Well I quit my job today

[TwixVoy]

Well I put in my two weeks today. Retail was already the pits, but it seems every year the fuckers at HQ design new ways to screw over everyone at the bottom.

I had just turned in to HR my annual reviews I had written for several employees. Many of them top performers. The HIGHEST raise HQ would allow me to give them was 3.5% of what they currently make. (all under $10/hr... even the ones who had been with the company multiple years)

I was informed by our HR manager at that time that HQ has just further decreased the merit increase guidelines, and I must go back and revise the reviews because the new maximum is 2% - which means the top performing people who bust their ass every day now get less than 20 cents for the ENTIRE YEAR. We only give out raises once a year - no exceptions ever.

I was advised to write comments on the reviews that suggested 2% was a very generous increase.

Our CEO just got a couple million dollars bonus.

I decided enough of this bull shit. I wrote a letter of resignation, filled out the voluntary termination form, and left it on our store managers desk. I will be gone in two weeks.

Being in management at retail has done something to me. I see my self as the emissary of hell for the executives at corporate. They find a way to screw over people more, and I am the one that is expected to make it happen. I am tired of getting hateful looks every time I have to deliver more of this to people who are just trying to survive.

Half of the other people in management I work with go along gladly with all of this. Part of me believes some of them actually enjoy it. Half of them actually are deluded enough to believe one day they will be the executives at corporate making millions and screwing over everyone else. What is more sick is the fact they desire that. I look at them every day and hope to god I never become them. I won't become them.

I remember last year giving out annual merit increases. One of the people I was responsible for giving a merit increase to came to the United States from the middle east. She always told me stories about people with guns in the streets, having to fear for her life every day. How she and her children had to drink urine to survive some days.

She has been doing the same job for years at our store. NEVER comes in late. ALWAYS gets the job done. One of our best employees. Puts up with bull shit such as leaving the store at 12AM and being expected to come back at 4AM.

The maximum raise HQ allowed for her was 20 cents bringing her to less than $8/hr. She just cried and said to me "I wish I go back my country. It better there"

I will always remember that. I am done working for mega corporations. I am getting the fuck away before they change me.

[ogneopasno]

Best of luck to you. I've found your insights fascinating.

[slackmaster]

1. I'd be very happy to see a 3.5% raise

The biggest I have gotten in five years was 3%. The last two years, it's been 0%.

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

53. Yeah, me too. I work for a local government and we're all foregoing raises

in order to not have folks laid off.

The floor folks at Lowes and HD are very helpful and help bring repeat business, and should be rewarded more for what they contribute.

[RiverStone]

118. You actually just opened a door...

By closing the other.

Congrats! :hi:

[Lucky Luciano]

68. Hah!

Here is a timeseries of my overall comp since leaving grad school:

2006: I received X.
2007: I received X/2.
2008: I received 2X/5 ...including my severance...

...still looking for my next job, which has been a shitshow so far though I have a few good leads...

[Horse with no Name]

2. To be honest

Our company has frozen raises indefinitely. I haven't received one in 1 1/2 years.
I like that you empathize with your employees.
However, I doubt any of them would have wanted you to quit your job over something that is happening in almost every nook and cranny in the country.

[TwixVoy]

3. This shit has beeng going on LONG before this "recession" started

Now it is a convenient excuse.

[NikolaC]

107. Exactly

I just get the feeling that there are a lot of companies out there who are using this recession as an excuse to get away with more heinous shit than usual as far as firings, outsourcing, extending work hours for little or less pay, etc.

[BrklynLiberal]

131. I remember one of my bosses once telling me that they were REQUIRED to have SOMETHING

negative on every review...and to make the raise sound "wonderful" no matter how much more the person actually deserved.

[POR]

142. Same thing here

The Cheif Tech Officer at the company I work announced that only 15% of employees could be rated as "Exceeds Goals" on their yearly evaluation. In a 10 person person meant that only 1.5 people were eligible for the maximum raise and merit bonus. He went on to say that it was mandatory that 33% of employees were rated as "Does not Meet Goals", which immediately earmarked these employees for probation.

The problem is that corporations are no longer managed to make superior products (if they ever were), they are only managed to show a "profit" every 4 months, so that their quarterly numbers look good to Wall Street. Since most execs have no training in anything other than being executive, their best trick is squeezing every dime out of their employees salaries and delivering it to the stockholders. If I managed my home finances like corporations do I would be called a numbers wizard for asking my wife and kids to move out of the house every time I needed to cut expenses to support my mistress (I really don't have a mistress it just filled out the analogy).

[BrklynLiberal]

154. Yep. i remember tha t "normal bell curve" that everyone had to fall into.

All that did was make you less than thrilled to be working as part of an exceptional group...because you knew that at review time, there would be this "distribution" problem.

[1monster]

168. When I worked retail in the eighties and early nineties, the best raise I ever recieved was

25 cents an hour. And we only got raises once a year also. Most years, the management would find some really pathtic reason to cut that back. Quite often I ended up with ten to fifteen cents an hour as a raise.

The big retail corporations have been screwing their workers (the ones who actually deal with and and turn one time customers in to repeat and regular customers) big time.

[tavalon]

51. I think he quit to save his soul

[WI_DEM]

4. Good luck. That was a brave thing to do given our current economic situation

I know retailers after the holidays also cut hours so that it's difficult for anybody to get 40-hours per week.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. You're a remarkable human being.............

You just committed a pure act of conscience, something that most people would not do if stuck in your position.

You are wonderful. I am completely blown away by what you did and what you wrote.

I wish you only the best of the best. I salute you.

I applaud you.

[MercutioATC]

10. Not to second-guess the OP's decision, but there's a flip side, too.

This will have no impact on the hourly employees' lives other than reducing the number of managers who are looking out for them by one. They still won't get raises and the company will most likely replace the OP with a yes-man who will actually make things worse.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

16. That's true,

and someone will probably get a new job because of the OP's decision.

But one person took a stand.

That did not happen in a vacuum, just as it's not being discussed in a vacuum here, and it has meaning that will last beyond today.

[MercutioATC]

18. Agreed. Sometimes, making a stand is the only moral option.

But no decision comes without both "good" and "bad" consequences.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

20. I don't know about that .......

Terms like "good" and "bad" confuse me. They're subjective, so they're impossible to translate, even person-to-person.

I think what TwixVoy did was courageous and principled and - yes - good.

[MercutioATC]

27. That's why I put them in quotes.

Any decision has effects that both promote the views/beliefs/morals/ethics of the actor (and his/her perception of what is desirable) and effects that detract from them.

That's still not exact, but it gives you an idea of why I just used "good" and "bad"...

[MindPilot]

28. True and that what makes it a tough decision.

Either way he had to follow his conscience.

[Deja Q]

170. The employees might quit too, out of loyalty to the OP.

One can never tell...

[Subdivisions]

24. I have to agree, TLB. Best of luck and life to you, Twix. And, please,

keep posting.

