My Boss Screamed at Me Tonight

Not to open up a can o' worms here, but would a writer/desker working at a union paper have the option to go to their union rep with a complaint? How would that change things or be handled differently? Would bosses necessarily treat employees differently if they knew a complaint might be coming from a union rep?

I've never worked or known anyone at a union shop, so I'm incredibly ignorant on the subject.

 

Full disclosure: I sometimes mutter.

 

I have occasional supervisory duties, and screaming is definitely stupid. I raise my voice only strategically, and definitely never at someone doing his level best to make deadline. Anything other than collegial just doesn't cut it. We're all adults here.

 

I've worked at two union shops and if I went to one of the stewards to complain about someone yelling, I would have been laughed out of the room...

 

I had my full-time reporter turn in two one-source stories in recent weeks. Each time it happened, I mentioned it, and I'm sure she could detect the disappointment in my voice and on my face as I talked to her about that.

Yes, I was firmer the second time it happened. I also told her if she was having problems to communicate them with me. I think after she's worked with me for two years, she should know the lines of communication are open.

 

I haven't really yelled for a couple of years now (knock wood) or really been yelled at -- perhaps chastised to the point of mild discomfort -- but I must admit some longing for 15 or 20 years ago when two highly professional but motivated and harried people could engage in a two-minute yell-fest, get the paper out and then go out and have three or four drinks together -- without harassment, verbal abuse or human resources ever being mentioned or feelings being hurt whatsoever. But I'm asking for too much, of course.

 

I can't remember the last time someone yelled at me or I at them, other than the fucker who cuts me off in traffic, of course. If it has been 10 years I wouldn't be surprised.


And given the start this thread had last night, I'm stunned it's still here. Well done.

 

There's no sex like make-up sex.

 

Only shouting match I ever got into was with at a former paper, where I was yelled at by a female, who, outside of her little clique, was one of the least liked workers at the paper. She liked to bully the other, mostly younger, co-workers, and didn't get along with some of the older ones too.

I took her yelling, and yelled right back. My boss, who did not supervise her, and couldn't stand her too, later came up to me with a huge smile.

Later, I found out she had gone to the ladies room to cry, and later complained to the publisher. Publisher, who had heard her complain about various employees through the years, told her to STFU (Not in those words, obviously) since she was the one who started the yelling. She found a new job a few months later, and the tension at the paper went way down.

Me, I had a lot of pats on the back from my other fellow co-workers. I didn't go into the day planning to pick a fight with her, but when she provoked me by screaming at me, I told her off for good.

 

Ah, the good old days, SF.

And to all, I never said yelling and screaming was a good idea or an effective management tool.
All I was saying is shit happens, get over it, don't go public (even anonymously) calling all of your bosses assholes.

 

A few years back a night editor screamed at me on deadline over something he thought I had forgotten to file. Tore me a new one. I told him I filed it and was able to tell him the exact time and who I confirmed it with when I called after I sent it.

About an hour later, a copy editor who is a close friend of mine called me and said the Night editor had put the wrong slug on it and it was his fault.

I thought it was chickenshit of the night editor not to apologize, but I wasn't going to lose any sleep over it.

The next day my SE called me, which doesn't happen very often. I usually deal with assigning editors or deputies. That's just the setup at the place where I was at the time.

He said, "Editor X said he tore you a new one last night..."

I asked him who told him that and he said that the night editor had sent him an email telling him what happened essentially to defend himself in case I told the SE what happened.

The SE then asked me, "Would you have ever mentioned this to me?"

I said, "No, why would I?"