January 31st, 2022

"Always for the member."

This is from a little light box sign I keep at my desk. Akin to the often-heard mantra one hears when picking something up from Chick-fil-A of "it's my pleasure," "always for the member" is something I repeat to myself multiple times every day.

I like it because it's a good reminder of why my job exists in the first place. Being a union member can feel a lot like a Netflix subscription. Every month you pay a set amount of money in exchange for a service that will hopefully enhance your life. While the shop steward in your workplace is fulfilling their role on an unpaid voluntary basis, Business Agents like myself earn our wages by those monthly dues. Therefore, we take it as an incredible responsibility to then pour that back into your work experience in the form of holding the company accountable, being fixers for issues that come up, and being a part of the process to better the next contract.

It is a privilege to work at 638 and in quite a direct way... work for you. So continue to utilize us at every turn and please keep that set of high expectations you have that's in exchange for the union dues you pay. I love the challenge of finding ways to make your work life better, and whatever it is I find myself doing each work day to accomplish that, it is truly... always for the member.