[rwheeler31]

6. I have been there, you did the right thing.

[anigbrowl]

7. Good luck. That took a lot of guts and honesty.

I have a feeling you'll prosper as well if not better in other environments.

[Journeyman]

8. I understand your frustration and need to cleanse yourself of corporate control. . .

I hope your co-workers' next boss is as compassionate as you.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. Sometimes ya just gotta take a stand.

Good for you.

I hope your (former) employees appreciate what you did.

I also know that, in times like these, low raises and no raises are the norm. I doubt your employees, if they are being honest, expect much in the way of raises. I bet they're happy to still have jobs.

Not putting you down. In fact, I'm very impressed with your selflessness and principled stand.

The CEO thing is morally criminal.

[lpbk2713]

11. Congratulations on making a terribly hard decision.

A person without a conscience would not have done what you did. This makes you the winner.


:thumbsup: :hi: :thumbsup:

[newscott]

12. I hear ya man.

My younger brother has been in retail for almost 20 years now. He got laid off as a complete surprise from a job he was doing very well in.

A week later he's back working for the company running one of the stores he used to run, same pay, same benes!

Why the heck did they bother to lay him off? All they had to do was offer him the position. What a bunch of dolts!!!!!

[panader0]

13. Even a beginning laborer gets more from me.

I start them at ten an hour, and they go up when they learn. Then again, there's no work now...........
I say bully for you. Before you go, let 'em know why.Your CEO makes more in a week than the workers in a year. That shit sucks.

[Norquist Nemesis]

98. The CEO probably makes more during lunch than the front-line

employees make in a year. And the VPs and top managers are probably in the same bracket.

It sucks!

[truedelphi]

14. Whatcha complaining about. There is still as yet no law saying that

We The People can't drink our own pee to survive. That will come next year, when inflation hits, and someone at Monsanto decides that people can only drink Monasanto derived GMO pee.

I'm sorry you were forced into quitting a job that you held now while it's a rough market out there. I hope the laws of karma hover about and get you something better than you were doing.

[tbyg52]

44. I fear you speak truth. nt

[AndyA]

15. Your post brings back so many memories for me.

I've been there too...retail management at the store level. It sucks.

The year I decided I had to get out was the one where corporate told all of the store-level management to "take time for yourself...don't get worn down." Sounds great. At the same time, they told us we had to work a 6 day week between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

How in the hell are we supposed to "take time for ourselves" when we only get one day off a week? We have the same things to do that everyone else has to do, and we always worked more than 40 hrs. a week anyway.

I know how you feel. And I admire you for sticking to your principles. I wasn't a "team player" either, because when you're a team player you often have to take advantage of others, because the "team" doesn't always include everyone if it costs more money.

Good luck finding another job. I know how you feel, I could have written your post. You'll be glad you did this later on, when you look back. It takes a big person to do what you did.

[gizmo1979]

17. I'm losing mine tommorrow

wanna trade.12 years,a good paying union job.Just not enough work left to go around.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

22. Good luck, honey ....

Get yourself all rested up and then get back out there, and maybe you'll find yourself on a whole new road.

I wish you all the luck in the world.................

:toast:

[gizmo1979]

171. Thanks

I'll do that.Maybe I'll even get a lucky break,looks like the economy is wanting to turn around.

[MajPayne2]

19. That took shit loads of integrity to yourself and beliefs...

I salute you sir / maam. :patriot: If you live near a military installation, look into AAFES.

[Blue Diadem]

21. I wish you the best TwixVoy

:hug:

[Raven]

23. You did the right and courageous thing. You will not regret it. Life

is too precious to waste on doing other peoples' dirty work. Looking back on my career, most of the best moves I made, personally and professionally, were during bad economic times. You just have to live your one life the right way and you are doing it! All my best wishes and thoughts!

[PA Democrat]

25. I wish you all the best. I quit a job many years ago out of disgust

for the way they treated employees. I was a manager and had to lay people off for the mistakes of the people in the executive offices, while the CEO was allowed to retire with a huge golden parachute. I think that's one of the reasons I am a liberal today. I don't like the way much of corporate America treats people. The people who are paid the big bucks to make the "tough decisions" are never the ones who bear the costs of their bad and often reckless decisions.

[ddeclue]

26. This crap has been going on a long time.. it was happening when I was at Kroger in the late 80's

and early 90's.

Managers came and went all the time because it was a meat grinder and nobody was treated well. The overall staff turnover was >100% a year.

Doug D.

[iamthebandfanman]

62. doesnt krogers have a union?

not for the managers, but for the other employees?

[ddeclue]

88. yeah but it seemed pretty toothless

[pacalo]

29. I worked at JCPenney's in the '90s as a visual associate -- my first eye-opening

look at the behind-the-scenes of retail. I thought the manager was pulling my leg during my first performance review, giving me a $.25 raise.

Now, this is the kicker...our office was located among the store managers' offices; we could see & hear quite a lot. At Christmastime, I saw the managers excitedly pop in & out of each other's offices & I heard one mention bonus checks they had gotten.

I saw the big picture & it disgusted me.

[MissDeeds]

30. Good for you

It was a brave and courageous thing to do, especially in this economy, but also quite selfless. Sometimes ethics and integrity are more important than the mighty dollar. I hope good things will come your way for standing by your principles.
:toast:

[dysfunctional press]

31. so- is it or isn't it target?

:shrug:

btw- congrats on the decision, and best of luck to you.

[barbtries]

32. that was a gutsy thing to do

i hope you let them know your reasons as eloquently as you laid them out here.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

33. I am sure that these conditions meet with the full approval of the people

who are screaming about healthcare reform, tax cuts for the middle class and the rest.

On edit to kick and recommend. :)

[Fire1]

34. The other managers, republican no doubt. The GOP

'pulled myself up by the bootstrap' meme was a dead giveaway.

[Raine1967]

35. you know the guy from AIG? The one who resigned????

He got his resignation letter printed in the NYT... I would LOVE to see yours printed as well. You have FAR better reasons for leaving than he did.

[sui generis]

36. It's not just retail

I heard the CEO here has changed bonus criteria in the past - instead of saying "we don't have enough money this year for raises or bonuses (which would have been a lie), he's given out a weighting schema to over emphasize negative and underemphasize the positive.

Here's absurdity: you are expected to raise the dead and walk on water - "meets expectations", whereas there is no way to exceed that expectation unless voodoo and science fiction and a character from Heroes are liberally used.

Fortunately because I report directly to the dude and have armies under me, I have The Power to start a mutiny. It's the price of Getting Things Done. I'm sorry you quit - this could have been an opportunity for you to go all Norma Rae on his ass and build a revolution, but sometimes it's better not to compromise your own principles one minute longer at risk of making your soul sick.

