Screwed Over By An Employer...AGAIN!!!!

[mermaid]

WTF is it with employers, anymore, anyways?
First, ACS screws me over, leading me to believe I would earn far more than they wound up paying me...and I quit that job (not going into details here, have already done so at length in other threads)

So unemployment denies me, claiming I "had not usd all methods available thru my employer to resolve the issue." WTF did they want from me? I went thru my immediate supervisor, my department head, his boss (a VP of the company) the on-site HR people, wrote a letter to the goddam CEO of the company...with copies to all others I had previously attempted to resolve the issue with...

And no resolution...just the employer..."prove it. Prove we ever said that. Where's it in writing?"

So I quit. Now, I get a paper route, just so I can have cash flow for the moment, because I got another job starting in mid-August (they promised $10.50 an hour...let's hope THEY keep theor word!!)

Anyways, I get this paper route, led to believe I would earn $825 a month on the route...and now, they are only paying $800. This for working seven days a week (and mind, this is before taxes and gasoline, and wear and tear on my fucking car!!) and what do I get..."prove it. Where's it in writing I said that?"

I mean, WHAT THE FUCK IS IT WITH THESE RICH, SCUMBAG FUCKING EMPLOYERS?!?!?
They pull shit like this and then WONDER why people like me end up Socialists, Communists, and haters of Capitalism?? :wtf:

I mean, ok, 25 bucks a month ain't a lot, BUT IT'S THE PRINCIPLE OF THE THING, YOU KNOW IT?? 25 bucks a month is an extra tank of gas to me!

I mean...are other people experiencing this sort of shit from employers? Is it that the economy craps so badly that employers feel it is their divine right to screw over employees, knowing full well that if the employee bitches about it, they can just fire them and get someone else in, and not a fucking brass farthing to lose by it? WHAT THE FUCK EVER HAPPENED TO WORKER'S RIGHTS, GODDAMMIT?!!?

right to work, my ass!! More like right to starve and be screwed over!!

I mean, seriously...is this happening to others out there? Is it just a Texas thing? Or is it just my bad luck to run into all the shitty employers?? Or do I have some sort of shit magnet implanted in me?? I mean, seriously...:wtf:

Goddamn, I need to work for a place that has a fucking UNION!!! I have HAD it with being fucked over!!

And they wonder WHY I think all corporations and employers are evil fucking lying scumbag shitheads!! They wonder WHY I yearn for a Mao-style revolution, in which employers and rich bastards were attacked by angry mobs, and ripped apart while alive and screaming, while the angry mobs yelled, "THIS IS THE POWER OF THE PROLETARIAT!!"

Jesus Christ...i mean, I'm a Christian and all...but I swear to God I want to hurt them...I want to hurt them badly!! I want to cut them down to size...I want THEM to know what victimization feels like!!

Can you relate?

No, I'd never actually DO the things I fantasize about doing to them, because it ain't worth the damned electric chair...but they have created a reservoir of righteous anger in me that is beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life!!

[Mizmoon]

1. First rule of business - get everything in writing

if they are unwillling to give you a letter laying out your terms of employment, smell a rat and move on. I found this out the hard way once.

Got hired by a company that promised a bonus. I took them at their word. Then they tried to hire another guy who wouldn't come unless they put it in writing. They wouldn't. He didn't come. He was wiser than me because he turned down the position. I got screwed out of my bonus. Quit within a month. I will never ever take anyone's word for it again. Get it in writing. Get it in writing. GET IT IN WRITING!

[mermaid]

5. But How??

How do you get it in writing?

You just laid it out beautifully! the guy who asked for it in writing was passed over for the job!!

How the fuck DO you get it in writing, and still GET the damn job??

[Baltimoreboy]

14. Pretty easy

Wait till they offer the job. Accept and ask for it in writing just for your records. It is commonplace for the actual work to take place only after receiving a formal letter offering job.

[Th1onein]

49. Forget getting it in writing! Get it ON TAPE!

I did that to an employer one time and they paid me what they owed me. They also kept me on at that rate, because I think they were afraid of what else I had gotten on tape.

[Amarant]

19. Not that easy

"if they are unwillling to give you a letter laying out your terms of employment, smell a rat and move on. I found this out the hard way once."

