Chapter 90: Prohibition
Chapter 90: Prohibition
Vaughn was relatively easy to deal with—after all, he was just a vice-chairman.
When Lance saw Vaughn slip the check into his pocket, he knew the union wouldn’t trouble him for a while. But this wasn’t a long-term fix.
Complaints, once suppressed, didn’t disappear; they merely accumulated, growing stronger until they reached a tipping point.
It was like going shopping with your partner. You pass by a food stall and ask if they’d like a bite. They say no. But as soon as you get something for yourself, they demand the first—and biggest—bite.
Irritation, frustration, and resentment build. You might not say anything then and there, but someday, in the middle of a fight, that memory will resurface as a sharp blade aimed straight at their heart.
The dockworkers were no different.
The union might have calmed their emotions for now, but the workers wouldn’t think everything was resolved. Instead, they’d brood: “You got lucky this time, but next time, it won’t be so easy.”
Lance needed additional strategies to completely defuse the tension.