[KatyaR]

49. My boss is that way, too--

he uses a computer program to do his evaluations--wouldn't want to put any actual EMOTION into his reviews. If you walked on water AND flew at the same time, you might just be lucky enough to get a "meets expectations," but just barely. Meanwhile, he sits in meetings and pontificates to his staff about how he's perfect, and he expects all of us to be perfect, too, and to be three steps ahead of him at all times as well. And yes, he's a fundy rightwinger who actually called proudly called himself a "neo-Nazi" last week in a meeting when describing to others how he DEMANDS perfection, nothing more.

I'm surprised his two boys have made it to young adulthood without cutting their father's throat in the middle of the night.

He's an absolute saint, but he refuses to do an evaluation for me, and I've worked for him for over 3 years--and he's the freakin' PRESIDENT of the company. I have appealed to everyone I can think of, including HR and the legal department, but no one will step up to help me, so I'm totally screwed. Now this year we've "frozen" pay increases, so I have no chance at all. I've probably lost almost $5 grand in salary over the last three years because of this, money I could really use right now.

[MindPilot]

37. Good for You!

A decision based on "doing the right thing" is always the right decision. (I just made that up!)

Do you have any say in who fills your spot? If so can you recommend someone who maybe will carry on your ethical standards?

[Crabby Appleton]

38. My company laid-off a bunch of people yesterday - a manager with

over 30 years service among them. All other employees have gotten a 3% to 15% pay reduction along with cancellation of 401K match. I suspect layoffs aren't done with. My entire department with the exception of me has been outsourced to an Indian company.

[KG]

39. i'd rather live under a bridge than work retail management.

[bluesmail]

40. You have a conscience. eom

[Dorian Gray]

41. Wow....

I applaud your conscience. And I wish you luck in finding employment that suits your generous and caring temperment.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

42. Millions for the execs, pennies for the workers.

The conscience of the SHAREHOLDER needs to kick in. They need to start thinking about what kind of corporate environment are they paying for? The exec isn't making serfs of the workers on their behalf - he/she/they are doing it to enrich themselves on the backs of workers and stockholders alike.

TwixVoy, if you really want to make a difference, start organizing workers who are also shareholders through their 401Ks to hold onto their proxies and to go to the shareholders meetings or at least vote "no" on executive compensation packages. The retirees might make a good group to look at. Make a blog about this whole issue.

[JHB]

119. I suspect the "401K-ing" of retirement packages has a hand in the whole situation...

...since so many stockholders have such a miniscule share of the company that they don't bother acting like shareholders and let management proxy for them by default. This frees up management to act for its own benefit, screw the employees AND the shareholders.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

43. Any raise that doesn't meet a COLA is shit. It's NOT a raise.

And that part has NOTHING to do with merit.

Side note- so-called "reviews" are just another cudgel to bludgeon employees with. Someone my husband worked with was the hardest working, most enthusiastic, most good-hearted, most-liked by the clients/customers and co-workers and was given 2's on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest, on her annual review by the a@#h@#e of a manager. She left almost immediately for another job where she was psid less but appreciated more.

[Berry Cool]

45. Good for you, and good luck.

I saw two sibs work retail and how it sucked out their souls. One is still getting her soul sucked out, but she'll never leave. The other is now getting her soul sucked out at what she thought would be her dream job.

Sometimes it's a crappy world.

[peacefreak]

46. I wish you well.

I've been reading your posts for months now & understand the stress you've been under. It's a shame that a person with good judgement & intregrity is not valued. It is an awful time to be out in the cold cruel world. Believe me, your story is one I'll remember when I walk in under the big red bullseye. Best of luck.

[dixiegrrrrl]

47. My dear dear TwixVoy...I am so happy you made that decision.

I know what a struggle one goes thru before making the decision, too.
and there may come thoughts second guessing your self, and fearful feelings occasionally because you left a job.
I applaud you. Your posts here have clearly shown how hard it has been for you to carry out the bullshit from above.
You may have left a job, but you gained your soul.

I am sure I am among a many who hope that when you can safely do so, you wil feel comfortable confirming the identity of the mega-store that did this to so many people.
( some of us feel comfortable in our guesses, but still.....)

take a bow...you did a brave brave thing today.

:applause: :applause: :applause: :applause:

[and-justice-for-all]

48. I learned it does not matter how hard you work...

because the vulchers are always circling in wait. Greed does not help either, the pricks that got the million dollar bonuses do not give a fuck about the people doing the work.

Try working for a mega infrastructure corporation, talk about getting fucked. These people will do whatever they can to keep those bonuses coming in; and do you think it trickles down? hell no.

[New Dawn]

50. This country needs a LIVING WAGE law.

http://www.universallivingwage.org/

[Sal Minella]

52. "I walked out of two jobs in my life, and I been broke, but I ain't never been sorry."

A friend told me that one day and enabled me to walk out of a terrible job. And I ain't ever been sorry either. And I think you also won't be sorry -- am glad you did the right thing.

[Mopar151]

58. "Ya see that road, kid?"

"It leads to every part of the world, and if these bastards give you too much shit, load up your tools and get on it!"

Old Lewie told me that when he was trainin' me on the lube rack 30 years ago... and he's still right!

[Sal Minella]

77. Good advice sticks with us, looks like -- we were lucky.

[nilram]

92. damn, I wish I'd heard that 25 years ago

I would have exited several BS jobs.

[sendero]

54. I got my usual..

... "Exceed Expectations" rating but all merit increases are frozen where I work. I was told that I'd be getting 3.5% when/if they are unfrozen.

And my company is making good money, we have not taken a hit at all.

In this environment, I expect that at least half of all companies are going to freeze merit increases.

[Myrina]

55. My best to you ...

... I did a similar thing in January - for slightly different reasons (incestuous office politics and a culture of "we don't care how incompetent we are - we're getting paid") - and while I was able to get a different job almost immediately, the pay cut I took is causing me alot of grief. However, the peace of mind almost makes up for it.

Sometimes you gotta do what you know in your gut is right, details be damned. You'll land on your feet.


O8)

[bertman]

56. I commend you for your courage and integrity, TwixVoy. And I hope good things

come your way.

[Fumesucker]

57. I walked out of a job more than thirty years ago over very similar issues..

I've never regretted doing it.

Kudos to you man, you did what you felt to be the right thing. Would that more of us could act the same way, perhaps we might have an impact.

[Catshrink]

59. Good for you. Congratulations on a difficult move.

[sarcasmo]

60. Good for you. Welcome to class Warfare.

[Grinchie]

61. Leaving a job in respect of ethics is quite liberating.

It gives one the strength to tackle whatever hardships may come your way while trying to figure out a way to make ends meet if that becomes a problem. Sometimes, the best solution is to just give up on the 2 cars in every garage, 2 chickens in every pot, and go back to basics, and really see how self sufficient one can be in todays society.

It's a daunting task at first, but after a while, as you reign in spending and consumerism, one finds a nice balance between the current dependance we have on a food system that is out of whack, and economy that is basically a facade, a mechanism that allows Governments, Insurance companies, and Corporate conglomerates to transfer wealth upwards. They depend on obedient drones, commuting to jobs 30 miles away, and supporting the cost of ownership by paying the Corporation for the privilige (sp) of being stuck in traffic for hours every day, burning their fuel, in vehicles that are as fuel efficient as a gasoline powered Mack truck.

