The general decline in standards today

[AtomicEraTom]

No, they limited the power of the Teacher's Unions and a some other Government jobs. I won't get into it though, because of the Politics rule.

Tom, didn't they try to get rid of unions in Wisconsin?

 

[HeyMoe]

I guess I am lucky in that the non-profit mental health program I work for actually does care for it's employees. We (the management) go above and beyond to ensure they have what they need to do their job. While other mental health programs are cutting back, we are expanding. Others are getting no raises where we get an annual raise and a bonus every year. Our employees are happy and we have very low turn over in an industry that typical experiances rather high turn over in the entry level positions.

I thank God everyday that I found this company and that I was able to move from entry level to management so rapidly - most importantly, I thank my work family for that great work environment!

 

[scooter]

Moe, I'm truly glad for you, it is a rare individual who can find such a position. My employer actually has a reputation as caring deeply for their people. Unfortunately, that did not prove to be true. My company is very successful and growing by leaps and bounds, and some of the caring seems have gone by the wayside as they graduate to the corporation stage. I would like to think I have a reputation as being honest and forthright (retired Marine, referee and all that), but in my case, without a shred of evidence to the contrary, they deemed my rendition of events in my incident as lacking credibility and terminated me.Were it not for my union, I would have ended up on the bread line with so many other unfortunates! To this day, I have seen no evidence of remorse for their course of action. Imagine how it might have turned out without the union!

 

[HeyMoe]

Scooter,

That sucks. Were you able to get your job back via the union?

 

[scooter]

Oh yes, but even so, I was awarded a 5 month suspension without pay. (I did collect unemployment, but AZ has SEVERE restrictions on the amount of unemployment pay you can receive.) Nonetheless, I am happy that I got my job back and am still gainfully employed.

 

[scottyrocks]

No, they limited the power of the Teacher's Unions and a some other Government jobs. I won't get into it though, because of the Politics rule.

I don't think it's politics to say that their ability to engage in collective bargaining has been stripped away.

 

[scooter]

Is it politics to say that this is an incredible overreach for them to unilaterally dissolve an agreement in force? When I was a young man, I was taught that a handshake was a binding agreement. If you gave your word, it was an ironclad commitment. Now, even a agreement in writing with our governmental offices isn't worth the paper it is written on! Shocking and dismaying, is the only way to describe it!

Now there is a decline in standards!!

 

[scottyrocks]

You used the word 'government.' Now it's getting close. This is a nice thread. Let's not lose it, please.

 

[scooter]

I am not trying to slip into a political discourse here, and I hope every one understands my point. To me, this is akin to me telling Scotty, I'll pay you $30 to mow my lawn, and once you are done, deciding that your effort was not worth $30 and insisting that I only owe you $20. It is simply stunning to me, that we as a society cannot see how deceitful this is.

 

[C-dot]

I am not trying to slip into a political discourse here, and I hope every one understands my point. To me, this is akin to me telling Scotty, I'll pay you $30 to mow my lawn, and once you are done, deciding that your effort was not worth $30 and insisting that I only owe you $20. It is simply stunning to me, that we as a society cannot see how deceitful this is.

I see your point too, but we're toe-ing the line now...

 

[jamespowers]

I am not trying to slip into a political discourse here, and I hope every one understands my point. To me, this is akin to me telling Scotty, I'll pay you $30 to mow my lawn, and once you are done, deciding that your effort was not worth $30 and insisting that I only owe you $20. It is simply stunning to me, that we as a society cannot see how deceitful this is.

You ain't there and neither am I. Best to let this go as it ain't all that simple.

 

[scooter]

I'll let it go, but with one final thought, it IS JUST that simple. You either honor your agreements or you don't. There is no middle of the road.

 

[jamespowers]

I'll let it go, but with one final thought, it IS JUST that simple. You either honor your agreements or you don't. There is no middle of the road.

Not all that simple.

 

[scooter]

I disagree. It is one thing to bring both sides to the table and renegotiate, anything less is deceitful and dishonest.

I thought you wanted to drop this topic!

 

[jamespowers]

I disagree. It is one thing to bring both sides to the table and renegotiate, anything less is deceitful and dishonest.

I thought you wanted to drop this topic!

I do, however, there are two sides to every story and let's leave it there.

 

[scottyrocks]

Yes, please, this is not the place for it.

 

[sheeplady]

One of the things that I worry that this economic crisis will do is to undo the leaps and bounds made in work place practices in the Golden Era. Things such as the 40 hour work week and safe workplaces being two I am most worried about. The fact that many people in (US at least) society have adopted the viewpoint of "be thankful you have something" and "don't complain" for others and themselves really worries me about the future of our workplaces.

In the courses I teach I have students do an assignment that looks at organizations who have gone through a major crisis. Each semester, the students conclude that one of the most vital things to these organizations having survived the incident is the fact that their employees were willing to give 200%- often going without pay for weeks at a time, working 100+ hour weeks, going way past the call of duty, sleeping in their offices, opening their homes as temp office space or to house coworkers, etc. You don't do that if you don't trust or respect your employer to do right by you- to reward you for your hardwork and sacrifice. Every time an employer treats their employees badly, they are breaking a bond that potentially could save their organization's butts in a crisis.

 

[C-dot]

Every time an employer treats their employees badly, they are breaking a bond that potentially could save their organization's butts in a crisis.

You're so right - and its hard to be loyal to employers these days, especially if you know you might get let go any second, not to mention shady business practices. Everybody I know has no more loyalty to the companies they work for than a pair of shoes. Vanity Fair once held a poll asking people if they felt their employers valued them, and the vast majority said no.

 

[Travis Lee Johnston]

Once it falls out of favor for the employees say bye bye to your companies integrity, then the company itself. Like a local grocer here I use to work for that's on its way out from plain old fashioned not giving a s@#$ mentality.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I've been screwed a few times by being a local company man. I still go the extra mile, because it's just what I think is right and I sleep easy at night knowing I'm giving my all. However, I don't really give a rat's patoot about whether or not it's gonna get me in rubbing elbows with the higher-ups anymore. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, it doesn't.

Frankly, working for others isn't my thing and I am just pretty much in limbo until I can go into business for myself.