Wednesday, June 13, 2007

shit...on a stick

Ok, I am in a mood right now and I am only writing this to get it off my chest and to show you what I deal with.

Remember my meeting? Well it went just as I feared.

Here is the back story...bare with me and I am sorry if this runs long, by NO means do I expect any of you to read the whole thing, nor expect u to care...I am doing this just for my own mental health.

Ok...back years ago I did a silly thing and went to college. One of my majors dealt with the Mentally Ill..yes fitting I know...My actual degree would be in Medical Microbiology..shocking yes, I am smart...go figure..

Yes that really has nothing to do with Mentally Ill, I know this..BUT I had a few courses in which prepared me for such things...I had lots of recommendations and was actually approached about the job, I did not actually apply myself..

Anyway, I took the job because I love this shit. Crazy people hold a dear place in my heart, as most of my family qualifies as such. I took this job at a time in my life where I had another part time gig in which things were starting to happen for me...Things that could take me to places way beyond The Crazy House as well as Minnesota.

As it turns out, I WAS born with a conscience and could not deal with the shit they wanted from me. ...and its not even relevant nor important anymore.

So as I was starting to drift away from this other gig and dealing with the jail, I was starting to take a more active roll in the Crazy House. I was actually enjoying it so much that I would prefer working there over the county slammer.

I felt like I was making a difference, and I truly love the crazy people in my house.

Well in November they pulled us all aside and told us were they stripping all our benefits, which included..

*sick pay
*holiday pay..even if u did not work that day, u got paid anyway
*two weeks paid vacation a year
*a very nice wage with yearly raises and possible advancement
*health insurance...(for those who wanted/needed it, which I id not as Mr Shaky deals with that)

So when they did this, they told us that by Feb we would all have a substantial raise in our wage to compensate for our losses..

Well Feb came and went, and we would go to our house manager and ask WTF is up with out raises..She is the greatest manager, she told us that she really did not know and all they were telling her was they were working on it.

Well after months and months of waiting, we as employees ,wrote the owner of the company a letter asking where our raise was.

it was ignored.

So just before Memorial Day, we wrote up another one stating facts and told them we felt we have been lied to and we want some answers now.

Well, turns out we are being punished for this..

In fact, our house mangers bosses told us that everyone who signed this letter should be fired on the spot..

As a matter of fact, they demoted our manger over this..she is no longer my boss/manager anymore. The woman still has to show up, as she is screwed. She is a single mom to three kids and supporting them and herself. Not like she can just up and leave, and if the fire her, that means they have to pay out unemployment. So they are just going to make her life hell until she backs down and leaves on her own

So she shows up, BIG pay cut and with no title anymore.

Because we spoke our minds...

Now me, being the big mouth I am, went to bat for her today. Told the Big Supervisors this was not only wrong, but illegal as according to the Grievance policy in our own damn handbook, you can not demote or fire anyone for speaking their minds. We followed the companies grievance policy to the letter..

So we are all on pins and needles..Most of the people working here have no choice but to work until they find other employment. What they basically said to us today was, i want to fire each and everyone of u, but if we did that, there would be no one to work..

We are treated like insignificant peons, and actually the head boss lady told us that is all we were in her eyes...

You do not know how badly I wanted to get up and walk out...I spoke my mind, told them this was bull shit..along with a few other staff, most were fucking cowards and said nothing..

I could quit. I truly do not need the money. I work there because number one, I have grown so attached to the four crazy people in our house, that it would break my heart to leave them.

Secondly, I do enjoy the money..It is what I use to get tattoos, piercing, plane trips, vacations, liquor and man whores.

We pay no bills with my income, it is just an extra nice cushion, and fun money.

I am so torn as to what to do. I want to tell them to go fuck themselves.. And I know they were hoping I would....They know I can afford not to work..and if they got rid of me, they would have only one or two employees who have spines to stand up to them.

I am waiting..

waiting for them to can us all.


...I will glady sit home and collect money from these asshats while I go to the park with my kids, get drunk, or hell make prank phone calls to people.

I feel so sick inside that they did this to our manager. She actually is a good friend along with 3 other girls..we are like a big family, we have each others backs on everything..

There was lots of crying today, lots of swearing, and lots of voodoo dolls being made as we speak.