Only when people start to realize what it takes to craft the things they really need in their daily lives will they realize how specialized they are, and how utterly dependant on other they are to function in their daily lives.

Try doing other things, like carpentry, woodworking, accounting, architecture, and you will soon see what an amazing world exists out there. Try picking up a hammer, shovel or rake and use it for a while, and you'll immediately discover that these things they sell today are mere cartoon caricatures of the real McCoy that people used to work with. Honestly, the shovels they sell in Home Depot are incredibly unusable. Try to find quality wood chisels, or maybe if you are adventurous, a Tee-Handled Auger to drill holes in wood. These items built the cities of the US, but they are not available anymore. Your solution? A 1 HP Hole Hawg, and a generator capable of running it. Don't forget a secure place to store them, the vehicle to transport it back and forth, and you suddenly get the picture on how specialized our lives have become. In the name of productivity, we have sold our skills for technology and tools that really are good looking facsimilies of the inexpensive, manual versions our grandparent used to build America.

This leads to the question, Where is all the productivity that we have heard about for the last 20 years? Why do we get paid less and less for more work? Why do both parents HAVE to work to make ends meet? The answer is that it is all a sham. We are led to believe that we are productive merely because we earn a wage, regardless of whether is produces anything at all. The truth of increased productivity is that it should reduce work hours, increase wages, and allow more leisure time. It does, but those benefits are siphoned off to enrich the ones at the top of the ladder. The Rich Dad's that know that people have no clue about wealth or money in general.

Congratulations on parting ways with Corporations. Take away from your experiance the knowledge of how they treat labor and utilize it to guard against the PR campaign they wage it total cooperation with the Government. Simplify, and only take out insurance if it makes financial sense, or is mandated by law. There is no way to escape the collusion of laws passed to for the consumption of Insurance, which is just another way to skim annuities off the public. Just take a look at New Orleans, and see how far the Insurance money went, and you'll realize that it really was siphoned off into wall street of slave labor sweatshops, or perhaps it was used to subsidized GMO food crops and pay off the USDA to look the other way when it came to the dangers of eating Frankenfoods.

There are so many ways that the Corporations are screwing us today that the only recourse is to just stop being willing participants in the charade. Time to go back to school a learn how to function like 80% of the rest of the world that has no running water, limited medical care, and faces starvation. Once people realize how quickly the tap can be shut off here in the US, maybe they'ed start thinking about it a little more.

[NMDemDist2]

147. another post I wish I could nominate

I posted something very similar not too long ago

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/AZDemDist6/13

[juno jones]

63. Good luck out there.

Life is sometimes harder for those who posess souls, but those who do wouldn't sell them for double the price.

May you find a new job, one worthy of your conscience.

:applause:

[Fire1]

64. I hope you find something soon. My husband gave up the

corporate world ten years ago. He couldn't take it anymore. Started his own business.

[varelse]

65. good for you

I'm in much the same situation and have considered leaving my job a number of times because of it. Occasionally a manager, or the HR staff, will "see the light" and actually approve an unscheduled raise or even up the starting pay for the people I supervise. If not for that, I'd be in the same boat you are in now.

[Waiting For Everyman]

66. The most expensive thing in life is integrity.

Give it up, and it's not that hard to succeed. What it costs, is the difference between what you're making and what you could make without it - that's a big number, but it's worth it. This is the opposite of a meritocracy. When a "good guy" makes it, it's a total fluke.

In general, the best and brightest in this country are not at the top. And that's the real reason why we're sinking - we elevated the mediocre with no scruples in the last several decades, and they made and are making the major decisions. Of course most of us Dems (the real ones) know this.

You just proved you're a very valuable person, Twix. That won't pay the bills, but the sell-outs can't buy self-worth at any price, with all their money. All they've got, is the flimsy propaganda meme they subsitute for it, that "income = talent", which is just about fully discredited by now.

The cheesiest thing about what the decision-makers at your store did, is to not only steal their employees' deserved pay (as usual), but to ALSO cheat them out of even the record they earned of great job performance. To demand that you falsify that, is MUCH WORSE than the monetary rip-off. It will probably deny them the advancement they deserve in their next job too. Do we have to wonder how this management treats their customers?

This is a great example of how broken the entire "system" is, and why we need laws that really ensure a level playing field in a all financial transactions of every kind. We used to have that. And that level playing field for everyone should be the focus of all of the laws to fix this mess. The way it is doesn't work. It's not only sleazy and wrong, it doesn't work.

You'd think even a self-centered money-grubber could recognize by now, that doing the right thing is actually profitable! But no, it goes back to the point I made at the top, that these are STUPID no-talent mediocre money-grubbers. They're "cutting off their nose to spite their face". It's actually funny (in a dark-humor kind of way) to watch them on tv now wondering out loud why they're losing everything.

What goes around, comes around... that goes for money too. These creeps will eventually lose it all, because that's how it is - and ought to be. It's just sad that they're ruining a lot of other people who know better, with them.

I remember a saying though, from another era of hard times like this a long time ago... "no matter how you shake up a milk bottle, the cream always rises to the top". The true cream will, and does, every time. (That doesn't mean the shaking feels good, but it's true.) This is a time of shaking the milk bottle. This recession is a "law of nature" at work... Or another way of putting it, REALITY - coming through and having its due from this massive fiction and fraud that was built by our "financial gurus". They remind me of the Sorcerer's Apprentice.

[sinkingfeeling]

136. Excellent post. I think that should become a cliche: The most expensive thing in life is integrity.

[WestSeattle2]

67. Capitalism is harsh...

No doubt about it. Unbridled capitalism, such as what we have in the US, is all about supply and demand, and that includes labor. Labor is just another commodity, and one to be exploited. It's the American way! That said, not every retail employer is as immoral as your previous employer. For example, Costco treats all of their employees fairly and almost all earn a livable wage. I doubt anyone at that company makes less than $12/hour. I know their shareholders have been on their ass for years to reduce labor costs, and Costco refuses. Good on them!

[Missy Vixen]

89. Our friend works at Woodinville Costco

The guys that stock the shelves make $11 an hour to start. We know because we asked. They get full benefits, too.

She has been with them for almost fifteen years now. She says she will be there as long as they'll have her.

I have nothing but great things to say about Costco. It's good to shop there. Great prices, great products, even better customer service.

[WestSeattle2]

137. Golden Rule Capitalism...

$11/hour to start, for stocking shelves is a fair wage in my opinion. Considering that most anyone who is in decent physical condition can do the job, Costco could probably fill those positions at $9/hour. They opt instead to invest in employees, reduce their turnover rate, and in turn, treat the human beings who work for them as they themselves would like to be treated. Call it Golden Rule Capitalism. Everyone wins.

