One of my first jobs as a teenager was a beer vendor in a ballpark. Did you know they’re Unionized? Yes there is a beer vendor Union.

I was required to belong. At intake, I asked HR what this form authorizing them to give some of my pay away. What if I don’t sign? She sighed and said then I couldn’t work there.

Fast forward about 5 years. Our commissions kept getting cut. Management kept hiring more and more beer vendors. They forced us to carry heavy cases of beer nobody drinks (Amstel Light? Seriously?). Want to carry a case of Bud Light? Gotta carry a case of Amstel too. I have back problems today that I’m sure are attributed to this.

I wrote an anonymous nasty gram to management and the union. Management posted it, along with their response letter in the break room. You should have seen the crowds of people surrounding it to read it. For DAYS. Everyone saying “yeah this union is bullshit. I want to high-five whoever wrote that.” I never admitted to it, and quit the following season. But that was one of my prouder moments. 😊