They Give With One Hand and Take Away With the Other
By patgalca
@patgalca (18481)
Orangeville, Ontario
March 17, 2016 2:59pm CST
Hubby works 12 hour shifts. Either 7am-7pm or 7pm-7am. His day and night shifts change. A couple of weeks ago there were a lot of guys getting sick so hubby was asked to change to the night shift when he was supposed to work days, and an extra night shift. (During the night there are only the two "Operators" in the plant while during the day there are others there to help out). Last week he also worked another extra shift. So that was two full overtime 12-hour shifts, plus on two occasions he was asked to go in early (2 hours).
I confirmed with him today that he is working days over Easter - Saturday to Tuesday. That means a late dinner. But, he added, that the two days he was supposed to work (Tuesday and Wednesday) have been cut to just one day. They want them to take one of their floater days. "So," I said, "basically they are taking your overtime away from you."
Dang! He works hard to try and provide for this family with just his income. His tax return this year showed a drop of about $6,000 from last year. They've been shutting down the plant every other weekend, and once in awhile they throw in a week here and there where they shut down. The workers either don't get paid or are forced to take vacation days. Fortunately, hubby having worked there for 30 years this June gets six weeks vacation so it doesn't take away from him... much. (Those extra days off are spent on the golf course... which costs money). Most of the guys there have been working there for many years.
When I first got ill my husband took all the overtime he could get, and they were giving it out freely back then. He still takes all the overtime he can get. The company always calls on him because they know he is always available and lives five minutes from the plant. During shut downs he is asked to go do a security check, which he gets paid for, because he lives so close. But the boss lives on our street and hubby's working partner works on the next street over. But hubby is the most reliable and dependable, why can't they give him kudos for that?
One year when he was doing his annual review he was filling it out at home. He was giving himself 3s and 4s. I said he deserved some 5s for going above and beyond. He is always asked to train new guys, doesn't that count for something? It never occurred to him and obviously it didn't occur to his supervisor either. Their raises are based on those reviews (and yes, he gets a raise every year, puny as it is).
We have withdrawn from our retirement savings many times over the years (and get taxed for doing so), and have taken out 3 different mortgages, as well as sunk really low on our line of credit. Why can't someone cut us a break? All the prices for utilities and food and everything else are going up, why can't employers help us out?
6 people like this
7 responses
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
18 Mar 16
Oh, no, employers can't pay their peon workers more money because the big wheels deserve more and more pay while the peons deserve less and less pay. I don't know how it is in Canada, but here in the U.S., CEOs makes something like 455% more than the average worker. If the average worker is making $20 an hour then you can bet the CEO is making $9,100 an hour. So in this case the average worker makes about $41,600 a year while the CEO makes around $18,928,000 a year. Or you can look at it this way. The CEO makes the same as 455 workers!
1 person likes this
@RichardMeister (5328)
• Otis Orchards, Washington
19 Mar 16
@patgalca I'm reading a book titled, "Runaway Inequality" by Les Leopold. It tells about this in America.
1 person likes this
@Morethanamom (1948)
• Canada
17 Mar 16
That is a tough one. One on hand you would think the employer wants to take care of their employees, but in reality they need to balance what is best for the company and right morally. The company can only do so much to create work.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
18 Mar 16
It's better to work for a smaller company. I worked at the offices for the Ontario 7-Eleven Food Stores. I loved the people and they loved me. My first boss really liked me. When he got transferred he wanted me to go with him, but I liked where I was. But then I got ill and I became just a number like everyone else.
@Marcyaz (35316)
• United States
17 Mar 16
Most employers are only out for the almighty dollar and don't really think of the employees not receiving what they should. He needs to say something about needing more time to work, sometimes that lets the boss know you are not happy and want some more money to live on.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
17 Mar 16
Isn't everyone in the same position, though? The boss has to answer to his boss who has to answer to head office which is in the States. Morale can't be too bad when 4 of the 6 "Operators" have been there for 30 years or more. They get away with a lot when they are working weekends and nights.
@maezee (41985)
• United States
17 Mar 16
Wow. That sounds really frustrating. Do you think the company is losing business and therefore cant afford the overtime or dont need it or are they doing something else shady or just being cheap? Either way that stinks. My overtime at my current job has taken a nose dive but I am surviving. Although that OT certainly makes a difference on your paychecks. Hope it looks up soon.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
17 Mar 16
I guess we have to take into consideration that if they raise employees' wages then it pushes the product prices up further.
It's a combination of not wanting to spend more money than they have to, and sometimes lack of work (hence the shut downs). But then work will pick up and they will have to cancel the shut downs which brings overtime for the workers because no one was scheduled to work.
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
17 Mar 16
Corporate America has stopped carrying anything about its employees and manages the business to accomplish one thing, keeping the stock price rising. This is because the big shots all own huge stakes in the company's stock and they get bonuses when the stock price hits certain new highs. They screw over anyone and everyone to ensure those big bonus checks keep rolling in.
@DWDavis (25797)
• United States
19 Mar 16
@patgalca My wife has stock in her company as part of her retirement package. The folks I'm talking about, though, are the top level executives of the company whose salaries are already 100 times that of the average employee before you add in the huge stock bonuses they grant themselves. Then the Board of Directors grant them more bonuses when the stock price hits a certain point. None of this gets shared with the plant level employees who often face layoffs and reduced hours to help the big wigs make their income targets so the stock price will go up.
1 person likes this
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
19 Mar 16
@DWDavis As I said dto @RichardMeister I am appalled by the salaries and bonuses given to the CEOs of the big companies. I honestly don't think they deserve it.
1 person likes this
@bigtechie (1)
•
17 Mar 16
I think the employers should look after their employees in a way someone looks after their family. I know they rely on your husband but only one man taking all the load is unfair.
@patgalca (18481)
• Orangeville, Ontario
17 Mar 16
We don't mind because of the extra money, it's the taking away that bothers me. Sometimes they will call on a couple of guys to cover for someone who is sick. The first one who responds gets it. Hubby doesn't tend to carry is cell phone with him very much.
@JudyEv (382408)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Mar 16
Some businesses are very hard-hearted in their treatment of employees. It's a shame your husband works so hard for so little reward.
