Conflict due to COVID
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
Forget the whole organization - I've seen huge conflicts within the same PERSON about COVID protocols! Even when it's someone's job to tell everyone to take this seriously, that same person later deliberately breaks protocol and rationalizes away the deviance.
It's kind of like workplace safety rules, except in that case our culture has generally agreed that if at least one person vocally cares about it, then we all follow the rules. It seems that bit of culture hasn't incorporated COVID protocols, everyone just sort of does their own thing based on their personal feelings.
Jean-François
On Aug 10, 2020, at 02:18, Aaron Shaw atshaw@ucdavis.edu wrote:
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron ____________________________________
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We're seeing this as well, but it's easier for us to move forward since we aren't a collective. I simply made a plan based on CDC and local health department guidelines (and that one really good article by Erin Bromage).
We are functioning right now, but it's almost exclusively due to my personal effort. I'm more or less running the place alone with a few new and fairly green volunteers.
All our older, more experienced volunteers stopped showing up and only two have responded to any emails or posts I've put out. One of the responses was highly critical of my approach to opening, the other expressed interest in showing up but never did. It's highly unusual for us for there to be such extreme radio silence after putting out calls for help or getting organized.
Without hearing more in detail from our volunteers, I can't form a clear picture as to why they've gone, but I don't think it's fantastical to assume it's a combination of being overwhelmed and being cautious. There was one other volunteer who indicated in person that they needed to wait a bit before they felt safe. Though we're in NY and are doing better than many states wrt recovery and management, our state infection rates hover steadily around 1%, and locally we're seeing a rise as students return, people's patience wears down, and travelers from far more infected states arrive and fail to quarantine.
I have my own take on what's reasonable, what's safe, and what's absurd, but all in all I can't blame anyone for how they're reacting to such an extreme and unprecedented situation. So, while everybody sorts their sh*t out, I'm just hoping I can hold on long enough here for the cavalry to arrive. Se far the line's holding. It's as busy a Summer as we've ever had, if not more.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 06:18, Aaron Shaw wrote:
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
The ThinkTank mailing List
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We decided (largely on evidence from that great article https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them) to conduct all public business in fresh air, and strictly limit and control volunteers working in our shop. So most of our interactions happen outdoors in a large parkinglot we use for test rides. We are very lucky to have a shipping dock with big roll doors opening onto that lot, with another large door to the indoor space that we were able to make a small transaction window in. So repair assessments are done on the dock, sales are completed through the window, and we have no browsing, public shop-use, or drop-in volunteering.
We have had few conflicts, mostly from regular browsers frustrated by not being able to play American Pickers with our salvaged parts and as-is bikes.
Two staff are working in shop, one taking bikes home to refurbish, and less than a dozen key volunteers doing repairs and refurbs. We all wear masks ALL the time in the shop, and encourage others to remind us when we lapse. Those two of us MUST remain healthy or the co-op would be in trouble, so we take this issue seriously, and communicate that often.
Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim@ohiocitycycles.org
On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 7:35 AM Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
We're seeing this as well, but it's easier for us to move forward since we aren't a collective. I simply made a plan based on CDC and local health department guidelines (and that one really good article by Erin Bromage).
We are functioning right now, but it's almost exclusively due to my personal effort. I'm more or less running the place alone with a few new and fairly green volunteers.
All our older, more experienced volunteers stopped showing up and only two have responded to any emails or posts I've put out. One of the responses was highly critical of my approach to opening, the other expressed interest in showing up but never did. It's highly unusual for us for there to be such extreme radio silence after putting out calls for help or getting organized.
Without hearing more in detail from our volunteers, I can't form a clear picture as to why they've gone, but I don't think it's fantastical to assume it's a combination of being overwhelmed and being cautious. There was one other volunteer who indicated in person that they needed to wait a bit before they felt safe. Though we're in NY and are doing better than many states wrt recovery and management, our state infection rates hover steadily around 1%, and locally we're seeing a rise as students return, people's patience wears down, and travelers from far more infected states arrive and fail to quarantine.
I have my own take on what's reasonable, what's safe, and what's absurd, but all in all I can't blame anyone for how they're reacting to such an extreme and unprecedented situation. So, while everybody sorts their sh*t out, I'm just hoping I can hold on long enough here for the cavalry to arrive. Se far the line's holding. It's as busy a Summer as we've ever had, if not more.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 06:18, Aaron Shaw wrote:
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
The ThinkTank mailing List
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Jim,
I hear you on the American Pickers reference. We're getting that too. Most are accommodating, but any way you slice it, tensions are high and management is a constant challenge.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 15:14, Jim Sheehan wrote:
We decided (largely on evidence from that great article https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them) to conduct all public business in fresh air, and strictly limit and control volunteers working in our shop. So most of our interactions happen outdoors in a large parkinglot we use for test rides. We are very lucky to have a shipping dock with big roll doors opening onto that lot, with another large door to the indoor space that we were able to make a small transaction window in. So repair assessments are done on the dock, sales are completed through the window, and we have no browsing, public shop-use, or drop-in volunteering.