Right now in Texas jobs are few and for between. You have to take what you can get - otherwise you might not have one for weeks or even months.

I don't know where you live - but there is NOT much choice in employment in this state at the moment...

[Mizmoon]

21. Have confidence in yourself

They need you to do a job and do it right. This wasn't a case of the guy making demands and being passed over. This is a case of the company not meeting his reasonable demand and him passing THEM over.

It's a mindset. I don't know ... maybe it's a New York thing. You have to KNOW that you are worth being treated well and insist on it. In return you work like a demon so that you make yourself worth it.

[mermaid]

27. Problem Is...

I'm conditioned to NOT have confidence in myself. As a transgender person, I have been shit upon so much by life...legal discrimination...and government refuses to do anything to stop it...I have sometimes had to call my own worth into question. I have, quite literally, been treated as sub-human for so long by this shitty intolerant fucking society that it is hard to ever have any self-confidence anymore.

[dumpster_baby]

40. The Houston job market is horrendous

Am i the only one who has noticed this?

[TahitiNut]

48. If you don't GET it in writing, PUT it in writing.

All job offers and acceptances should be in writing. Even if the offer isn't in writing, put the acceptance in writing. In that acceptance, specify all the "understandings" you have regarding the job and from whom that "understanding" was created. Be positive. Be concise. Be complimentary. Be eager. But be sure to include anything that's not already in writing, but which has been assured. For those things which are in writing and upon which you rely, briefly list the documents you're relying upon in forming your acceptance.

An offer and an acceptance forms what some folks call a "contract." Such contracts are enforceable under the law.

[Green Mountain Dem]

2. Welcome to the new.....

Corporate America as defined in PNAC...this shit started the day Raygun fired the air traffic controllers. Why bother voting for a President, let's just elect a Corporation to run the country, and watch them devour themselves.

[mermaid]

3. Problem With That Is...

They will devour US in the process!!

[Philostopher]

17. Hit the nail on the head.

The 'average Joe' has been convinced, through a concerted effort, that labor unions are 'all run by organized crime' and that paying your union does is 'a waste of money.' While there is some legitimacy to that, it's been a concerted effort by TPTB to ultimately discredit all efforts of workers to organize to be treated like human beings. We should think of ourselves as ciphers, undeserving of anything but what they elect to pay us for our work -- why should we deserve anything more? Captains of industry are the kind fathers of the world, and if we don't make what we should for the work we do, we're just bad children, who should meekly go to bed without supper.

We've been infantilized -- deliberately -- by the crooks. Welcome to the new America. Would you like fries with that?

[Ironpost]

4. as is said anger voiced is anger defused.

I can relate, at 56 your options are less and less.

[ellie]

6. My DH was laid off

by an upscale department store in February. They are fighting his unemployment by saying that he quit because he relocated. Yes, we relocated but he was still working for them, albeit he had a longer commute, for four months afterward. I don't know what we will do if he is denied his unemployment. Jobs are scarce in these parts.

[mermaid]

7. Jobs Are Scarce Everywhere In This "Booming Economy!!"

The master plan is to pauperize all of us, and to fuck us all over, and beat us down into utter submission to the evil corporate overlord fuckheads...Those who will not submit will be crushed.

[Green Mountain Dem]

11. Isn't that what....

DeLooney Delay is trying to do with his Texas redistricting plans...maybe first thing you should consider is getting the fuck out of Texas!! Come on up to Vermont and see a different attitude towards employees. Any employer here that tries to fuck over employees has to deal with "Bernie"...ask IBM!

[Green Mountain Dem]

12. Isn't that what....

DeLooney Delay is trying to do with his Texas redistricting plans...maybe first thing you should consider is getting the fuck out of Texas!! Come on up to Vermont and see a different attitude towards employees. Any employer here that tries to fuck over employees has to deal with "Bernie"...ask IBM!

[mermaid]

13. Why Don't Vermont Move Down South, Dammit?

I HATE effing cold weather....that's the only reason I'm in Texas!!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

18. Submission

The master plan is to pauperize all of us, and to fuck us all over, and beat us down into utter submission to the evil corporate overlord fuckheads...Those who will not submit will be crushed.<<



Absolootly.

