Union: A Novel in Verse

As the subtitle of Union indicates, this book is a novel written in free verse. The above excerpt comprises the entire text for page 30, and, with only 83 pages in the book, Union is a very quick read. While the book is short in length, it is not light reading, however, as author Cassidy deals with some heavy subject matter: sexual abuse and working conditions in the fast-food industry. Union begins as a sweet love story in which grade niner Tuck becomes romantically aware of Grace, a girl he has “known” since they were five. Cassidy appropriately incorporates today’s electronic approaches to signal romantic interest and to test if it is being reciprocated: Tuck “likes” one of Grace’s posts. As the pair’s relationship begins to grow, Tuck decides to get a part-time job so that “when I get paid/I’ll buy her fries/a game of pool/a live show”.

Though Tuck’s seeking a job is to further the love aspect of his life, it ultimately leads to the “union” portion of the book. The local FAST FRANKS, a fast-food chain, immediately offers Tuck three 2-6 p.m. shifts per week, Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Cassidy never explains how Tuck deals with what should be a conflict with his school hours on the Monday shift). Though Tuck finds the work at FAST FRANKS to be essentially mindless [see Excerpt], his interactions with his fellow workers, especially Jeff the fry cook, present him with a different image of the job, particularly the working conditions. Jeff reveals that “I have three jobs/to pay the rent”. Why three jobs? Because, as Jeff explains, if an employer has an employee work more than five hours in a row, then that employee is entitled to benefits such as a paid meal break, sick pay and paid holiday time. Jeff’s advice to Tuck? “[J]ust don’t get stuck/in a place like this – / stay in school”.
One day, while Tuck is working “at the frame” (the drive-through window), a woman, who has ordered a tea, reveals the real reason for her visit. Trix belongs to a union that now represents the workers at a neighbouring FAST FRANKS, and she asks Tuck to “talk with/the folks you work with/see where they stand” in terms of joining a union in order to achieve better working conditions. When Tuck suggests Jeff’s name instead, Trix responds, “Jeff has too much on the line/he’d have no home if he lost this job” whereas Tuck really has little to lose should he be fired for his union organizing activity, and so Tuck agrees.

As Tuck’s union work progresses, so does his relationship with Grace, but the latter hits an inflection point when Grace “said those three words”, and Tuck could not say them back to her. Beginning on the third page of the book, Cassidy has been dropping hints about something negative in Tuck’s current or past life that could have a damaging impact on his relationship with Grace, and it finally comes out: unknown to his mother, Tuck had been sexually abused by his mother’s live-in boyfriend, a man who had only recently, and without notice, disappeared from their lives. Though a victim, Tuck feels shame and fears that he will be rejected by Grace if she learns about his past.

As is to be expected in most fiction for juveniles, all ends well in both of Union’s story streams with some crossover occurring between the two plots as it is Trix who senses that something is bothering Tuck and arranges for his union-sponsored sex-abuse counseling.