In On Death and Dying, Swiss psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross describes what has become a useful model for the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While not universally accepted, this model quite remarkably describes my recovery from two difficult losses, one emotional, another financial. The best part of Dr. Ross’s model is that she identifies a pathway to recovery.
I adopted Dr. Kübler-Ross’s model to grieving over local policy. The three phases are “You must be kidding,” “This makes zero sense,” and “Please help me understand.” Let’s apply this method to the current kerfuffle over union representation at the North Bethesda Conference Center.
Recall that the county government owns a conference center, and has licensed Marriott to operate the center. Marriott also owns and operates an adjacent hotel, and markets the entire venue for “perfectly crafted celebrations”: meetings, weddings, and South Asian weddings. Folks, take a second to look at the images, they are breathtaking.
The (manufactured) problem with this arrangement is that workers at the conference center are not unionized, a situation that the regional union for hospitality workers Unite Here Local 25 seeks to change. Presumably there will be pressure to cancel or relocate all county-sponsored events at the conference center until Local 25 takes over. Let’s apply the three phases of local policy grief to this situation.
You must be kidding Linda Martin, president of Local 25, makes a comfortable $134,759, and she’s not the highest paid officer. More importantly, it’s not clear why unionization needs to be a core county-government value. Ensuring worker safety, yes. Unionization, no. It’s not clear at all that unionizing a workplace guarantees worker safety. The teachers in the public schools are unionized, and that did not stop a sexual predator from having his way with teachers for six years. Some people claim unionization is a backbone of democracy. Find me one resident who thinks the teachers’ union protects democracy. Let’s also remember that MoCo is suffering from significant unemployment. Many service workers who used to interact with highly paid government employees are now looking for work themselves. How many of them would be willing to work at the conference center for less than union wage? Unions are great for the few who belong, and an unfair burden on everyone else.
This makes zero sense We are currently involved in a struggle for affordable housing. There are discussions about “corridors” and thresholds and limitations that, in the end, will do nothing to deliver affordable housing to those essential workers who need it most. On the other hand, the county government owns two lavish facilities, the conference center and the Strathmore Music Center, both directly across the street from metro stops! These are precisely the sites where housing should be built. Moreover, where are the unionized workers at these facilities going to live?
Please help me understand There is no reason for a county government, struggling with rising unemployment, declining population, and a declining school system, to own an upscale conference center. Ideally, the county should sell off this asset and focus on the job it is supposed to do.
Alas, that will never happen, for too many entrenched interests like things the way they are: socialism for the rich, capitalism for the poor. Unlike Dr. Kübler-Ross’s model for grief, my three stages leave little room for hope. Nothing will change.
Except for one thing. People who oppose the progressives need to do what we do best: show respect to everyone. That includes the service workers at restaurants, hotels, and conference centers. I urge everyone to gladly give a 20% tip at every opportunity (ideally in cash paid directly to the worker), and never show hostility should a restaurant chef botch an order.
