December 31st at 12 PM—the ghostly hour that has haunted newsletters and the Fund website for the past five months, and, not to be dramatic, the SPDs for what feels like six full revolutions of the sun. Ooooooooooo! Very spooky.
To the habitual meeting-avoiders, mail and newsletter-ignorers: we see you.
If your Q3 hours fell short, oh, do brace yourself. Because come late November—or perhaps early December if the postal spirits are feeling mischievous—you’ll receive not one, but two chilling omens.
First, an explanation of benefits, dutifully mailed and posted online, just in case you enjoy ignoring both. Then, a shortage-of-hours notice, which can be confirmed by that ancient relic known as the pay stub—the thing you should absolutely should have looked at, but didn’t.
Miss the payment deadline and consider yourself doomed to the relentless specter of COBRA—stalking you like a Halloween horror extra in a B-grade movie.
Still unsure if this affects you. Oh, that’s tragic. Like wandering around as the Headless Horseman—no horse, no head, and zero idea what you’re doing. Terrifying, really.
It gets worse. Oh yes, much worse. We’re not holding your hand on this, because that would be insulting—and patronizing. You are an adult. You chose this organization. Which means that responsibility isn’t optional. Failing to act doesn’t just damage our confidence in you—it chips away at your own dignity, your agency, and, frankly, your ability to sleep at night knowing you’ve done the bare minimum.
And if you don’t care about that, well, that’s probably a bigger problem than a missed deadline. Meanwhile, it’s unfair to everyone else who actually shows up, pays attention, and participates. So, here’s the deal: do the right thing—or don’t. It’s your life. Just remember, effort is a two-way street. If you want anyone else to care, you have to care first. Simple as that.
Alright, now for the proverbial elephant in the room…which, conveniently, has decided to relocate to another Local’s jurisdiction. Yes, it’s still your elephant, still stomping around, and yes, you’re still the one responsible for keeping track of it.
So, if you happen to be working outside the jurisdiction, a few things to keep in mind:
- Clear into the Local properly.Just because you’ve worked there before—or think you know the ropes—doesn’t mean skipping the check-in is okay. Missteps happen, fumbles happen, and trust me, not clearing properly is a classic way to create them. And,
- Make sure that Local’s Fund Office has your hours and benefits reported back to 697 on time.The 697 Fund Office has no magical awareness of your off-jurisdiction adventures. So, for example, if you worked in another Local’s jurisdiction during the third calendar quarter of this year, and a shortage-of-hours’ notice pops up in your mail or your coverage is dropped, guess what? The phone number you need isn’t ours. It’s the entity that dropped the ball.
And while we’ll happily own our own screw-ups, we are not responsible for the mistakes of others—or anything completely beyond our control. Expecting otherwise is like blaming your umbrella for the rain. It’s unfair, irrational, and honestly, a little absurd.
Lastly, we’ve been there, done that, and as the eighth reminder in five months clearly proves, we have the receipts to prove it. We’ve communicated, nagged, nudged, and posted it everywhere short of hiring a blimp. At this point, we’re considering hiring an actor dressed as a giant calendar to shout the date outside your house.
But at some point, you realize yelling at ghosts is pointless. And yes, I mean that literally and figuratively. Some people just aren’t interested. Or, plot twist, have to learn the hard way.
And that’s fine. We’re cool with it. Really. It’s okay—we’ll just dim the lights, grab the popcorn, and watch from the shadows as the world’s most predictable horror film unfolds: “The Avoidable Terror” Spoiler: It doesn’t end well.
Tick-tock, my friends. Noon of December 31st, is nigh!