Wow Wednesday!

I like how quickly the week goes when you have Monday off. Well it is contract negotiation season at work. This is one of the most stressful times my job has to offer.

We have a contract negotiation team in place and yesterday was also the first full day of negotiations. As expected it isn't looking well right now. Both sides are putting what they want on the table. We want raises and job security, they want to cut pay and people. We will meet somewhere in the middle and then vote on it.

The union, though I despise a lot about them, is paid by me to represent my best interests at work. Its like a service I pay for, yes similar to extortion, but its like the cable bill or water bill.

More than likely this is what will happen this time around. The negotiations will make little progress, the working members will vote to reject the companies offer (which received a seven year extension so they know how profitable they will be over the long term) and vote to strike. The two sides will meet one more time in an emergency session and come to a temporary agreement and we will go to work the next day without a contract.

Our client needs to have their planes in the air, they frown upon work stoppages, and amazingly they take labor's side 95% of the time and pressure the company to fix it. There is a tiny percentage of chance that we will actually form a strike line (again something I despise, especially in these tough economic times) and be out even one day.

It could happen though.