[dumpster_baby]

8. Bush talks about 'small businesses' like they're angels that walk among us

but small businesspeople can be even more exploitative than big corporations. It is the lasseiz faire capitalist system that does. If people had a strong social safety net to fall back on, they would not be so fearful, so greedy, so grasping.

[mermaid]

9. EXACTLY!!

And this is WHY Bushco is shredding (intentionally) the social safety net. It is all part of the master plan. It's so fucking transparent!!

DAMN it is time for a fucking Worker's Revolt!! Before we are no longer ABLE to!!!

[dumpster_baby]

20. my plan to get leftist mass media by taking over Pacifica radio

I agree. It is time for a revolution. But it has to be by the ballot box. In order to do that, we need to get leftist/liberal ideas into the heads of the general public. To do that you need mass media.

I have a plan to get some mass media. Pacifica radio foundation OWNS stations in Houston, LA, SF, NY, and DC, and has a couple dozen or so affiliates.

Their programming is about 90% music. They do have some political programming, such as one hour of Amy Goodman, and a few minutes of Jim Hightower. But it seems to me that if they went to all talk radio during the weekdays, they could put develop Leftist Limbaugh clones, all presenting a class-war approach to politics, i.e., harkening back to the old time FDR democrats. Back to when the Democrats dominated politics, back when unions ruled. Back to when a man/woman could support his/her family cleaning restrooms, if need be, because he/she had a UNION.

Pacifica is now organized democratically. Voting members vote on board members who determine who runs the stations, so members are indirectly in charge of programming.

Their business model is to appeal to upper and middle class liberals. But they do not take a very political approach. Mostly they just play alternative music.

You can be a member by donating $25 or volunteering 3 hours of your time.

I think that anyone anywhere can be a member of a pacifica radio station. So, what I want to know is why haven't all the liberals here on DU organized to take over pacifica?

We could run talk radio during the weekdays, and sell the rest of the time to informercial (nights and weekends). Develop talk radio talent that can and will talk to the people in the vernacular. Focus and sharpen liberal/leftist talking points. Kill the DLC by showing how GOP-Lite tney are. Push leftist Democratic candidates for office.

We would need a large internet organization. I have more info if you or others are interested.

I am still developing this idea. Look for my comments and questions on the forums at http://www.pacifica.org and http://www.kpft.org

Are you up for it?

[suegeo]

10. I can relate

I say we drive all the corrupt corporate executives and CEOs into the God-damn sea. Is there a sea big enough to hold them all nearby?

[undergroundpanther]

25. Voting..

Voting sounds nice but what if our votes are not counted ,untraceable and unverifiable? The voting machines null our votes legitimacy.

Now will these parasite CEO be held accountable by a vote?

They Never listen to 'subordinates'votes if it cuts down their own power grabbing or makes them share the money folks,does any fucking CEO ever really give a shit what the cleaning lady thinks about fairness? Unless that hypothetical cleaning lady has a gun to his head or releases information that outrages the public?


So,what do you do if Bush wins? He will win(and he has been arrogant enough to declare he has already won) he knows he wins because he will manipulate the voting machines,dupe the public with cognitive dissonance and fear propaganda and lies.He will reinforce the publics learned helplessness ,apathy and overworking using the almighty fear of poverty to make people not risk telling the boss he is a selfish asshole.
The bush admin could accidentally on purpose get what they want... a seemingly unrelated technician in an accidental looking way,cause a computer error to shut down the election,and bush is king by default of course only
until the"problem" is figured out.
Plausible deniability,deep corporate pockets,friends in high places,public fear, and strident true believers with big mouths and bullying mind games shutting down public discourse with shouting matches ,saves the asshole from accountability again.

So we wait.Eventually
Citizens will get restless and suspicious. They might try to figure out what's going on themselves without the states sanctions,.Hello martial law and the evil of vote tampering...Hello crackdowns..hello gutted safety net,and massive fraud profits(rich) and massive debts(middle class) and fierce competition for sustenance in people conditioned to not trust their neighbors or share ANYTHING..
Hello debt slave camps and draft. Hello people waking up way too late to the perils of capitalism unmoderated by social safety nets who are shafted, way too angry and way too passive aggressive,unused to standing up for their own human dignity,hypocritical scared and traumatized to think straight about how to counter the'good Christians' that are causing harm and the cognitive dissonance is too much,they just want things the way they were..
Hello"terrorist" attacks coming from within America (where do you think all those sleeper cells that haven't done a damn thing in 3 years since 9/11 will come from when we wake up?)and soon the vast arsenal of weapons and crowd control devices the taxpayers paid for are turned against the very people who paid for them.Kinda like digging your own grave and buying the shovel too.

