U.S. companies may experience “a hiring panic” in the next few months.

[magical thyme]

16. I can only hope and pray

I can tell you that our lab manager went into a panic last winter when they tried to force me to work 12 hour overnight shifts -- something which I had specifically told her would be extremely difficult for me to do in my job interview, and that I would be available only for "extreme emergencies.

I am *per diem* -- I work only as they need *and as I am available*. I get no paid time off, no insurance, no pension, no benefits at all. She *thought* I would jump when they opened a full time night-shift job. She panicked when I chose to stay *per diem.* Overnight shift is for young people with lots of energy. Certainly in my 20s I pulled all-nighters and could do it. I am pushing 60. I will NOT destroy my health for those bastards.

She went ballistic ( I was physically afraid) and legalistic, making me personally afraid (her husband is a "high-powered lawyer"and everybody fears her) with covert threats. They succeeded in forcing me to 'do my best.' The first night I fell asleep at the wheel on my way home. Shortly after I woke up, I nearly had 2 head-ons. I had swollen glands for weeks after. My elderly horse got sick and I didn't see the symptoms until it was too late. I had to put him down in early February.

I am *barely* back on my feet and those mother-fucking bastards scheduled me for a night shift next week. I quietly refused. I agreed to work the first 6-7 hours of the shift, period. Today I checked up with the supervisor; she has not yet done anything about it. She is going to ask the former night shift person to come in early. She is afraid to ask one of the regular night shift people because she is afraid that will bring the lab manager into it.

I very, very quietly said, "I won't be threatened again. She is not the *only* person with a lawyer in the family."

The bottom line is that running a skeleton staff and filling in the blanks with part-timers and per diems is not my emergency -- it is their strategy. They want night shift adequately covered -- hire for it and pay for it with full-timers, don't shove it down the throat of someone trying to wind down for retirement. Bastards.