…. and I can’t wait! Though I’m nervous as hell.
If you don’t want to read anything below, but can take reading one line, please let it be this: People who are the most against organized worker’s Unions are most likely the same that enjoy exploiting the hell out of people.
I though I’ve had a pretty decent living situation, but really I’ve been living as an indentured servant for almost 6 years. I’ve been living in a place where I can work off my rent, and get paid minimum wage for anything above any beyond. However, the place is moldy, falling apart, and only 1 room has heat. My landlord (LL) and her entire family treat me like living there and fixing their old moldy houses (so that they can make great bank through AirBNB) should be my absolute and only priority, and I should be blessed since there is a housing crisis. The above and beyond things that I do (there’s lots of light carpentry, various plumbing tasks, and the general maintenance/upkeep of the 100+ year old house I’m in) end up getting Nit-picked over, and I often end up getting paid for less hours than I actually put in … this is because my rent is so low, it’s expected that I should be doing extra.
Living here is like constantly walking on egg shells, as LL (who lives immediately next door) has family living directly upstairs from me, and there are a lot of communal spaces on that level that I live on. My bedroom and a small bathroom are the only spaces I don’t share.
In any case, I also have been working full time in the social services field. I really enjoy it, and have also been more active as a steward for my Union as well. When I first mentioned my union role awhile back to my landlord, she tensed up and told me to be careful not to let my union job get i the way of my actual work, because people who become “union people” often only want to do the union work and not their actual jobs…. I didn’t roll my eyes or laugh in her face at the time, but having grown up with parents who were part of the same union in a school-board, I knew better.
I recently got offered a permanent full time position, and I have happily accepted. Today I plan on telling my landlord that this is the reason why I am going to be moving out at the end of October; though I have already been working the full time hours in a term position for almost a year, I’m going to explain to her that with my full time job, I don’t believe I am going to be able to meet the expectations she has for me living there.
I’m really nervous, and overwhelmed with all of the change that’s about to happen, but I am looking forward to no longer being exploited by my landlord and her family. I’ve always had a good relationship with my LL, and she often comes across as kind and caring…. very much like a grandmother. I have sadly come to realize that this is part of the manipulation.
I’m going to be downsizing as much as I can, and moving into my best friend’s garage. I’m going to spend the month trying to organize my life and insulating/finishing the garage. I honestly cannot wait to get out of here.