And be aware there will always be the bullying ,arrogant,sociopath people,ambitious ,normal appearing,flattering,manipulating wheeler dealer traitors to human dignity cooperation and the spirit of the good stuff in humanity,looking to cushion themselves from the wrath of their so called superiors at anyone else's expense,when trusted' authorities and wealth siphoning parasites cannot blame a scapegoat(poor people gays,women,brown people)begin showing what they really are narcissistic,abusive,desensitized,ambitious,selfish,clannish,bullies and sociopaths that play games of power and do not care whom is hurt as long as it does not hurt themselves or their status and break the false self image they so carefully craft to maneuver and manipulate socially.

People with personality disorders and conduct disorders like this do not have a humble bone in their body, so they do not give up what they believe they are entitled to take away from others (wealth power,achievements,credit freedoms),because their entitlement delusions are what they think entitles them to power and they think power is what keeps them absolved of responsibility to others it's called elitism .Elitism can't function without cronyism if there are no cronies no true believers willing to fight for a bully to dominate then the bully only is 1 person. And one person can be easily overtaken once his army no longer believes he has an entitlement to command others.

Bullies in positions of power cannot function without fall guys cannon fodder and dupes.All elitism has no threat to it's voice without some sort of"chain of command" and followers to follow orders of a too often self appointed (pseudo elected)narcissistic 'strong man' type of leader.


Elitism is a delusion of small minded,abusive,greedy,self absorbed, cold hearted, socially and interpersonally desensitized ,bullies...

There are no leaders therefore no masters for those who will not be coerced and told how to live by a man with a plan...

[acmavm]

15. Another scam, even more prevelant, is the use of temps with the

'promise of a job' somewhere down the line. So far, all the temp-to-hire jobs I've had either let you go just as you near the famouse 90-day mark, or they keep you on (like the one I have now) telling you that they'll put you on full time when business picks up. We have two 90-day temp to hire temps that have been there for a year and a half. And since it's a title company, I have my doubts that things will be pickiing up a lot, the big rush to refinance or buy a house is over.

[sugarcookie]

22. This very thing happened to my daughter.

...the employee before her and the employee that replaced her.
The very day before she was eligible for full time benefits etc. she was laid off. She has since learned from the temp agency that they did the very same thing to the poor woman they hired to replace my daughter.
She was told that the same thing happened to the person she was hired to replace. That is 3 temp employees in a row they did that way.

[noiretextatique]

23. that's my situation

hired as a temp for a three month assignement that's lasted almost a year. i will get the axe soon because temps can't stay longer than one year. they have to pay a fee to hire me, but considering:
i am already trained
i am doing work the permanent employees don't have the skills to do
my agency will take a reduced fee since i have been there some time...
nah...easier to hire another temp with no benefits...

[LibDemAlways]

16. I just quit a lousy part-time job

with low pay and no benefits. I took it because the hours were flexible. Now they aren't replacing me. Another woman in the department will be adding my workload to her already overstuffed full-time job - so she'll be doing 1.5 jobs - for no extra pay. The kicker is that the woman is in the US on a Green Card and the employer hasn't even bothered to officially put her on the company payroll. They call her an "independent contractor" so they can avoid giving her vacation and health benefits. She feels lucky to have the job - is hard-working and never complains - the ideal "employee" for these scumbag blood-suckers.

Every employer I've ever worked for - and I'm 51 - has sucked in their own unique way - but all have had one common goal - to pay as little as possible while expecting me to put in long hours with total loyalty, commitment, and a smile.

[Cleita]

24. I don't know where you live but your state labor board might

be able to help although I don't want to get your hopes up. Even if they rule in your favor you have to figure out how to collect the money. However, it does put the employer on some kind of shit list. If there are repeated violations, they do lean on those who have many marks against them, like extra inspections of books and payroll records, etc..