We have had few conflicts, mostly from regular browsers frustrated by not being able to play American Pickers with our salvaged parts and as-is bikes.
Two staff are working in shop, one taking bikes home to refurbish, and less than a dozen key volunteers doing repairs and refurbs. We all wear masks ALL the time in the shop, and encourage others to remind us when we lapse. Those two of us MUST remain healthy or the co-op would be in trouble, so we take this issue seriously, and communicate that often.
Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim@ohiocitycycles.org
On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 7:35 AM Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
We're seeing this as well, but it's easier for us to move forward since we aren't a collective. I simply made a plan based on CDC and local health department guidelines (and that one really good article by Erin Bromage).
We are functioning right now, but it's almost exclusively due to my personal effort. I'm more or less running the place alone with a few new and fairly green volunteers.
All our older, more experienced volunteers stopped showing up and only two have responded to any emails or posts I've put out. One of the responses was highly critical of my approach to opening, the other expressed interest in showing up but never did. It's highly unusual for us for there to be such extreme radio silence after putting out calls for help or getting organized.
Without hearing more in detail from our volunteers, I can't form a clear picture as to why they've gone, but I don't think it's fantastical to assume it's a combination of being overwhelmed and being cautious. There was one other volunteer who indicated in person that they needed to wait a bit before they felt safe. Though we're in NY and are doing better than many states wrt recovery and management, our state infection rates hover steadily around 1%, and locally we're seeing a rise as students return, people's patience wears down, and travelers from far more infected states arrive and fail to quarantine.
I have my own take on what's reasonable, what's safe, and what's absurd, but all in all I can't blame anyone for how they're reacting to such an extreme and unprecedented situation. So, while everybody sorts their sh*t out, I'm just hoping I can hold on long enough here for the cavalry to arrive. Se far the line's holding. It's as busy a Summer as we've ever had, if not more.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 06:18, Aaron Shaw wrote:
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
The ThinkTank mailing List
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Our shop has switched to retail only for the time being just to keep the lights on. We are opened for curbside retail 4 days a week and the other days are used to clean/ sanitize the shop and build donated bikes for sale. At all times only 4 volunteers can be in the shop and all must wear masks and maintain 2 meters separation. Membership in our collective is based on volunteer hours but we are also holding off on counting that so that members who don’t feel safe volunteering can still be involved in shop decision making. It certainly isn’t meeting our education and empowerment mission for the community but will do for the time being. If finances weren’t a part of the equation I don’t know if we would have voted to reopen at all.
Loconte
On Aug 11, 2020, at 21:32, Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
Jim,
I hear you on the American Pickers reference. We're getting that too. Most are accommodating, but any way you slice it, tensions are high and management is a constant challenge.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 15:14, Jim Sheehan wrote: We decided (largely on evidence from that great article https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them) to conduct all public business in fresh air, and strictly limit and control volunteers working in our shop. So most of our interactions happen outdoors in a large parkinglot we use for test rides. We are very lucky to have a shipping dock with big roll doors opening onto that lot, with another large door to the indoor space that we were able to make a small transaction window in. So repair assessments are done on the dock, sales are completed through the window, and we have no browsing, public shop-use, or drop-in volunteering. We have had few conflicts, mostly from regular browsers frustrated by not being able to play American Pickers with our salvaged parts and as-is bikes. Two staff are working in shop, one taking bikes home to refurbish, and less than a dozen key volunteers doing repairs and refurbs. We all wear masks ALL the time in the shop, and encourage others to remind us when we lapse. Those two of us MUST remain healthy or the co-op would be in trouble, so we take this issue seriously, and communicate that often. Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim@ohiocitycycles.org
On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 7:35 AM Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote: We're seeing this as well, but it's easier for us to move forward since we aren't a collective. I simply made a plan based on CDC and local health department guidelines (and that one really good article by Erin Bromage). We are functioning right now, but it's almost exclusively due to my personal effort. I'm more or less running the place alone with a few new and fairly green volunteers. All our older, more experienced volunteers stopped showing up and only two have responded to any emails or posts I've put out. One of the responses was highly critical of my approach to opening, the other expressed interest in showing up but never did. It's highly unusual for us for there to be such extreme radio silence after putting out calls for help or getting organized. Without hearing more in detail from our volunteers, I can't form a clear picture as to why they've gone, but I don't think it's fantastical to assume it's a combination of being overwhelmed and being cautious. There was one other volunteer who indicated in person that they needed to wait a bit before they felt safe. Though we're in NY and are doing better than many states wrt recovery and management, our state infection rates hover steadily around 1%, and locally we're seeing a rise as students return, people's patience wears down, and travelers from far more infected states arrive and fail to quarantine. I have my own take on what's reasonable, what's safe, and what's absurd, but all in all I can't blame anyone for how they're reacting to such an extreme and unprecedented situation. So, while everybody sorts their sh*t out, I'm just hoping I can hold on long enough here for the cavalry to arrive. Se far the line's holding. It's as busy a Summer as we've ever had, if not more. ~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 06:18, Aaron Shaw wrote: Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus can be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
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Yes, Nicholas: But putting an educational mantle on this, it has been one of the Covid lessons: we don't need to bend over backwards for people just because they are 'customers" (as was practice when I worked in the LBS). We should attend to the mission, and ask more questions about their needs (i.e. a bike for transportation or health, vs their third, sweet, 70's road bike project) before declaring the task a priority.
