Anonymous Ethnography

My partner and I decided to make our posts anonymous, so for the sake of convenience I'll refer to her as Anna.

Anna and I met at Bruegger's in Dinkytown to conduct our interview. The reasons we chose this location were because it was convenient for us both, and because I work there, so I get free coffee. We sat down in a quiet booth earlier this afternoon and started out discussing our work experience.

I've only worked in retail and food, getting my first job at an Indian grocery store when I was 17, and since working at a family-owned pizza restaurant, and now Bruegger's. None of my jobs have had a union, so I don't have much first-hand knowledge on the topic. That said, every job I've worked has had, at best, questionable management. There were plenty of illegal regulations including, but not limited to employee treatment at my first job. Each job I've had has improved on the last in this regard.

Anna's only job was at Caribou Coffee. She worked there for two years in high school, and has been spending her time focusing on her studies since coming to college. She seemed to have a very positive experience her whole time working at Caribou. The management was reasonable and logical, the pay was good, she even got free drinks. Like me, Anna has no first-hand experience being a part of a union.

Anna is majoring in Biology, and has always had an interest in science. She is a sophomore, and spends her time as anyone else her age. She likes going to shows, hanging out with her friends, eating chocolate, and sleeping late. She's been playing guitar for three years and volunteers teaching an art class at a day care.

Anna described both of her parents as leftist, though she was unsure whether or not either of them had been a part of a union. Her father mostly works from home, and her mother has a part-time job at Cub Foods.

My parents are both republicans. My dad is currently retired, but has had a long career of managing tech departments for various companies. My mom is a nurse, and is part of a union. From what my mom has told me, she likes being part of a union, but probably wouldn't mind regardless. She didn't participate when some of the union nurses in her building went on strike.

Honestly, Anna and I seem to have very different experiences regarding our relations to the workforce. Scoring a 7 on the test during class, she sees unions has sometimes necessary, but usually a glorified burden. This mentality is likely largely impacted by the fact that she has never worked somewhere with undesirable policies and/or management. I'm also inclined to suggest that Anna's inability to recall whether or not her parents are a part of a union reflects her disinterest in the topic. Due to this disinterest, she is not likely as informed as she could be on the issues surrounding unions. In addition, perhaps her parent's leftist political stance influences her away from a similar way of thinking due to an urge to rebel.

On the other hand, I have opposing views and environmental influences from Anna, but am equally uninformed. I scored a 3 on the test; my poor experiences in the workforce probably lead me to view unions as very important for regulating crappy business management, but I've never personally been in a union. My parents identifying themselves as Republicans has also likely had some influence on my own political views.