In my life I never thought I would ever have a job be threatened simply because we are asking where our raise is after we were promised this after they screwed us up our assholes with no lube and no warning...U cant take benefits away and then promise shit and do not deliver and expect us to just lay down and take your raping..It is not going to happen.

So I am not sure what I will do now. I feel so betrayed and I feel as though I can not trust the people who are suppose to have our backs.

Over the past 5 months or so, I have taken a full time position there...its 72 hours a pay period..I quit the jail as I wanted to be able to not worry about conflicting schedules and such..Plus, the jail was nice, BUT it was a very hostile envoirment. Not employees, but when your dealing with criminals, it is a very shaky ground to tread. I loved it...don't get me wrong, but the Crazy House took priority over it after a while.

I don't regret my decision on quitting the jail, but I do regret giving my all to a job where they shit all over us.

In my life I never thought that I would get treated like this at THIS type of job. Now I did get treated this way in a job before...And now to this day, I can be sued if I say anything about it/them..which in turn there is already something brewing in the court sytem. La de da..bastards.

Now this crazy house job is threatening to take us all to court over this whole thing, if we put up any more stink..

Little do they know..we have already called an attorney, because what they are doing/did is not only illegal, but also going against their own grievance policy and procedure.

We have a good case, or so we have been told. We are not backing down. I will see this thing thru till the end. And I am assuming the end will be them calling me and firing me.

So be it.

So, what would you do?

If you have even made it this far down in the post...I will personally send u a hallmark card.

I am not flopping, but I sure am flipping out..sonofabitch.


35 comments:

Tom said...

Bossy, I don't know if this is a government or private enterprise, but since Reagan fired the Air traffic controllers and set the precedence in 1981, labor has taken it in the ass. My Dad and Grandads were union men and so was I. People say unions are outdated, but now what else is there to protect worker's interest? They'll tell you you'll pay union dues, but if you get 6% by paying 2% you still come out ahead and you have REPRESENTATION at least in some form. Labor laws are a joke in this country and I think butting heads with your management is a waste of time. I think ...and I'm not sure how many workers we're talking about...but I'd contact a union, teamsters or whatever..and get to organizing...the union can point you to another union if they don't handle the type of worker you are. At the least you can cause headaches and you'll be trying to do something at least. Don't let them tell you unions are bad for business..unions were around big time when this country was growing by leaps and bounds. Sounds like your company just wants low wage drones. I guess if you look for another job, the flip side is there are good places to work that are non union too, but it's about #%# time labor stood up in this country...all corporations want now is cheap labor..Go Bossy!!!! (from Tom 46 and a former proud teamster)

Anonymous said...

Follow your heart and your mind on this one girl!
you GO girl!
Lola

"T" said...

Wow and I thought I had some crappy jobs in the past.

That happened to me more than once.

We were promised benefits, raises and they ended up cutting our hours and never lived up to any promises.

Buttholes.

Corporate don't give a shit.

They'll run everyone out of the crazy house and get a new crew that will accept the new changes but they'll suck because you will not get quality workers for a lousy deal like that.

Then they'll end up with a big turnover of employees all the time.

Anonymous said...

I was going to mention what tom posted. Even though he had a very serious and helpful comment it made me smile to see 'the flip side' in writing.

You really do need to make a lot of noise on this one. The more agencies you contact the bigger the paper trail you leave the worse this company looks. Since you care about the patients and the people you work with, you should go all out and let them know you mean business.

You have my address or at least my address for the next 2 1/2 weeks!

Neurotic1 said...

Here is my opinion- QUIT! I agree with Tom, labor laws are a joke in this country. In my experience, I worked for a company for 9 friggin' years where this same kind of crap took place. I wasn't happy until the day I finally told my boss to f off and walked out the door. It will eat at you and eat at you until it is all consuming. It is not worth it. Oh- and I am expecting a hallmark card because I care and read the whole post ;)

eyes_only4him said...

ok, I had a comment back to all of you, then my computer decided to do automatic updates and fucking restart it as I am trying to publish it..

Thank you though guys, and I will be quitting..I am just sticking it out for the sake of my co-workers, some of them have no choice but to stay..and I am going to stick it out until the rest of them leave..

it sucks..I have to go in from 1-9 today as I do everyday..and my stomach is sick about it...I mean I have had the GI trots since this all went down..

not pretty.

Kendra Lynn said...

