Im So Fucking Tired Man...

WARNING: THIS BLOG CONTAINS ANTI-WORK THEMES!

I feel like when I mention that I am anti-work, people automatically assume that I believe that I want a job and want everything just handed to me. That is obviously ridiculous, because as a society, we DO need work. When I say I am anti-work, I am ACTUALLY talking about being anti-work culture under capitalism. I always knew from the age of 15 when I got my first job, that working paycheck to paycheck just to barely make ends meet until retirement, or worse, until I die, was extremely dystopian. I remember when the realization hit me, I cried to my father that I felt like life was meaningless cause I was giving all of this precious time of my life to a corporation. He just shrugged and said "that's just how it is". I feel like everyone feels this way to a degree...

That being said, I am utterly SICK of my labor being exploited! Now more than ever! I always wanted to work in a career that helped my community. I never liked working jobs like fast food because I just wasn't feeling much of my work was helping people. Yeah maybe stave off hunger, but fast food is more of a luxury thing, for people who have disposable income. I would feel better working for some kinds of social work program that feeds families in poverty than a fast food restaurant. This is why I chose to work in healthcare! I always felt like I was helping my community by being ground zero in the prevention of the spread of infections. I take SO much pride in that! If my team wasn't at the hospital, the hospital would cease to function. We ARE the foundation to EVERYTHING in that building. 

But...everyone sees us as below them. We didn't go to school to get degrees so we can give patients nightly meds and insert IVs. We didn't stick out 10s of thousands of dollars to look at labs and give diagnoses. We certainly didn't spend 10+ years in universities to be able to cut open flesh or give potent gasses that will force them into controlled unconsciousness. All of those jobs ARE valuable...but it doesn't mean MY job isn't. Our pay rates have not increased with inflation. Surrounding jobs have been catching up, and now I am able to work for Mcdonalds for the same payrate as I am making now, with far less workload. I know this cause I have worked for McDonalds for five years. I HATE McDonalds. New hires are being hired on making more money than some of us who have been working there for years. They do not adjust payrates of long time workers to the ones of new hires. They also get bonuses for being hired, the older team members dont see bonuses at all. The new hires leave within 3 months of orientation. And the reason is always the same, too much workload for too little pay, and workplace toxicity. I hate the whole pizza party thing, but every other department of the hospital gets catering all the time, we havent had a pizza party in years. No one thanks us. We have to fight tooth and nail to get corporate to add an extra $100 to our paychecks once a year if we are lucky. Our bonuses are becoming less and less. This past year alone we lost so much staff in my department, that we only had EIGHT of us for the WHOLE HOSPITAL.  WE STILL KEPT THE HOSPITAL'S CLEANLINESS SCORES NUMBER ONE IN THE ENTIRE STATE!!!! We never saw incentive pay. Not even a thank you.  I realize now that we are being exploited. 

Tonight we lost another worker. He no called-no showed. I am at my wits end now after dealing with this for the past two years. What do I do? Help organize a strike? Or do I just find a new job? I used to love this job...the only reason I stay is because of the purpose it has, and the benefits. I just wish every single housekeeper just didn't show up to the shift for one or two day to let the hospital collapse into chaos just to twist corporate's arm into giving every one of us substantial raises. Other departments get raises and bonus all through the year. We only get one a year. This shit needs to change. Or EVS will never be able to have adequate staffing, and the score will drop.