Another: most of the messes in the parts room are caused by "shoppers" (evidenced by the lack of messes concurrent with the lack of shoppers).
Before I start rattling these off, I'll do the responsible listserve thing and start a new thread for us all to share these "Covid Lessons".... Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim@ohiocitycycles.org
On Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 12:07 AM Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
Jim,
I hear you on the American Pickers reference. We're getting that too. Most are accommodating, but any way you slice it, tensions are high and management is a constant challenge.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 15:14, Jim Sheehan wrote:
We decided (largely on evidence from that great article https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them) to conduct all public business in fresh air, and strictly limit and control volunteers working in our shop. So most of our interactions happen outdoors in a large parkinglot we use for test rides. We are very lucky to have a shipping dock with big roll doors opening onto that lot, with another large door to the indoor space that we were able to make a small transaction window in. So repair assessments are done on the dock, sales are completed through the window, and we have no browsing, public shop-use, or drop-in volunteering.
We have had few conflicts, mostly from regular browsers frustrated by not being able to play American Pickers with our salvaged parts and as-is bikes.
Two staff are working in shop, one taking bikes home to refurbish, and less than a dozen key volunteers doing repairs and refurbs. We all wear masks ALL the time in the shop, and encourage others to remind us when we lapse. Those two of us MUST remain healthy or the co-op would be in trouble, so we take this issue seriously, and communicate that often.
Jim Sheehan Executive Director Ohio City Bicycle Co-op 1840 Columbus Rd Cleveland, Ohio 44113 216 830 2667 OhioCityCycles.org jim@ohiocitycycles.org
On Mon, Aug 10, 2020 at 7:35 AM Cyclista Nicholas cyclista@inventati.org wrote:
We're seeing this as well, but it's easier for us to move forward since we aren't a collective. I simply made a plan based on CDC and local health department guidelines (and that one really good article by Erin Bromage).
We are functioning right now, but it's almost exclusively due to my personal effort. I'm more or less running the place alone with a few new and fairly green volunteers.
All our older, more experienced volunteers stopped showing up and only two have responded to any emails or posts I've put out. One of the responses was highly critical of my approach to opening, the other expressed interest in showing up but never did. It's highly unusual for us for there to be such extreme radio silence after putting out calls for help or getting organized.
Without hearing more in detail from our volunteers, I can't form a clear picture as to why they've gone, but I don't think it's fantastical to assume it's a combination of being overwhelmed and being cautious. There was one other volunteer who indicated in person that they needed to wait a bit before they felt safe. Though we're in NY and are doing better than many states wrt recovery and management, our state infection rates hover steadily around 1%, and locally we're seeing a rise as students return, people's patience wears down, and travelers from far more infected states arrive and fail to quarantine.
I have my own take on what's reasonable, what's safe, and what's absurd, but all in all I can't blame anyone for how they're reacting to such an extreme and unprecedented situation. So, while everybody sorts their sh*t out, I'm just hoping I can hold on long enough here for the cavalry to arrive. Se far the line's holding. It's as busy a Summer as we've ever had, if not more.
~cyclista Nicholas
On 2020-08-10 06:18, Aaron Shaw wrote:
Hey all,
My name is Aaron. I volunteer at the Davis Bike Church in Davis, CA.
I was wondering if there are any other collectives experiencing intensely conflicting views on how to respond to the pandemic. I am looking for suggestions on how to present a safe new operating model so that those who are more at risk can agree to the shop being open (in some capacity).
My experience is that there is a spectrum of approaches to operating under COVID and it is difficult to find a middle ground where a consensus
can
be made among collective members. It’s true, people’s lives are at risk. But also there are needs in the community that can outweigh the risk associated with (safe) operation. It just depends on how you look at it. The stakes are definitely high and it is a touchy, if not politicized topic.
I would love to hear other people’s experiences, and if they are stuck like us or if they have figured out a new operating model that works for them. Also interested to hear about what it took, from a people/core member perspective, to get to the other side of the COVID lockdown.
Thanks a ton. Aaron
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participants (6)
-
Aaron Shaw -
Angelo L. Coletta -
Cyclista Nicholas -
Jean-François Caron -
Jim Sheehan -
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