However, welcome to the Republican States of America. This is part of their economic plan, high unemployment so that those who do have jobs will work for less money and longer hours without complaint for fear of losing their jobs.

[seabeyond]

26. i can equally say screwed by an employee again...........

also. both sides are hurting if you would like to explore truth. i am gain. i have about had it. hire fire hire fire. tired of this shit myself.

not that hubby fires, he doesnt like to, too nice, he just gets screwed. a lot of good things come his way, figure karmic role in life,..............but not me. hire fire, this is your job do it or dont.

btw, my husband hasnt had a raise since '97, '98. insurance is less and less, more out of pocket. taxes increase, gas, and he does major driving. a new car, no longer ne. oh, and after a decade in this, he gets two weeks a year, last year, one week. this year, he is taking friday off, his first day.......hoping for one more day in fall

but hey,..............those rich assholes

[mermaid]

28. Both Sides Hurting?? MY ASS!!

I'm sorry, but until I see the goddam employers having to get by on fucking Ramen Soup...THEN I'll believe both sides are hurting!

[seabeyond]

31. ooooosh your out for blood and with no

desire for empathy, as my husband has ten he is paying good wage to, either i am living in illusion per you...or...dont matter

[mermaid]

32. I'm Not Really Following What You Are Trying To Say Here

Either I'm real tired, or your syntax has me confused...I dunno...but can you try to re-state whatever you just said above?

No, I'm not without empathy for those small businesses who really ARE hurting. but, damn, NO small business that I see is hurting as bad as it's workers are!!

And the companies that have screwed ME over were both huge corporations...one being the Houston Chronicle newspaper. The other being ACS (Affiliated Computer Services...Number 447 on fortune 500's list!) (sarcasm on) Yeah, they are really hurting bad...both of those companies...(sarcasm off)

[seabeyond]

33. now be a company

have a place full of employees that say, i hear you say you are hurting, but damn no small business has it as bad as i the employee does. and they demand more and more and more and more. i stated to you, husband hasnt had raise in how long and all employees long time employees have gotten raise insurance adjusting borrows whenever...........husband was going under 4-6 months ago, had to take loan to pay bills. so at what point do you walk, gone those ten jobs, and say, now, ..........what do i do. what do i sell relocate.

but your right. it is only the employee that hurts.

look i am having issue with the work force. i am not seeing a desire or ability to work, a work ethic. it is a lot of demanding equally on employers, especially if highly technical position.

this business is all finally tuned in optimum. i have been poor and in business all my life. and i know it has to be an equal balance in give in take, for both to flourish

simply suggesting, if just see one side, wont merge and become balanced. since this is a livelihood it is important for me to find the balance, so i cna live in peace as the other ten. just having a challenge to create an awareness, they have more the owner is............

what you say. with the slightest of things.

[mermaid]

36. OK

I understand where you are coming from...but, again, I ask...are you REALLY hurting?? Or are you just in danger of having to go without some luxuries you are accustomed to having?
Is your very SURVIVAL hanging in the balance?
With many workers...THEIR very survival IS hanging in the balance. With most employers...it is the potential loss of some luxury they have become accustomed to.
I mean, I drove a 17-year-old, rusting, smoke-belching piece of shit while my boss had a gleaming new Ford F-250 pickup truck, and he was bitching about how HE'S hurting!! Do you know how that looks from MY end of the telescope??
And, believe ME...I have a work ethic that would break a plow horse!! Any former employer of mine...while they may well have their share of negative things to say about me...if they are being at all honest, they will tell you I have a work ethic like few they have ever seen! And I've never asked for anything unreasonable...just an honest day's pay for an honest day's work. Not unreasonable. I want enough to whee I can make ends meet...maybe have one or two small luxuries (like having my nails done once a month, or going out to dinner once a month) and to just be comfortable enough that I'm not worrying...to be able to save enough on the side so that if my car breaks down it isn't a fucking tragedy, and I end up...what the hell am I gonna do now?? I can just go get it fixed and not worry about it.

Basically, I just want enough so that I'm not spending half my nights awake tossing and turning, unable to sleep because I'm so fucking worried about finances, and just damn SURVIVING...

Do YOU have it that bad???

