Friday, December 02, 2005

Finally We Can All Breath

I year ago Tuesday I started working at the company I work at now. I've been there a whole year and it feels like the year sailed by. I really do like what I do. It's constantly changing and I'm constantly learning. You really can't ask for better than that.

The reason I sought out the job was a heartwrenching one. I've written the full description of this in previous posts. The company that I was hired at right out of college was a small hair product distributor who's 1 and only client was a national hair cutting chain. I bet you can guess???

I was hired as a marketing and sales coordinator for less than 1/2 of what I was making dealing cards. I went from 55K to 28K and it hurt... it hurt BAD. But I thought I was doing the right thing. I had to start somewhere and build my experience before I could make money and I knew it.

So I stuck it out. I made friends. The girls in the customer service department became like little sisters to me. Even though they were all older than me they had significantly different lives. They were mostly poor, single moms, or teen moms who were now adults trying to pick up the pieces. They looked to me for advice and I tried to make their days light and funny.

I don't need to go over all this again. If you want to read it you can - it's in the archives somewhere.

At the time that I stepped away from them all. I told their lawyer - the one that I found for them and knew was working for free - that I needed him to take care of them. I needed him to do the right thing since all the other people in money and power at that time were not doing right by the little people.

I heard from the girls a few times over the year getting little updates on their progress. I prayed constantly that good would win over evil because if it didn't I wouldn't be able to love my fellow man anymore and I would lose faith.

Today I got the word.

The girls won.

They were not compensated what I believe they should have been. The bad guys didn't crumble and fall from power.

That's not what mattered.

What matters is that these girls learned that standing up for themselves is possible and the only option. They learned that just because someone is rich and powerful doesn't mean they can get away with whatever they want... rape or sexual assault.

I got no money from this, I got no severance, I got nothing tactile that I can say "look see here what I have won for doing the right thing"

I received something far more valuable.

The world has good people and sometimes.... justice does prevail.

3 Comments:

At 11:30 PM, Blogger Sylvana said...

I completely belive in fighting for what is right even if it means that I will have to make severe sacrifices. Because in teh end, knowing that you did the right thing is the biggest win that you could ever get.

 
At 12:43 AM, Blogger Helen said...

I love it when the "little people" win (i.e. those that are not running the corporate monstrosities that run our lives), especially if the little people have so much to gain by proving to the company and themselves that they made it, that they were right.

Well done.

 
At 8:58 AM, Blogger Elizabeth said...

Oh it is wonderful when you hear that once again, good has stood its ground and prevailed. This really gave me hope - thanks for sharing it!

 

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