Here's a dilemma to ponder:
As a surprise for my girlfriend (T), I purchased two tickets to The Nutcacker (which she had never seen before) The evening (including parking) cost me roughly $150, and T made arrangements to leave work early so we could make the opening curtain.
Here's the problem. Once we arrived at the theatre, I saw a group of musicians from the local union (of which I am a pro forma member) picketing in protest of the low wages being offered them by the Atlanta Ballet (AB). The AB had hired replacement musicians for the performances, and I had no idea this protest was happening until one of the picketers recognized me and said "Oh, no--you're not going in there, are you?!"
Well, I did go in there.So we're sitting in our seats and T says "what's all the sighing about?" and I explain, that I'm feeling guilty for crossing a union picket line, and it basically boiled down to the fact (though I didn't tell her this) that I didn't want to lose the money I'd just spent, and didn't want to spoil an evening I'd arranged for her as a Christmas present--one which she thoroughly enjoyed, and would have been highly disappointed had we turned heel and left the theatre after seeing the protest.
Over the course of my career as a music producer, I have always (and will continue to) paid union members a session fee far in excess of the union minimums (which are pathetically low) and have negotiated handsome buyouts for their services when the sessions I produced were not union gigs (Georgia is a right to work state). I pay union members well--not because they are union members, but because they are talented musicians whose abilities I value. I also pay non-union members equally well.
Man I feel like a schmo. Was I spineless? It took a good 30 minutes for the situation to "settle in" to my consciousness, and at that point I wanted to leave. Of course T would have been . . .um . . .irritated, and I would not have the satisfaction of my departure being witnessed by the union folk (who left after the show began). So I sat through the show. Now I'm disappointed I didn't make a stand.
Were this situation to occur again, I'd eat the tickets and deal with the fallout from T.
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