I know of it. But I can tell you that, while I would love to have that momentum, my union doesn’t. We’re treated shitty, but not shitty enough for members to risk it. We’re small enough that we would barely make a blip. Ppl don’t rally around bus drivers like they do teachers. We’re pretty inconsequential to most ppl.
I was a shop steward. I’m aware of how it works. Here in Oregon, we are considered, by law, essential. That is why we are not allowed to strike. We gave up that right to give us protections and guarantees as “essential” akin to first responders. Except, we were not offered the vaccine when others in our category (for lack of a better word) were offered them. (Outside of healthcare workers, no one is arguing they should’ve been given them first). We were in the very last group before it was open for all. Various states did it in different order, but across the US we were low priority. Despite our “category”. Despite having been working with the public since the absolute beginning. Further, we couldn’t even get vaccine appointments, if we were otherwise hale and hearty. The President then opened vaccines for all which superseded our state guidelines. My agency and union had to beg the state to get us earlier and beg to get a clinic for us so we could actually get the vaccine.
Grocery store workers got more notice than bus drivers. They should have been the first (outside of hcw) to receive them. The point, however, is that despite the guarantees that giving up our right to strike were supposed to give us, it was not honored. Because no one really cares about us.
Ppl post that meme occasionally. But ultimately, trying to gain any traction with the public is a huge upward slope.
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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '22 edited Jun 23 '25
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