I've worked for employers where a 25% annual turnover rate was considered an average year. My current employer rarely experiences more than a 3% turnover rate in any given year. That's a huge cost savings, I mean enormous. The difference in turn-over rate is primarily due to wage and benefits, and the fact that employees at my current employer are treated with respect and dignity.

[GiveMeFreedom]

69. Good for you Twix

I can imagine being a shield for corporate greed, can leave a lot of spears and arrows sticking out of your chest from unhappy employees. Your integrity speaks volumes. Welcome to the unemployed ranks.

[SlingBlade]

70. Congrats ! Like you my wife works with the Public

As a teller at one of the local banks here.

A little background ....

This Bank reported loses of nearly One Hundred Million Dollars
The CEO Retired with a multiple million dollar golden parachute.

>First it was announced that the Bank
would no longer offer matching contributions to the employees 401s.

>A week later they were informed that there would no longer be merit increases
A total freeze on wages.

>Two weeks ago they all read in the local newspaper that the top five executives
at this Bank were awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in "Retainer Bonuses",
so that they wouldn't leave and go to a differ nt Bank. This is spite of the fact that they
were responsible for the Bank losing nearly One Hundred Million Dollars

>Finally,Last week all lower level employees were informed that their hours would be cut
to thirty two hours per week with no overtime.

They are now expected as front line employees to take the brunt of the punishment from
customers when they find that they will now be nickle and dimed every time they turn around with this Bank. Stockholders received no dividends and this Banks stock went from about $27.00 per
share to its present value of $1.50 per share and not even holding steady at that.

But its the front line people who seem to take all of the abuse, It's always the little guy's
who pay for the mistakes of the fat cats.

This is a sad state of affairs for the working man these days, Very very sad.

[Wednesdays]

79. Now you know where the $30 penalty goes

whenever you write a check with insufficient funds...even if you're overdrawn by just a penny. If you're unfortunate to have ten outstanding checks--that's 300 of your hard-earned bucks, propping up the CEO fatcats' salaries. :puke:

Thank God I've had my checking account with a credit union for years...I am not about to support that bullshit.

[CubicleGuy]

84. Don't you love the banks' overdrawn checks scheme?

They make sure to pay off the largest checks first, so that there are lots of little checks which all get their own individual "I bounced!" fee of $30+, and before you know it, you're in the hole to them for hundreds of dollars more.

It's good to be the king bank.

[high density]

71. Good luck

I wish I could bring myself to do the same thing. I am really frustrated with where I am but I feel trapped since I know finding a new job is going to be difficult and require moving. Right now it is just boring; there is no work to do because nobody is buying anything.

Working for large publicly owned companies is painful. We outsource everything and fill the corporate office with a bunch of green card holders. Upper management gets bonuses and increase our dividend. I can look at the corporate chart and there are seven(!) layers of management between me and the CEO. Everybody else gets 3% raises if they're lucky, and we've already been told these have been "delayed." I guess we're supposed to be happy just to have a job.

[WheelWalker]

72. Strength and Honor. Blessings.

[smoogatz]

73. Here's what our raises have looked like the past three years:

2007: 0%
2008: 0%
2009: 2.5% promised and rescinded

And going forward:

2010: 10-14 day unpaid furloughs likely, amounting to a roughly 2% one-time pay cut. We're also talking increased workloads. This in a job in which 60-70 hour workweeks are the norm.

And I work for the freaking state.

[femrap]

74. A big K and R

Corporations either eat you up and spit you out OR you become one of them. I truly believe we are living The Decline of the American Empire. The Powers That Be decided to give people Hope and have a Black man elected...also helps in reducing any protests from the ghetto. (We'll see about that).

Corporations and Organized Religions have ruined Earth.

Good luck to you! Keep us posted.

[raccoon]

125. "I truly believe we are living The Decline of the American Empire. "

Oh, yeah. And IMO, we have been for a long time.

[Occulus]

155. Since January of 1980, to be precise. n/t

[femrap]

164. I think it started w/ Raygun....

others believe earlier. But it sure gained some speed w/ those 8 nightmarish years of W.

It breaks my heart to hear Obama speak today of more 'growth.' Hell, we have reached saturation...it's time to go back to local. Globalism = exploitation.

The multi-national corporation, that claims to have personhood, needs to pay taxes and die like the rest of us!

[defendandprotect]

75. An honest man/woman . . .!!!

Unfortunately, they'll find someone to do it the way they want it done.

Good luck -- I hope you find something great -- you deserve it!!!

[XOKCowboy]

76. I was once management. Once. I was also told that I was too generous

with raises. I was also told not to "fraternize" with the "employees" after I became a supervisor. It screwed up a very good job for me. I was the best in the company which is why I was offered the promotion. After the promotion there was no going back. I finally got tired of screwing over my friends because it was somehow above some corporate "curve" for all of their employees nationwide when it came to compensation.

[rosesaylavee]

78. Retail is absolute hell.

Have worked in retail a few times and hated almost every minute of it. There is always that one customer who feels you were put in the world to be their slave and take their abuse and then there is 'management'. Was contemplating looking for a second job this week at a few local retailers I can almost see myself not retching to work at. Fortunately, I got what may be a good contract job I can do at my computer and may turn into a better full time job than the one I have. I am very very very grateful.

I hope you will find something more useful soon. What you did took a lot of courage. Blessings on you.

[mackerel]

80. Twixvoy God speed to you.

I was a contract employee for three years and finally just got in as a full-time employee. Everyone in my department says they haven't received a raise in 4 years. I finally have health insurance.

[Maraya1969]

81. Now that you are not going to be their employee why don't you write

an article complete with the name of the company and maybe its executives and post it here and where ever else you can post it. And then send them a copy along with a list of where they can view it.

I don't even know why you are protecting them now. If they are greedy bastards the world needs to know.

[lonestarnot]

82. Best of luck TwixVoy! Freedom is grand isn't it!

[JI7]

83. what company were you working for ?

did you ever educate workers on unions and other worker right's issues ?

[roody]

85. May you spend your life doing something you love.

[roody]

86. How about starting a water catchment system business?

We all need one in California.

[DollyM]

87. I wish I had that option . . . I just need a job, any job!

Good luck, I hope you find what you are looking for. There are many of us who would be happy to have a job period, no matter low lousy it paid.

[diamidue]

95. I hear you.

Both of my children are looking for work here in CA. It's pretty brutal.

But so is working at a place that crushes your soul.

I hope you can find a job soon. I especially hope you find one where they treat you with respect.

[DollyM]

144. unemployment is at 12 percent here . . .

I am serious about any job . . . my husband has had dozens of interviews and nothing. There is just too much competition anymore for jobs.

[mnmoderatedem]

156. me too.

I was laid off coming up on two months ago, and can't even score an interview.

It's awfully bleak out there in the job market. I'm sure I don't need to tell you....

[DollyM]

173. just a question . . .

