Jeff Markham was really impressed with his new job and especially with the great camaraderie he felt with all of the other workers at the SUNY hospital lab. Ever since his first day, he’d noticed how one worker in particular, Carla Villanueva, seemed to enjoy her work almost more than anyone else. In spite of the fact that Carla seemed serious about work, serious about the problem-solving projects in the laboratory, and serious about the morale in her department, she was also friendly, social, and well-organized. Carla was a worker just like Jeff, but she seemed to frequently find herself in a leadership role.
Jeff couldn’t help but notice how Carla made an effort to solicit opinions from everyone when she was the designated group leader on a particular project. When the project group became frustrated with their stuttering progress—management had decided it was time for annual evaluations and frequently called workers away from a project meeting right in the middle of important discussions—one of the group members, Mark Hawks, suggested: “Hey, Carla, why don’t you flex your muscles and ask the boss to give us a break?”
Josh Piper agreed, “Come on, Carla. I’m starting to feel exploited here. The bosses can’t give us a goal to accomplish and then sabotage our efforts altogether! We need to get these evaluations on a predictable schedule!”
“Is everybody else feeling this way?” asked Carla. There were plenty of nods throughout the lab. Carla shrugged. “OK. I’ll talk to the boss. Who wants to go with me?”
No volunteers.
Then Carla raised a conspiratorial eyebrow to her fellow workers and gestured at Jeff. “Hey, new guy, how about you?”
Jeff suddenly felt a little self-conscious. “Who me?”
“Why not?” answered Carla. “We’ll go together for moral support. And sort this out before it gets out of hand.”
“I just passed my probation; I don’t want or need a confrontation with management,” said Jeff warily.
This suggestion raised a gentle laugh throughout the lab. “With Carla talking, there’s hardly ever a confrontation,” offered Josh Piper. “Management likes to talk to her. And we like her talking for us. Go on, you might learn something.”
Jeff folded his arms. “No offense, Carla, but what’s so special about you?”
Carla shook her head. “I’m not special,” she answered modestly. She picked up her lab coat and headed for the hallway. “But I am your union steward. You coming?”