So I’m in the midst of some beef at work. They’ve asked me to do something and I have refused. This was on the day before Thanksgiving and the next week I was off. So when I come in on today they kind of glossed over my concerns and told me that Tuesday (tomorrow or today whenever you’re seeing this) I had to do it. I stated that I had not agreed to facilitate this activity. My boss just said I had to and that’s it. I told her that I did hear what she said. My problem is I have been given more duties than anyone in my position for the entire time I have worked at this place…the ENTIRE TIME. Now, what they are asking me to do is something I am good at and have a passion for. The problem is I’ve been paid by other organizations to provide this service and whenever I’m given a special task like this at my job, all the other duties I’m given end up getting put to the forefront so I don’t have to time to plan or properly perform the task. Since it is something I care about I refuse to be set up for failure. The issue is if I will facilitate a men’s group or not. One of the arguments is that “we” wrote it into our proposal. My response: I wasn’t told anything about that proposal until after we actually got the money. My co-worker runs a group. My response: a group for young parents who want to engage their children, run by a mother in which fun activities for your kids are shared is different from trying to engage young black boys from the innercity, half of whom think they’re the godfather or a pimp in manhood development are not the same things. Consider further that out of the three full-time staff members two are mothers and I am the only male. That mean’s no in house support. In fact when they asked me to develop a flyer for the group when someone from outside was to run it, they critiqued and changed it until I told them to not even mention that I had any part in developing it. The whole climate at my office in regards to me being male sucks. For the last year every outdoor even that we’ve had has seen me working the grill. I’m the one that has to drive their crappy van. Not to mention that in the entire 5 years I’ve worked here I’ve had the biggest caseload…at one time it was 180 clients. I was the one that had to stand in for my supervisor at managers meetings. I currently look over the other advocates intake forms. If there’s a fight I’m one of two people expected to act. I’ve been treated like the lead at my position only in terms of responsbility, never authority or salary. When other people faltered I stepped up and alot of those times I was just assigned the incomplete task. I am the longest tenured employee in our program and when they had the chance to put me in as manager they let my age deter them and instead gave it to the literacy instructor. I have trained 5 people. I have taken duties that the manager wouldn’t do because she had a problem with the people involved. When my manager was on maternity leave I did my job and hers. Here’s another good one. I’m not allowed to listen to music, with or without headphones, at anytime. Just me, at least three other people play music on a regular basis. We haven’t had a pay raise in two cycles…not because we couldn’t, but because our Director the W.G. (white girl) doesn’t have money to give everyone in the building a raise. Despite the fact that we all work under different contracts and last year she actually gave BACK money that was designated for a salary raise for our program and that what was written into the last proposal would have constituted a raise has not been fulfilled. Oh yeah, out of the three full-time employees on my staff I am the lowest paid. Not to mention that my coworker will be out for about a month in half starting in January so I can only imagine what that will do to my caseload. For a long time I’ve just done my part, I’ve done all that was asked of me with neither commendation or compensation. I’ve towed the line, I’ve stepped up and I’ve filled in. What I’m saying right now is…Don’t Push Me. I have no plans to quit either…you’re going to have to fire me. You’re going to have to get rid of the person who picks up new paperwork the quickest. You’ll have to put out the one who took the bulk of things on his shoulders. So when everything is hectic and the program is going under you’ll have to face that you got rid of a good worker cause you didn’t respect or cherish him. Tomorrow is the day. I’ll let you guys know.