Your profile says you live in Minnesota but you have a GB Packer logo for your Avatar. Isn't that akin to heresy in Minnesota? We were up in Kankakee (Northern Illinois) a couple of weeks ago (another useless job interview)and my husband has a big metallic "G" on his car. Kankakee is the home of the Bears training camp. I told to take off the G before we got our tires slashed!

[Missy Vixen]

90. TwixVoy, I hope you find something you love doing

I also hope you can hire some of the people who worked for you. Imagine how great it would be for them to work for someone who would treat them fairly.

:hug:

[guruoo]

91. We must work for the same company....

Industry leader. Household name.

"Being in management at retail has done something to me. I see my self as the emissary of hell for the executives at corporate. They find a way to screw over people more, and I am the one that is expected to make it happen. I am tired of getting hateful looks every time I have to deliver more of this to people who are just trying to survive.

Half of the other people in management I work with go along gladly with all of this. Part of me believes some of them actually enjoy it. Half of them actually are deluded enough to believe one day they will be the executives at corporate making millions and screwing over everyone else. What is more sick is the fact they desire that. I look at them every day and hope to god I never become them. I won't become them."

[sce56]

93. Well I was hoping this was just an April Fools joke but I did not see a punch line anywhere

So go here to see one

[Iwillnevergiveup]

94. Double lucky Rec #77

And a kick that I hope will put you in a place where your obvious talent and integrity are sought after and appreciated.

[20score]

96. If only there were more people with character like yours. K&R

[rufus dog]

97. The Ghost of Tom Joad lives

Good job, things will work out, just don't punch anyone.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

99. after all is said and done

you can proudly march towards whatever fate is in front of you...

it is a soupsong of a thing at this time, but is also everything

more power to you

[Norquist Nemesis]

100. It's a rock and a hard place, Twix

The very best of wishes to you as you move forward. It's not going to be an easy road no matter how you slice it, but I have great admiration for you in doing what you knew you had to and still live with your conscience.

What would be fantastic is if your story were told on the cables. The reality is, you're just another number and will be replaced...probably by someone at a lower salary with "savings" going toward your regional manager's bonus. What would really make a difference for your sacrifice is getting your story out to be heard. :)

(Personally, I'd like nothing more than the "top" to fear so much that their necks are truly on the line that they ALL step forward and pledge to not accept anything more in salary that is above...oh, say 110% to pick a number...of the AVERAGE salary of non-exempt employees. Or be generous and say 150% of that number. Wouldn't it be something if all of the upper echelon proposed that cap for themselves and put it in writing so that their salaries are tied to the wages of the front-lines?)

[johncoby2]

101. NASA employees got a 3.5 raise

and they are asking for more stimulus money.

[1]

102. i don't know, bud. in this economy? your company is not laying off employees? but giving raises?

this is not the most terrible story i have heard here lately.

best wishes on your choice here, and i hope you find your happiness.

but if you want real fucked up you should read a few more threads here...

[MrModerate]

103. Retail has always seemed to me to be a miserable industry to work in . . .

I haven't done it since I was a pup, but I didn't like it very much.

On the upside, my company (also a megacorp, but engineering/construction) also just released reduced merit guidelines. Not surprising, given that our best customers are quaking in their boots and delaying projects left and right.

However, the new guidelines were *no* salary increase for people above a certain grade (equivalent to a mid-senior manager, perhaps the top 15% of our employee population), so that increases could be distributed to the lower grades. As we're a private company, our senior-senior officers don't get huge bonuses, but do get boocoo bux when we're profitable and not so much when we're not.

On the whole, pretty just, and keeps us competitive.

So not everybody in big business is a brainless asshole.

[Number23]

104. Why are people of conscience so rare in the corporate environment?

Some of the worst people I've ever come across in my entire life were people that I worked with.

Racist and proud. Stupid and proud. Lazy and proud. And yet somehow filled with a sense of entitlement that I could never even begin to understand. I wish more were like you.

Best of luck.

[raccoon]

127. IMO it's the nature of the beast. Bullies and assholes get ahead.

Ruthlessness is considered being "tough."

[Omaha Steve]

105. K&R!

[NikolaC]

106. I Wish You The Best of Luck

I admire your willingness to stand up for what is right at the expense of your job, especially in these times. What people like the managers who you work with and the execs at your company fail to get is that it is better to do the right thing in the end. I never understood why, if the economy is so bad and the company is suffering, they don't stop giving themselves raises and bonuses? Why does it have to be at the expense of the people whose sweat and hard work are keeping their company afloat? I beleive that what goes around, comes around and I hope that you are able to find a better job than the one you just left. Best of luck to you.

[verdalaven]

108. My husband's company, once you reach top pay that is where you stay

forever and ever and ever, amen. (non-union)

My company-it is 3% (future depends on what union negotiates) per year, and I am glad for that, because at my last job, which was food service, you were lucky to get 5 cents a year, even for extraordinary commitment and above and beyond service.

So, what you are describing sounds like every job I have ever had, and probably more generous than MANY both my husband and I have had - and we have both been in the work force for 30yrs each.

[stlsaxman]

109. Those poor workers under you- now they'll NEVER have someone who gives a fuck...

You might have raised enough of a stink to make them fire you instead. Nice that you left on your principles but there's not one example of you speaking out before you quit. Too bad for them that you left. You had a real opportunity to make a difference and you did not.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

110. A noble gesture, and may save your soul, but

Check your next job carefully. It's not just mega-corps that mis-treat employees. Good that you're getting away to avoid them changing you.

Your leaving, of course, doesn't change anything for your soon-to-be-former-underlings. They'll get a new boss, probably one of the corporatist clones you don't want to be.

[pnutbutr]

111. No unemployment for you

Good luck finding a new job. IMO it was a stupid move to quit. 2% raise in this economy is fantastic. I have gotten no raise the past two years and will not get one next year either. Thousands are having their salaries cut. I'm happy that I still have a job as are millions of other Americans.

[Sherman A1]

112. Having worked in Retail for 36 years, I understand and applaud your principles

I fill in as a Manager on Duty once in awhile because it reminds me just why I don't want to be in management. I am lucky to work in a Union store, so the worker bees get a fair shake and we have some recourse. Overall the company is pretty good and combined with being Union that keeps a bunch of knuckle head stuff from even starting.

I get where you are coming from on this one and fully understand, that said I don't think I would have made the same decision, but stayed on accepting the paltry amount for them, spending time talking with them about getting themselves out into better jobs, either by taking advantage of any programs the company might offer for tuition reimbursement or whatever they might be able to do in school or job search locally. (this is something you can still get started, during your last 2 weeks).

If you have really had it with the way the company treats their good workers by screwing them over continually (and that is part of retail based upon my experience), Then help those workers get out and onto better jobs (and in the process screw the company for their "good management practices").

Best of Luck to You.

[crim son]

113. These are tough times to be looking for a new position.

I admire you.

