A Necessary Evil
After listening to people in different professions, I have actually found that the most abused and underrated occupations are those gotten in touch with civil service. Individuals who work in police, fire avoidance, medicine and education are underpaid, overworked, and taken for given. Without the advantage of these specialists we would be less likely to live our lives with relative security, the advantage of education and the health the majority of us have. Nevertheless, when it concerns incomes, working conditions and public assistance for individuals in these fields, very little is provided without long, com- plicated labor disagreements.
Many individuals would deny even the opportunity for them to decide for the rights they should have for fear their walkout would threaten the public well-being. I concur that when individuals in these occupations require a strike health centers go haywire, lawbreakers are freer to roam and kids miss out on crucial weeks of class work. However striking might be the only method for these people to draw attention to their low salaries, poor working conditions and absence of public assistance; and they need to deserve to do so.
Cops and firefighters leave their homes every day uncertain they’ll make it house unimpaired – if they make it back at all – however their wages barely show the threat they require to chase after lawbreakers or fight fires. Money, however, is just one of the significant issues public workers take with them to the bargaining table. Working conditions, especially for medical assistance personnel and teachers, are constantly a factor for voting to strike when needs are not satisfied during agreement discussions For instance, many teachers spend a great deal of time in old school structures (loaded with flaking asbestos) with ineffective heating systems creating a rather freezing environment for knowing.
Children sit in classrooms dressed in coats, hats and gloves reading textbooks dating back to the 1960’s. From their vantage point, teachers notice the peeling paint, broken chairs and children with problems they can’t begin to tackle. Obviously, without the proper tools with which to teach in an atmosphere of decay or the proper placement for children needing individual attention, the job of teaching becomes frustrating and even futile, and creates a growing apathy towards the children and the profession in general. Another example is the nurse or nursing assistant who has just completed a twelve hour shift and has been told she must stay through the next because so and so called in sick. According to a close friend who is an L.P.N., this kind of request is nothing unusual and refusal to work the extra time can cause stomach ulcers quicker than if she stays and works without protest.
The guy who scrubs the hospital corridors works under better conditions; and while sanitation is important in a hospital, he’ll never have to read bottles of medication or cardiac monitors through half-shut eyes. Lack of public support is another factor forcing these professionals to strike. So taken for granted are our public service workers that many of them receive far more complaints than compliments for their daily work. A fire fighter called in the middle of the night with only moments notice is on his way to save a burning building. Reaching his destination, he grabs an ax and breaks a window to gain entrance to the property and put out the fire. Two days later the fire company receives a nasty letter complaining about the broken window.
Lack of support for the police officer may even be felt from within the law enforcement system. The policeman who arrests a person for robbery or rape is constantly faced with the court’s decision to let the offender out on bail or completely free to repeat the crime for which he was originally arrested. Again, frustration and apathy are sure to give way to poor self-esteem and a growing desperation caused by lack of caring and support by the public. People who teach, work to make our environment safe and those who help to keep us healthy are our support personnel. Although they are trained professionals working to make our lives richer, we take them for granted and leave them little choice but to let us know what life would be like if they were not here at all.
