Diane,
These particular issues are very powerful in my community.
The name W. Edwards Deming even came up in conversation
over the New Year as we visited friends in hospital. It
seems that the systems that are represented by the lives
of the workers are not being considered. Psychological
resistance can make a person seem dumb as well as some
type of chemical, as you well know.
On the other hand it behooves us, as teachers, to listen
with our whole being to the consistency of their lives.
For example, a manager sat complaining to me
about the level of help that he was getting in his
business. (Steel Pipe) He said that they even refused
to do certain jobs and forced the management to do them.
I asked how much they were making, $7.50 per hour, what
their benefits were, none, they were basically "temporary"
employees. Although some had been with the company for
a number of years. I was curious about the reason for
the refusal and inquired what the jobs were that they
made the managers do? He said "jobs like inventory and
search on piles of steel pipe." I asked him if he would
do the same job for $7.50 an hour with no medical plan
and a family of several children at home depending on
that $7.50 an hour with no cushion for injury? He
said that he wouldn't, although he was comfortable with
the danger for his salary.
Just a thought,
-- Ray Evans Harrell Magic Circle Opera Repertory Ensemble mcore@soho.ios.com (Ray Evans Harrell)