Hi all :)

I know I haven't posted much in awhile, and I do miss you. But life on the picket line has been a wee bit crazy as of late.

If anyone had told me a year ago that I'd have been walking a picket line for 3 months, be and would somehow get myself all embroiled in the heart of union politics, I would have laughed and laughed. But I find myself unable to be passive.

Anyway, I am ok. Just wanted to let you all know I miss you and haven't forgtten you guys :)

Dee........ sounds like u have some important issues....... hope u get them settled to your satisfaction real soon. Some of the big companies don't always realize that the cheapest way to go is not always the best........ it is good to know tho that some are learning...... best of luck........ smiles, me

Actually, wages are not a huge part of this dispute. One of the few issues relating to wage is that because my company merged with one, and bought out a couple of others, there are people doing the exact same job, making different wages, so we're looking for parity on that issue, but it's not the big sticking point.

The largest issue is that the company is stripping away our job security, particularly in relation to outsourcing. They actually own a Phillipines call center, where they have been sending calls for some time. Why would they pay an operator in Canada when they can pay one in the Phillipines at a lower rate per month than I make per half a shift?

It's kind of mind boggling, since outsourcing call centers to that area is such a failed paradigm. All the big companies that initially made the move to doing that, such as Dell, are bringing their operations back home. The costs in terms of loss of customer relationships, etc., are simply far too great.

And really, isn't it a wee bit scary to think that you could have an emergency in your home, panic and misdial 411 instead of 911 (it happens ALOT) and get someone who loses time for you by telling you to hang up and dial again, because from outside the country, they cannot patch you into the emergency services dispatch, whereas I can. Nevermind communications barriers. We are hearing horror stories from the public already about operator and customer services.

That is not all of the issues by far in this dispute, but I am getting light headed from being up on this soap box. Thanks for the support, everyone.

Well it is the land of no war, milk..honey and very low crime LOL

I beleive you guys are picketing for higher wages right dee? Or is it extension of contract? Lol I could be really wrong..

Ah but see the great thing about living in Canada... you can peacefully protest anything you want and it's ok.. gotta love this country!

And btw dee glad to hear you are doing well..come back here soon k?!

I am truely curious as to what you picket in Canada ?? Here I always read how the Canadian healthcare, retirement, and social serivce benifits are provided for by the gov't and how much better they are to US benifits (which isn't hard to beat if you don't have a good employer), so I'm wondering what do you picket in Canada ??? According to US TV it is the land of milk and honey, no war, no crime, no crooked politicains... so what the heck are you picketing ???

Good seeing you Dee...

Give em HE-double hocky sticks...

Dee, it's good to hear you are ok. Hopefully, you will be able to resolve the issues and get back to work soon. Hang in there and know you are missed in here!