I am writing this blog mostly for fellow residents of Wisconsin, although you folks living elsewhere are certainly welcome to read. (Even you Minnesotans!)

In recent years the company I work for, instead of hiring enough workers for whatever reason, has become increasingly more dependent on overtime. This summer I didn't have a lot of two day weekends; instead I frequently had to work Saturdays. Worse yet, we often weren't told we were working Saturday for certain until late on Friday. So even if we did get one of those rare Saturdays off we really couldn't make plans for the weekend anyway.

Enough people have left the company or have threatened to leave that the OT, for now, has come to an end. But this is, I'm afraid, a company addicted to the OT. And like any addict they try to get away from it for awhile, but eventually go back into their old habits. I'm working a 40 hour week again right now, but I bet it will only be a couple months or so until we're back to the 54 or 56 hour weeks.

It wasn't long ago in our country that people were fighting and dying for worker's rights, including a 40 hour work week. It is certainly not a coincidence that as labor unions have lost their size and power workers have steadily lost their rights. Just look at the growing pay gap between the average workers and the top executives at most companies.

Unfortunately, the attitude I see from many of my fellow workers is "Oh well, nothing we can do about it." Or they even take a "blame your fellow workers" attitude. You know, instead of getting mad at management, blaming your fellow workers for all the OT. ("Hey if you guys would work a little harder...!" Yeah, trust me, upper management absolutely LOVES to hear you blaming each other instead of blaming them.)

Workers, wake up! It is way past time to start fighting back!

Enough workers at my place of business protested and we got (for now) an end to the endless OT. Maybe it will come back, but then we'll have to fight back again. It can be done! No more of this "Oh, poor us, nothing can be done" attitude!

A very good place to place to start pushing back is at the polls. Fellow Wisconsinites, let's start by getting rid of Scott Walker, the most unworker-friendly governor currently in office! It's a close race! You can make a difference!