All's I have ever asked for outta life is a fair shake, and a chance to make or break my own self. All's I have ever asked for is an employer to be up-front and honest in it's dealings with me. Is THAT so much to ask?

P.S. don't take MY word for it about my work ethic either. But let me ask you this...
Would you be willing to work seven days a week, 365 days a year...rain, sleet, shine, snow, whatever...no sick days, no holidays, no personal days, no vacation days...nothing. Would you be willing to do that working a job that most CONVICTS would find beneth them, it is such physical labor...
And if you just don't show up one day...it's in the contract..they fine you $60 for the day...and they dock your pay for that amount.
And if you DO want a day off...even if a fucking family member DIED out of town...you gotta find a sub, to do your job for you...and pay them more than you would make if you did the job yourself...

Because THAT is what I do now. and for 800 lousy bucks a month!!

Now I ask ya...is THAT enough of a work ethic for you?

[Yupster]

42. When a small business

goes out of business (picture how many restaurants in your community), this means that the owner probably hasn't taken a penny out of the business for months. The only people who got paid were the employees, and the owner may have lost his retirement savings that he put into his effort.

The employee can get a job at the restaurant down the street and wonder whether he'll get more tips here than there. The owner may be completely wiped out of the money he saved 20 years to try his dream.

There are many small business owners hurting very badly.

[SammyWinstonJack]

29. My husband was given a guaranteed salary for one year

Five months into it, the GM of the dealership where he worked, told him that he couldn't afford to pay him that salary. Didn't offer him a reduced salary, just let him go. But he wasn't the only one who was guaranteed a one year salary and let go. He was just the last one to get the axe that way. But that's the car business. Happens all the time. Still sucks though. Oh and four of those who were fired that way have retained an attorney and are suing the GM and the owner of the dealership. My husband declined to get involved with the lawsuit.

[LizW]

30. Had an enlightening discussion with a small business owner

the other day.

He was complaining about his summer employees. He hired three teenagers, part time, for the summer. He said he was paying them "over $8.00 an hour." All three asked for the same week off to go on family vacations. He told them one could go, two had to stay, that they should go home and talk to their families and work it out and let him know who was going and who was staying. They came back and said that their families had made plans and that they couldn't be changed. He told them that two of them would be fired and one would be kept. At the time he was telling me this story, he was debating which one to keep and which two to fire.

He was very annoyed and complained that the teenagers "didn't want to sacrifice anything, and didn't want to do what it took to keep the job." I listened mostly without comment, because the mindset of this person as an employer was very interesting. Everything he said spelled out that he felt these teenagers should be grateful enough for the job to sacrifice the family vacation. He said, "Where else are they going to get a job where they never have to work on Sundays, work in a protected environment, and make over $8.00 an hour?"

He seemed to feel that those three factors were very worthwhile and made the job "good" part-time work. And maybe they do in this job market. Maybe the job market is so bad for teens that they can't just expect to work in a "protected environment". What struck me about the whole conversation was that what an employee might see as a "given" (a protected environment) an employer, in this market, sees as a "perk".

What exists is a big conflict of competing interests. That's nothing new in employer/employee relationships of course, but changes in the market have given the employers so much power that they can extract sacrifices from employees without having to give up anything in return. The conversation is always going to come down to: "Where else are you going to find a job that offers...(whatever supposed "perk" the employer comes up with.)" The emphasis is not on the perk (which, as in this case, is something most people would see as a given, not a perk) but on the first part of the question: "Where else are you going to find a job...?"

[Baltimoreboy]

34. Only one can go

How unreasonable for an employer to want some of his workers to show up and not take vacation. His point is that he is paying an excellent wage and giving benefits for a SUMMER JOB.

If those college kids don't want it, he should fire all three and find people who do want it.

[LizW]

43. There are no benefits

That would make it a whole different ballgame, wouldn't it?

The fact that you read into my post that these jobs offer benefits when they don't illustrates my point. There is a mindset held by employers that employees should be grateful or get lost. Employers see the jobs they offer as great jobs (illustrated by your appraisal of $8.00/hr. as an "excellent wage").

I never even implied that this employer was unreasonable for wanting the kids to not take vacation. The work has to get done. What would have been efficient and fair would have been to make clear at the time of hiring that there would be no time off for vacation for summer workers, or that they had to stagger their vacations so they weren't all gone at the same time. Then he would have ended up with the type of employees he wanted to begin with, without having to fire, re-hire and retrain. He would have saved himself money and aggravation.