[whoopingcrone]

choosing integrity over convenience...

is seldom easy.
I know, because I had to choose many, many times during my years of working
in the education industry.
There it's between keeping a job and screwing the kids.
One job lost because I refused to make 25 first-graders creep around the classroom
for half an hour every day as part of an "experiment" in raising IQ levels!
Another because I refused to force college kids to buy an outdated and inferior textbook
so the university bookstore could unload their overstock rather than pay for the shipping
cost of returning unsold books to the publisher.
But it's been worth it.
Every time I quit, something better showed up.
Every time I stayed "because of the money", I ended up being fired anyway, because of
my "bad attitude".
Now, at 80, I live on the $500 SS I managed to qualify for, and various forms of welfare.
Happily.
Without regrets, as I see more and more people realize that in a scenario where
"money makes the world go round"
if they stay on the carousel all they'll get is dizzy.
So, congratulations, dear Twixvoy, and may good fortune attend you.

[whoopingcrone]

114. choosing integrity over convenience...

is seldom easy.
I know, because I had to choose many, many times during my years of working
in the education industry.
There it's between keeping a job and screwing the kids.
One job lost because I refused to make 25 first-graders creep around the classroom
for half an hour every day as part of an "experiment" in raising IQ levels!
Another because I refused to force college kids to buy an outdated and inferior textbook
so the university bookstore could unload their overstock rather than pay for the shipping
cost of returning unsold books to the publisher.
But it's been worth it.
Every time I quit, something better showed up.
Every time I stayed "because of the money", I ended up being fired anyway, because of
my "bad attitude".
Now, at 80, I live on the $500 SS I managed to qualify for, and various forms of welfare.
Happily.
Without regrets, as I see more and more people realize that in a scenario where
"money makes the world go round"
if they stay on the carousel all they'll get is dizzy.
So, congratulations, dear Twixvoy, and may good fortune attend you.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

115. What A Stupid, Stupid Reason To Quit A Job.

In this environment most people aren't getting ANY merit raises. 2% is most definitely not something to quit over. I find your actions to not be honorable, but instead quite childish.

[RandomKoolzip]

152. What a stupid, stupid thing to post.

All you ever do is shit on people. And yet you think we all want to read what you have to say. That's fucked up, man; keep it to yourself next time (and every time after that).

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

157. There Was Not A Thing Stupid About My Post.

In fact, it is something that would likely be agreed upon by 99% of all normal non-DU people in life you would ask.

Quitting a job because this year there is a 2% cap on raises, when for most people they would WELCOME even a 2% raise, is just plain stupid.

[RandomKoolzip]

159. Right. You're the only normal one around here, and everyone else on DU is

some touchy-feely hyper-emotional freak with no sense of judgment. 99% of the world outside of DU thanks your for your loyal adherence to logic, sanity, and sobriety, since, without you, 99% of all people on DU would have no idea how to dress themselves in the morning. Thanks for setting us all straight, Mr. flinty clear-eyed truth-teller! Your simple, unvarnished truth recognizes no sense of decorum, timing, or posting etiquette; all those things are MERE BUGABOOS keeping you from delivering the TRUTH to us 1%ers who will someday recognize how hard you have worked to lead us out of the darkness! The next time a DU mourns the loss of her pet cat, I'm sure you'll be there, berating her (righteously, and with capitalized initials in the subject line) about how "stupid" it was to buy a cat, knowing full well how cats lead shorter lives than humans. And can you do me a favor? The next time a DUer posts about doing something kind for someone less fortunate, can you PLEASE be there, Caps in Hand, ready to drop some ill fresh dope knowledge on her about how absolutely STUPID her actions were? Because I'm sure she'll need to be told, in the bluntest language possible, just how wrong-headed she is in following her social conscience. I'd expect nothing less from you - if you were to display any idea of when NOT to post inappropriate shit, or to exhibit any visible tact or conscience yourself, or even a trace of compassion...then our trust in YOU, our national rational superhero would be DESTROYED! After all, you're the only thing keeping 99% of us from homelessness, disease, or poking ourselves in the eye with sharp sticks.

And while you're at it, go piss up 99% of a goddamn flagpole.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

160. Settle Down Francis. Your Overreaction Caused You To Misread Context.

Nowhere did I imply that 'everyone else on DU' are some touch feely blah blah blah. The 99% number was used to represent normal people outside of this very small slice of society. Within DU, it is likely that 80+% of people would agree as well, though you likely will never see their replies or poll votes. But the 99% would be accurate outside of DU, not within it. That does not, however, mean that everyone who is on DU would disagree and therefore be some touchy feely blah blah blah. That was a knee jerk tragically flawed assumption on your part that carries no accuracy within it whatsoever.

The whole point is, the overwhelming majority of rationally thinking and intelligent people in our society would deem my opinion to be correct as it relates to this.

As far as the rest of your irrational rant, well, that went beyond ridiculous.


"The next time a DU mourns the loss of her pet cat, I'm sure you'll be there, berating her (righteously, and with capitalized initials in the subject line) about how "stupid" it was to buy a cat, knowing full well how cats lead shorter lives than humans."

I have nothing but sympathy for those who have lost a loved family member, whether pet or otherwise. Characterizing me as some jerkoff who would feel otherwise shows just how irrational your response actually is.


"The next time a DUer posts about doing something kind for someone less fortunate, can you PLEASE be there, Caps in Hand, ready to drop some ill fresh dope knowledge on her about how absolutely STUPID her actions were? Because I'm sure she'll need to be told, in the bluntest language possible, just how wrong-headed she is in following her social conscience."

Yet another asinine statement. I'm a huge proponent of charitable causes and always have been. In fact, I have behind the scenes even helped quite a few DU'ers who have been in need. Tell me the last time you sent a 300$ check to a DU'er (communicating only via PM) without being asked just because you knew they were having a hardship with their car? Your characterizations are just simply retarded.

The rest of your little rant is equally retarded, but then I'm sure you already knew that.

[RandomKoolzip]

161. Wow, you're really good at math.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

163. Better Than You I'd Wager; Though I Fail To See What That Has To Do With Any Of This.

I also know I'm far better than you at context as well.

Care to try again there? :hi:

[Vinca]

116. While many seem to question your decision, I applaud you.

You're a courageous person and if more were like you people wouldn't be treated as slaves while the boss is raking in millions.

[Echo In Light]

117. Kudos! ...it's not many who actually walk the walk instead of just talking the talk

[melm00se]

120. i work on commission

please don't complain about not getting raises, I have seen my income drop approximately 30% over the last 24 months and I work almost twice as hard.

[BR_Parkway]

121. Congratulations on 2 fronts - one, sticking to your principles even while

circumstances say it's a worse time than normal.

And number 2, getting so many posters here to admit publicly that they value their money and possessions more than they do not working in a job that is sucking the very soul out of them. It's a more surprisingly high number than I would have expected.

Good luck to you and take some time to enjoy life

[4_TN_TITANS]

122. You make me appreciate that I took the mfg. path.

I feel sorry for my neighbor. He's a co-manager of a Walmart Supercenter here, and a super nice guy. I can't imagine the hellish decisions he's force to make and then sleep with every night.

