My library is in a union. I had no problems with it being in one. Having personal leave, sick leave, and vacation time is great. But I hate seniority with every fiber of my being.
It never dawned on me how it was going to affect me and my chances of career advancement until it was my turn to feel the negative effects of it.
Before the end of last year, a full time position opened up and I wrote to the director expressing my interest (which is what we are supposed to do). This is where I learned how unfair the seniority system is. The first employee who got the position has been working for the library for about 15 years and already had a full time position before taking this one. I was angry about that. But then she decided it wasn't right for her so she went to her old one. The second employee, and the one who got the position, was someone no one expected. Never showed any interest, never trained in that department, got the job. The next employee on the list after her was someone who work two years in that department as a part timer whose position was eliminated due to the pandemic. But yet the employee who had no training got it simply because they had been there for a few months longer than the other employee who was trained and employed in that department and thus actually qualified.
Even I had more training than the employee who got the full time position as I was temporarily employed in the department for a few months during the pandemic before all staff was called back. Yet longevity is more valued than experience.
Now another full time position has popped up in my current department. I didn't apply to this one since I don't want it. But two of my supervisors want me to. There's no point. I'm so low on the seniority list that the effort to apply is worthless. We know of some of the employees who are interested but we don't want them, especially the ones who already have full time positions. We want the young part timers who have much to contribute to our department. Ones who can come up with programs for the teens and come up with great ideas to help make our department better. But we won't get them. They are too low on the ladder. As some in another department said, ” I know she's interested but she won't get it.”
I hate this system. Why should I work hard only to fucked over time and time again? There is no career advancement when seniority is in place. I shouldn't have to play the waiting game. When a position I want shows up, in the department I want to be in (it never will, I know it, this place hates me), I won't get it. It doesn't matter that I showed the drive to cross train in a department that no one cross trains in and that the employees there like me. I haven't been there long enough.
There is no reason for me to push myself to be a team player and a superstar. If the shitty employees get the first shot of promotions over the good ones, fuck it. Time to start looking for newer and less shitter library gig.