2008 Woodie Awards
A mile in worn down shoes
CASEY PALMER Cynic Correspondent
Issue date: 12/5/06 Section: Features
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The story of a typical UVM employee exemplifies the plight of the University's backbone
The character Joan is not a UVM employee, but the events of her story are true accounts of the lives of actual UVM employees.
5:45 a.m.
Alarm blaring, Joan groans and rolls over. Slamming her hand down on the alarm clock she lies in bed for a minute, thinking seriously about calling into work sick. She has never felt so tired in her life. She heads quickly for the shower where, once beneath the stream of hot water, she thinks about what to pack her daughter for lunch and how she's going to pay the heating bill.
6:13 a.m.
Joan gets dressed in her work attire: a pair of old jeans, a short-sleeve shirt, old sneakers coming apart at the sole, and a fleece jacket. She wishes she had a winter coat, but she can't remember the last time she had enough extra spending money to buy herself something new. Struggling to get her daughter awake and dressed, Joan eventually makes her way to the small kitchen. The fridge is all but empty, but she scrounges a turkey s sandwich, an apple and juice box for her daughter's lunch.
6:20 a.m.
A graying woman walks into the kitchen and kisses Joan on the cheek. She smiles and says good morning as she starts a pot of coffee. Though Joan is comfortable living in her mother's home, she feels that at 31-years-old, she has failed by not being able to make it on her own. Joan loads her daughter into the backseat of her 1990 Honda Civic. Last year, she had to choose between snow tires and new pants for her daughter. Joan chose the pants.
6:59 a.m.
Joan drops her daughter off at daycare (run by her sister) and arrives, nearly on the dot, at Harris-Millis for the daily housekeepers meeting. She will be doing housekeeping in Harris today, followed by cleaning the bathrooms and the floor near the front desk.
7:11 a.m.
A few housekeepers, Joan included, begin work on the fourth floor in Harris. She takes charge of vacuuming all through the hallways and refilling the paper products in the bathroom. This is harder work than descriptions let on; she has bruises on her hands from stuffing rolls of toilet paper into dispensers and her upper arms are sore by lunch.
The character Joan is not a UVM employee, but the events of her story are true accounts of the lives of actual UVM employees.
5:45 a.m.
Alarm blaring, Joan groans and rolls over. Slamming her hand down on the alarm clock she lies in bed for a minute, thinking seriously about calling into work sick. She has never felt so tired in her life. She heads quickly for the shower where, once beneath the stream of hot water, she thinks about what to pack her daughter for lunch and how she's going to pay the heating bill.
6:13 a.m.
Joan gets dressed in her work attire: a pair of old jeans, a short-sleeve shirt, old sneakers coming apart at the sole, and a fleece jacket. She wishes she had a winter coat, but she can't remember the last time she had enough extra spending money to buy herself something new. Struggling to get her daughter awake and dressed, Joan eventually makes her way to the small kitchen. The fridge is all but empty, but she scrounges a turkey s sandwich, an apple and juice box for her daughter's lunch.
6:20 a.m.
A graying woman walks into the kitchen and kisses Joan on the cheek. She smiles and says good morning as she starts a pot of coffee. Though Joan is comfortable living in her mother's home, she feels that at 31-years-old, she has failed by not being able to make it on her own. Joan loads her daughter into the backseat of her 1990 Honda Civic. Last year, she had to choose between snow tires and new pants for her daughter. Joan chose the pants.
6:59 a.m.
Joan drops her daughter off at daycare (run by her sister) and arrives, nearly on the dot, at Harris-Millis for the daily housekeepers meeting. She will be doing housekeeping in Harris today, followed by cleaning the bathrooms and the floor near the front desk.
7:11 a.m.
A few housekeepers, Joan included, begin work on the fourth floor in Harris. She takes charge of vacuuming all through the hallways and refilling the paper products in the bathroom. This is harder work than descriptions let on; she has bruises on her hands from stuffing rolls of toilet paper into dispensers and her upper arms are sore by lunch.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Gordon Smith
posted 12/06/06 @ 8:56 AM EST
Very sad, indeed. But, how did Joan get where she is? Where's the father of her child? Why is she not getting child support? Is she widowed? Does she choose to work at UVM because the benefits are better than what else she can find? This article is about Joan's rights to a 'livable wage'. (Continued…)
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