I think you did the right thing.
Its unfortunate that your friend lost her position and all.
You guys could probably hire a lawyer or something if you are that serious. Hope it all works out for you.
The crazies like me, too...they find me everywhere I go.
I always smile and listen to their stories, and if appropriate, give them a hug.
I will say a prayer that all works out for the best.

Kendra

Anonymous said...

you could tell them to give you what they said they would or you all will walk, right now. Get it in writing or leave it with them. Do that about 8:00 on their busiest day of the week. I aint much of a union type (because of course im self sufficiant and self reliant) of guy but the reason you just laid out is why i only work for myself, that way nobody has anything over my head, ever.
My bride, back when she worked, worked for a fed agency and was faced with a similar situation, the advice I gave her was if she is willing to walk then she can make any demands she wants. This is especially true if you are the best at your position or are somewhat irreplaceable. She went to her boss and said either you do what you said you would or I walk, since nobody else could do her job as well as her they did what they had previously promised. She went and got herself bred a few months later and hasnt worked since but anyway.
Im not sure if thats advice or what but anyway there ya go
js

eyes_only4him said...

Kendra,
thanks...its sure is a tough sitation and it is making me sick thinking about it..But thanks for your prayers sweety.

Willy,
Well we did make demands, that is what our last letter stated. We said we wanted our benifts back PLUS our raise that we were promised.

The boss who is the mouthpiece for the big honcho told us that not only will we not be getting a fucking thing, but it was down to us losing our benifits or be out of a job, at the time the company was suffering...

She told us anyone who stands by the ltter should walk out the door..one did.

The rest, well they NEED the job..they can not afford to walk out or they would of done so..

its a shitty sitation, and I can garnetee u that I will not be showing up there any longer then I need to..

I am not much for unions..BUT, we had one at the jail and I tell u what..shit got done...

I will be my own boss one day, I may open some sort of whorehouse or something..Be my own boss;)

Patti cake,
thank you, that is exactly what I am doing...This is the ONLY reason I am still showing up today..

and its gonna fel shitty pulling into the drive way today...not a good feeling.

eyes_only4him said...

1 plus twins,
trust me, I will keep u all informed..I am thinking I will stick with it until I get fired or find another job...and we already have an attorney..things could get pretty hairy around here;)

aj said...

Well I'll be damned. Those fuckers.

Take them down.

I admire you for your perseverance to go through with this to the end. You know what they're doing is so morally and ethically wrong. I wish you girls the best of luck.

eyes_only4him said...

aj,
thank you...I plan on taking the fuckers down as far as I possiably can..

I am so dreading having to show my face there today, but I will be damned if I let them win..

thanks for your support..

Cricky said...

Aww Hell Nah....that's some shady shit right there.

I would make sure that when I left that company (which I would do) that they would be trembling and never in a million years forget my name.

Lawyers, Unions, and anythign else you can find that can and will back your fight should be retained.

Good luck girl.

oliveoyl64 said...

First off, bless you for the work you do. They can't pay you ENOUGH!

Can you open your own "crazy house" and employ the soon to be un-employed staff? Sounds like you would start off with a solid crew.

My thoughts were with "t" in that they will be shooting themselves in the ass and have a constant turnover in staff and that will not be cohesive for the "crazies". They need stability!!!!!!

BTW, no Hallmark needed, just a cyber hug.

Anonymous said...

you sound like the perfect person for this job, because you will say what needs to be said without fear of losing money. So you need to stay and be the spokesperson if you can handle the anguish that is.

eyes_only4him said...

Just a girl,
well myslef along with at least 2 other staff, including our former manager have an attorney for our case here..

I am going to stick to my guns until they fire me..And trust me, when that happens, they will not forget me...I will visit them in their nightmares;)

Oliveoyl,
well, I dont think I could open my own home as there is a huge cost in that plus with all the red tape and shit I would have to go thru would not even be worth it.

For the most part our crazy house ran smooth, up until we demaded answers..

I am just going to wait for them to fire me, then I will collect my unemployment check until I feel like getting me another job;)

here is your cyber hug

(({HUGS}))

Ba Dozzie,
that is exactly what I am doing..

I will leave here in about 20 minutes, pull into the driveway of my crazy house, see my former manager and my other two close co-workers and no the only reason I am there is to support them and their cause..and I will fight for them and myself up until they tell me to leave.

Bella said...

I can't believe all the BS you're going through right now.

Best of luck.

MommaMonkey said...

