When do you cut off attempts at workplace solidarity?

Yeah workerism debate etc etc., and its sort of off topic but also, fuck it, I'm on break and I want to jump off the roof. So I work in hospitality and spent a year being friendly and helpful and built positive relationships (not an effort because I actually am those things just naturally) and eventually heard enough complaints rumbling around that I took a few stabs at seeing if people wanted to work at unionizing or at least making some requests (really basic bullshit liberal shit). Nobody bit. Some people argued for the value of organization and some just didn't want to put any effort into it. Nobody even was worried about losing their job, it was just apathy or conservatism. Okay. Fine.

Over the past four months, I'm sure just coincidentally, my coworkers have started to basically leave all their shit work on me in a way that makes me responsible for it or face punishment, steal my personal property, no reciprocation for shared labor (ex. I do laundry from my rooms and they take it before I can get it from the dryers - fine, but they don't start their own so I have to do theirs to have any). These things could be alleviated with better resources and conditions but clearly nobody cared for that solution, so they just decided I'm the one to take advantage of. It's really pushing me to my limits. I've worked service and hospitality for a decade as my paid labor and this is the worst Ive ever had it. I've tried to fix systemic issues on my own by asking management for another washer dryer, better cleaning supplies, basic shit that we could all benefit from and have our lives made easier by but that hadn't happened unsurprisingly, and management seems keen on piling criticism onto me when shit goes awry. So I can't organize, I can't make simple requests, and my coworkers fuck me over constantly. I just remembered I have been confronted by management because of multiple complaints from my coworkers about how I am rude I am to them and that I create a hostile work environment, despite me doing their work for them, I guess because I don't talk to them anymore because I'm too busy. the same wage, we're all rank functionally and file, and our relationships have went totally south despite my grinning and bearing it and still trying to be a good person who helps them out.

Im not proud but I'll admit I've wanted to threaten quitting over it, but Ive dealt with it because I'm not a fucking asshole who wants to throw my coworkers under the bus. I just have no idea of what to do other than quit. But for whatever reason it took me a very long time to even get this job so I'm not looking forward to that process/unemployment again. Maybe this is just a vent topic but I'd love to hear what everyone else has done in these situations.

Posted Jun 3, 2017, 5:12 PM UTC · edited

246
Loading comments…