I am fine wojak

HI TREVOR IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, YOU REALLY SHOULD. HOLDEN CAULFIELD, THE MAIN CHARACTER, IS OBSESSED WITH “PHONIES.” LIKE YOU, HE SEES THEM EVERYWHERE. BUT DO YOU REALLY SUPPOSE THAT’S WHAT I AM? IF SO, I’M AFRAID YOUR ACCUSATIONS DON’T SUPPORT YOUR PREMISE. FOR INSTANCE, WHAT EXACTLY, MAKES YOU THINK THAT I AM “AGAINST UNIONS?” TO YOUR POINT, I STILL BELONG THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD, AND I STILL WORK ON VARIOUS PROJECTS UNDER THEIR JURISDICTION. COMMERCIALS, MOSTLY. BUT IT’S ALSO TRUE THAT I DO A LOT OF NON-UNION WORK. DIRTY JOBS, FOR INSTANCE, WAS NOT A UNION PRODUCTION. NEITHER WAS SOMEBODY’S GOTTA DO IT, DEADLIEST CATCH, THE WAY I HEARD IT, HOW THE UNIVERSE WORKS, SIX DEGREES, OR ANY OF THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT LIKELY BROUGHT YOU TO THIS PAGE, TO SHARE YOUR TRENCHANT OBSERVATIONS. FACT IS, DIFFERENT PEOPLE JOIN DIFFERENT UNIONS FOR DIFFERENT REASONS. MY OWN DANCE WITH ORGANIZED LABOR BEGAN IN 1984, WHEN I WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE BALTIMORE OPERA, AND PROMPTLY INVITED TO JOIN AGMA - THE AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS. FRANKLY, I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. IF YOU WANTED TO SING IN THE OPERA, YOU HAD TO JOIN AGMA. PERIOD. SO, I DID, AND FOR FIVE YEARS, I REMAINED A “MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING.” UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WASN’T A LOT OF OPERATIC OPPORTUNITY IN BALTIMORE, AND IT BECAME PRETTY CLEAR THAT I WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO SUPPORT MYSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL SINGER. SO, I BEGAN AUDITIONING FOR COMMERCIALS AND ACTING ROLES, AND TO MY SURPRISE, I BOOKED A NATIONAL SPOT ON MY FIRST AUDITION. AT WHICH POINT I WAS INVITED TO JOIN SAG - THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD. FRANKLY, I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. IF YOU WANTED TO ACT IN COMMERCIALS, YOU NEEDED TO JOIN SAG. PERIOD. SO, I DID, AND FOR FIVE YEARS, I AUDITIONED FOR EVERY UNION GIG I COULD FIND. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WASN’T A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR ASPIRING ACTORS IN BALTIMORE, SO I BEGAN AUDITIONING FOR ROLES AS A HOST AND A NARRATOR. I FOUND SOME WORK THERE AS WELL, AND WAS IMMEDIATELY INVITED JOIN AFTRA - THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS. FRANKLY, I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. IF YOU WANTED TO WORK AS A HOST OR A NARRATOR, YOU NEEDED TO JOIN AFTRA. PERIOD. SO, I DID, AND FOR FIVE YEARS, I REMAINED “A MEMBER IN GOOD STANDING." UNFORTUNATELY, THERE WASN’T A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR HOSTS AND NARRATORS IN BALTIMORE, AND BY 1990, I HAD COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I WAS PROBABLY NOT CUT OUT FOR A CAREER IN SHOW BUSINESS. BUT THEN I AUDITIONED FOR THE JOB THAT CHANGED MY LIFE. THE QVC CABLE SHOPPING CHANNEL WAS GOING FROM CITY TO CITY, SEARCHING FOR SHOW HOSTS, AND I SHOWED UP. AFTER TALKING ABOUT A PENCIL FOR 8 MINUTES, THEY OFFERED ME A CONTRACT, AND MORE MONEY THAN I HAD MADE OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. BUT WHEN I TOLD THE PEOPLE AT AFTRA ABOUT MY GOOD FORTUNE, THEY TOLD ME THAT QVC WAS NOT A UNION SIGNATORY, AND THAT WORKING THERE WOULD VIOLATE THE TERMS OF MY MEMBERSHIP. WHEN I ASKED THEM WHAT THAT MEANT, THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD BE FINED OR TOSSED OUT OF THE UNION, IF I TOOK THE JOB. FRANKLY, I DIDN’T HAVE MUCH OF A CHOICE. I HAD NO WISH TO RUN AFOUL OF SAG, AFTRA, AGMA, OR ANY OTHER ACRONYM, BUT I ALSO NEEDED A JOB, AND NONE OF THE UNIONS I HAD JOINED HAD THE POWER TO GET ME ONE. SO, I DID WHAT I THOUGHT WAS BEST FOR ME. I TOOK THE JOB AT QVC, AND THOUGH I DIDN'T KNOW IT AT THE TIME, THAT WAS THE DAY MY ACTUAL CAREER BEGAN. THE DAY I REALIZED THAT UNIONS DIDN’T CARE ABOUT MY FUTURE, NEARLY AS MUCH AS I DID. POINT IS, TREVOR, I DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY I WAS PRESSURED TO JOIN THOSE UNIONS, AND I DIDN’T LIKE THE WAY THEY TRIED TO DISCOURAGE ME FROM TAKING THE JOB THAT STARTED MY CAREER. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I’M “ANTI-WORKER,” OR “ANTI- UNION.” I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THE RIGHT OF WORKERS TO ORGANIZE, AND I GENUINELY APPRECIATE THE PROGRESS UNIONS HAVE MADE OVER THE YEARS, PARTICULARLY IN IMPROVING WORKING CONDITIONS AND WORKPLACE SAFETY. BUT TIMES HAVE CHANGED, AND TODAY, THE BUSINESS OF EARNING A LIVING GOES FAR BEYOND NAVIGATING THE AGE-OLD TENSION BETWEEN LABOR AND MANAGEMENT. TODAY, A SKILLED WORKER WITH A STRONG WORK-ETHIC AND THE WILLINGNESS TO TRAVEL CAN PROSPER LIKE NEVER BEFORE. BECAUSE I DON’T WANT SKILLED WORKERS TO FEEL RELIANT ON ANYONE – NOT THEIR EMPLOYER, NOT THEIR UNION - NO ONE. TO DATE, THE MIKEROWEWORKS FOUNDATION HAS AWARDED NEARLY 5 MILLION DOLLARS IN WORK-ETHIC SCHOLARSHIPS TO OVER A THOUSAND RECIPIENTS, SOME OF WHOM HAVE JOINED UNIONS, SOME OF WHOM HAVE NOT.