He didn't, and my contention is that he didn't because of the employer's mindset that he was doing these kids a favor to hire them and that they should be grateful to get these jobs. It never occurred to him that teenagers (and these are high school kids, not college kids) would ask to go on vacation with their families, and certainly not all at the same time. What I'm pointing out is the imbalance of power caused by the tight job market. When the unforseen situation arose, the employer had the power. He got what he wanted, and the employees either sucked it up or lost their jobs.

[Baltimoreboy]

44. Same ballgame

Work is a mutual deal. If you don't want a job, you don't have to stay.

No the mindset held by employers is that work must get done. Any time more than one employee wants off, tenure typically decides. However, when employees of similar level want off, only one typically gets it. In your case, they were not willing to be reasonable.

I do consider $8 an hour excellent SUMMER wages.

He didn't make clear that there would be no time off for vacation. Clearly, he was willing to allow some, just not all at the same time.

In a tight job market you are doing a favor to workers when you hire them over others.

[LizW]

46. Not the same

A job that offers benefits is vastly different from one that doesn't.

Depressingly, I think the rest of your post illustrates pretty well what I was trying to say about the mindset of employers that arises from the imbalance of power created by the tight job market. :(

[Baltimoreboy]

47. Summer jobs are short-term

Few offer benefits because most companies take 90 days for benefits to kick in.

However, paying a lot more than minimum wage IS a benefit.

[CaTeacher]

35. come to California Mermaid!

you would love the weather (better than Texas) and open discrimination is quite rare here. You would fit in great where I work, several similar people work there.

I don't know what you do--but Ca generally has a pretty good economy compared to some parts of the country. ?What does ACS stand for? The only one I know is "American Chemical Society"? But there are probably others....

[mermaid]

37. Cost Of Living??

California cost of living? No idea. Could I really get a job there that would maintain me with California's notoriously high cost of living?

And right now...with no spare resources and nine months left on my lease, I'm pretty screwed at the moment.

ACS, by the way, in my case, stands for Affiliated Computer Services (on the web at http://www.acs-inc.com)
or, if I had my way about it, it would stand for Absolute C**k Suckers!!

[Elidor]

38. ACS?

That wouldn't be the American Cancer Society, would it? They really screwed my father very badly.

[JNelson6563]

39. it's all "at will" now my friend

Everything is "at will" of the employer, your wage, your hours, your job. It is an employer's labor market, not an employee's labor market right now. It will be this way for a long time to come I am sorry to say.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I can see you are very frustrated and I can understand where you're coming from. I hope it all works out well for the position you are slated to start in August.

Hope and encouragement to you! :toast:

Julie

[Yupster]

41. Sounds like you're a person who

would enjoy working for himself. I tried it. It's wonderful, but very hard work.

Give it a try. I bet you'll love it.

[JanMichael]

45. Boot straps. Land of Opportunity. Work Harder. Education. Freedom.

Flag. Greatest Nation on the Planet. Productivity Gains.

Initiative. Move.


PS~ Did I sum up the Reichwinger responses well?

[DarbyUSMC]

50. Maybe that $25 was supposed to show up in tips. Somehow I don't

see you getting tipped. "Jesus Christ --- I'm a Christian"???? I choked on my coffee over that statement. You didn't have to tell us that, it comes through loud and clear that you put your faith in Christ just by your language, as well as using His name as a curse. (Insert sarcasm).

Never quit a job unless you have a job to go to that starts the next day ---- rule of thumb during this economy. If they also screw you, then do an inventory on what you are presenting to them during your interview. I've never lived in Texas but I live in NY, one of the highest taxed states in the union and I've never had that experience (of not getting the rate of pay that was offered.) Before that the Marine Corps paid me just what they said they'd pay me. They pay a lot more now than when I was serving and the Marines do not send women into combat zones as a rule. You have a roof over your head, 3 squares a day, your uniforms and money to save or spend as you like. Not a bad gig. I've no idea how old you are so obviously that may not be an option. Civil Service has a good union so if you are a good test taker, that may be something to look into. Good luck.