Monday, December 31, 2012

Simply Excited about the New Year! Took a road into historical concerns

     2012 brought many challenges. It was the year I buried my grief and learned not to associate the holidays with the loss of my Mother, I finally have peace. It was the year I grasped hold of my independence by taking a job in the flight industry. I decided that although we drove everywhere because my husband was taught that was the way to save with a big family. I decided I wanted to change that experience for my family. I took it for granted that I flew every summer and it was past time my children did the same. My son made a friend who was on his flight to visit his father. The young chap called my 16 year old son a rookie, he was 11 years old calling my son the rookie. It was a cute story but it expanded my sons experiences.

     I spent the year working at places I thought would be fun for my children to work. Exploring the benefits as well as the pay. After reading Harry Belafonte's books and a myriad of other great men of history such as Paul Robeson to my sons through my home school endeavors, I wanted to understand their frustrations toward the service industry. I saw first hand how slavery truly does still exist in America. How we sugar coat it by calling them contractors or temp agencies. How people are treated like third world workers right here in America. The first thing I did was ask my sister to bake them macaroni and cheese and my daughter to bake them cupcakes.

    I just felt so guilty that we take so much for granted when we are in Corporate America enjoying our weekly pot lucks or company sponsored meals. It was just sad to see how service workers are treated and not even compensated for what they are truly worth by some of the biggest names in the industry. They hide behind the name subsidiary or contractor.

    Harry Belafonte is so right when he said there is still so much work to be done. However, I also explored why 90% of the population flying is non minority. I wondered do we not want to fly or is it financial? The best kept secret was most people don't know that if you work for the industry you fly free, so do your children and your parents. Foreign minorities seem to be the exception that is up on the scoop but your average american born minority seems to be out of the loop.

     My goal is to educate in this blog but to also ask you to help a service worker by being mindful that being nasty and leaving your garbage in a seat back only costs the airline industry more money, but also keeps a service worker away from their family that much longer. I saw 60 to 80 year old women working 12- 16 hour days to keep the airline clean for you or handling your baggage. Be clean and help our service workers in anyway that you can. I have since resigned from the service industry because I am not built for it per my husband and I believe you can only be abused if you allow it. Some people don't have a choice, they don't have a degree and feel stuck because it's the only way they can visit their families. So please keep that in mind, when you decide to not take a minute of your time to be clean in travel or on the ground. Be blessed in 2013 and take care of others as you would yourselves! I enjoyed the opportunity because it was temporary and gave me free flights and something new to write about....:-) I recommend you look into who is hiring you in the industry to have a better experience than I did. Get on directly with the airline not the subsidiaries or contractors if you can.