10,960 Speaker 8: or wherever. 801 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:11,879 Speaker 1: You listen to podcasts. 802 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:14,160 Speaker 8: You can now find sources for it could Happen here 803 00:47:14,160 --> 00:47:17,160 Speaker 8: listed directly in episode descriptions. Thanks for listening.