Wow. Sounds like some upper-management is getting a little power-hungry and greedy with the money. I was going to suggest you all get a lawyer, but you already did that, so hey, you're as smart as me. As much as I'd like to help you let them "see the light" about what they are doing is wrong, I have a feeling it is going to end up being a long, dragged-out fight.

I like working with the mentally ill too. There is a little something rewarding about it that I just can't explain.

Anonymous said...

What a crock of shit.

I do not need a hallmark card but sometime we will have to go out and get a beer or some manwhores.

Or both.

Document everything. Get what you can in writing and see if you have a solid case.........

Lola said...

Don't let 'them' win. Another side is to stay and be part of the change. Why should you have to leave a job you like because of them...just another angle.
Lola

Yarn Tails said...

Holy shit! Why do companies do that kind of shit to people. Its just crap and then they always wonder why they can never get good help. I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out for you! I am like you. I would be swinging and kicking ass and taking numbers along the way!

PS.... I always knew you were smart. You truly are a wonderful person!

Peggy said...

go get em and give em hell! They don't know who they are messing with till they have messed with bossy! Hey we could all be your posse if you need one. LOL

Jamie Dawn said...

I sounds to me like you are handling this thing pretty well. You are not backing down which means that THEY will eventually be forced to give you your raises. Keep the faith and keep on fighting for what's yours. They made the promise, and they need to make good on it.
BTW, you're not a peon.

Humincat said...

While we're trading hubbys we could also trade jobs, since we're both dealing with crap all day-mine's in diaper form though...little easier to clean up.

eyes_only4him said...

Thank you ....I just got home, what a damn day. It is not easy going there, let me tell u. We are sticking to our guns and just waiting for them to fire us one at a time..

I will stick around until they fire me..but I have a feeling they are going to mess with our scedhules and then tell us if we can not work the hours they set, we can leave..

I am still fuming from it..

and we are documenting everything..we are also going to start recording all converstions with the bosses..

its not pretty.

but thank u all for your support..u guys are awesome.


and muttptincess..I am ready amd willing for the drinks and manwhores..call me..haha

Cliff said...

There must be HHS funds involved here somewhere. If so, I hope you hired a 'pitbull' attorney. They should be able to make life a living hell for these folks.
Good luck.

Unknown said...

Rock it Bossy, Stick to your guns, call in the MN Dept of Commerce, the BBB, snd call all those phone numbers listed on the propoganda that the dept of labor requires your employer to post somewhere conspicuous, like the inside of the broom closet.

eyes_only4him said...

Cliff,
Things are not looking good, one of the gals contacted someone at the state labor dept, told her they did nothing wrong...any company can fire employees with no notice no warning and no reason..

but we are not done yet..although they did not fire any of us, they DID threaten us and our jobs..and demoting the mananger because they f-ed...not right,,

I will keep u posted though.

Gette,
we have a gal doing all this..I dont think she is getting very far..

This whole thing is driging me crazy..

Foxy said...

wow, that is sooo messed up! if i were you i would fight till the end. they have no legs to stand on, first they cut your benefits and then they don't comply with the promise they made and they expected for what? you guys to be happy about this? good call on talking to an attorney. i'm sure what they want to happen is for you guys to quit on your own, but i would stay just to piss them off and fight. is there anyone ranking above those assholes you can speak to?

KrazyMom said...

Wow, do the families of the "crazies" know how the staff is being treated? They would have a lot to say about this whole deal too, I am sure. Hang in there. There is nothing worse than putting in hours for a boss you now hate! Your co-workers are lucky to have you, unafraid to speak your mind and give them a backbone!

eyes_only4him said...

Krazymom,
sadly only one of our crazies even have family who visit.

Well my days are numbered..I cant physically take it anymore..it makes me sick to walk in the door.

Halfmexican Mama said...

pull an Erin Brokovich on their asses...go get em tiger!.grrr!

Fantastagirl said...

email all the info - company name, etc. I've got some great connections in the mental health world in your state - and I'll leak it to the local media - there's something to be said about people messing with Crazy people.... Just kidding..you can't do that - listen to the attorney - and DO NOT QUIT - un-employment checks are not a bad thing.

eyes_only4him said...

Jill,
we are trying...

Fantstagirl,
email me..I cant get your email out of my address book.

Beth said...

Take 'em to the mat. I sure as hell would. Nail 'em to the wall.