My uncle was a TJ Max manager, his job disappeared long ago - too much experience, too expensive for them.

[raccoon]

123. I hope you find employment that is real meaningful to you, Twixvoy.

:hug:

These corporate execs are real, ahem, creeps.

[MADem]

124. You won't get unemployment if you quit....nt

[Kalyke]

126. Can you tell us, now, who you worked for?

Was it Target or Wal-mart?

[freemarketer6]

128. The best of luck to you. Good karma toward you.............nft

d

[graywarrior]

129. I'll never take another management job ever

And you spelled it out clearly what managers must do to keep their jobs. I applied for a job with Yankee Candle last April and they wanted to pay me $7 per hour and I'd have maybe 20 hours per week but only when they needed me which they never knoew when that would be....they'd just call me.

[BrklynLiberal]

130. Wow. I hope that you arer able to find something more satisfying.

It is terrible to have to get up every morning and go into a job that goes against you in every way.
I know that in some cases, any job is better than no job. However, I guess we always have the choice....
It is always up to us as to how much we can put up with.
Good luck. Hope that you find a good job soon.

[Uben]

132. Same thing happened to me years ago

I had eight guys working under me, all making from $5-$6/hr in a manufacturing setting. In a management meeting, the prez of the company announced we were starting a 401K program and that the company would match 50% of contributions up to 6%. I told him the guys working for me cannot save money making only $5-6/hr, and how about giving them a 3% raise instead. He said I should be more company oriented. I told him I wasn't interested in working for a company who did not care for it's employees, and quit right there on the spot! The next day, I took 6 of the workers with me to another better paying job, eliminating his entire second shift!
They all started out at almost double what they were making working for this jerk. He never spoke to me again. (the dumb bastard had no idea I had been contacted by a previous employer to join a merger with US Steel the day before)

There is nothing quite like being able to tell an asshole like him to shove it, knowing you have a better job already secured. The icing was taking all the other guys with me! He actually had the unmitigated audacity to call my new employer and ask them not to hire any more of his workers! To top it off, the guy he spoke to laughed at him and hung up! The guy he was talking to became my step-father about five years later! Sometimes life yields justice...this was one of those moments!

[EC]

133. You're right

years ago I vowed never to do management again...it's not just retail..they are just most visible, since there are more of them...I found that if you don't take a transfer (to a store where the cost of living makes your raise for transferring put you back at the bottom but fits into the payroll of new store)you're gone - asked to resign - usually for a bogus charge that will deny you unemployment since you "voluntarily quit"

I had the same scenario as you, corporate refused to allow me to give good raises to good employees and told me I could only give a top 1% raise to one employee, the rest of the good ones would get .5% so I walked...

[mnhtnbb]

134. I hope you have plans for a new job that will allow you to live your values.

My son works for a local city government. He had been given a $2K raise when he finished his probationary
period of 6 months to become full time. HR came up with new schedules for pay grades about the same time and they not only took away his promised $2K raise, they reduced the pay at which he'd been hired by $500/yr!!!!!

He didn't walk out because the economy was already going bad last summer and he really liked this job.

Talk about being screwed.

I told him he'd better keep his resume updated and when things improve, he should find something else.

His department (tech support) was recently asked to come up with a software program to perform a certain function. The manager looked around, and the cheapest package he could find cost $3K. My son took
about 8 hours and wrote a new program to do the same damn thing. When the program was presented
to HR to teach them how to use it, my son said he very pointedly told the HR manager just how much
he had saved the town because of his skills.

[sinkingfeeling]

135. I congratulate you. I did the same type of thing back in 1992. Was a 'first-line' manager for a very

large and traditional computer manufacturer. I had been working for them for almost 20 years, when 'they' decided to turn the company around. They hired their first outside the company CEO, who was later credited with 'teaching an elephant to dance', at a salary more than 10 times what former CEOs had gotten.

They decided to change all the performance requirements and actually told us to appraise employees on a quota, with only so many being able to 'far exceed requirements'. Cut all the merit pay percentages and told us to find a way to get rid of all 'mets job requirements' people.

I didn't have the nerve to quit, but stepped down from management (it was my 3 rd. position) and went back to the technical side. It was a good move for me because they couldn't reduce my salary, but it did stay pretty flat for the next 10 years. I was notified within days of reaching my 29 year anniversary that I was being 'bridged' to my 30 year retirement. One of the last to receive that and am collecting my monthly pension check while working elsewhere.

[dcsmart]

138. a born-again socialist.....welcome

try to find a job as a union organizer. i think you would be great: you understand the need for organized labor.

[Robyn66]

139. I would have taken a 2% raise

I work in municipal government. No raise at all this year in order to keep my job. The people of the town were screaming for SOMEONE to be fired but fortunately we all work for good people who appreciate us and the town employees were willing to go without a raise to keep our jobs. The price of benefits went up too. So there was actually a pay cut. AND people who don't take medical insurance. (I don't because my husband is covered) get a 3500.00 a year stipend which I have waived for the past two years, in order to keep my job. I don't make a lot of money to start with. I do feel bad for the people stuck in retail, but I did my time in retail too. This is a tough time quit your job, I wish you luck.

[Evoman]

140. My girlfriend's manager had to downgrade my gf review even though she was basically running the

store. Seriously....corporate made her manager cut her scores so she only got a 5 cent raise. 5 fucking cents. My gf was so upset that she quit. The thing is, the store needed her so bad (not enough employees, and it would take 2 to do what she was doing), that they offered her 50 cents more not to quit.

She demanded 3 bucks more an hour. She got it.

Then when her manager, who was a good person, managed to get a better job at another store, she offered my gf 15 bucks an hour to come work at her store. The store almost shut down after she left for that job!

[nilram]

165. that's great! -nt

[YOY]

141. Retail work is a joke. I say it loud and I say it often.

n.t.

[sandyj999]

143. I Commend you for refusing to buy into this.

In 1989 I went to work at a well known discount store. The name does not begin with a "W". I had never worked retail before and it was an eye opener for me. During the ten years I worked there I could see the attitude of management change and not for the good. The department and even store managers that seemed to care about us and make it enjoyable eventually left and were replaced by people that looked at us like the worker bees. In fact in the 10 years I was there we went through 8 store managers. And most of them left the company totally.

Times were good then but the pressure they put on us was unbelievable. We found out that the more the manager cut payroll the more of a bonus he would get. There were times there were so few people working on the floor that it was a shoplifter's heaven. And as for pay raises the year before I left I was told I would only get a five cent an hour raise. My rating was excellent as it had always been but I was informed I had reached the pay limit for my job. That does a lot for a person that is conscientious and it was then that I realized I no longer belonged there. I was also told in confidence by a department manager they were never to give an employee an "outstanding" rating , and to always find a criticism so they didn't get it. You have my utmost respect for keeping your integrity and I wish you the very best.

[moondust]

145. Congratulations!

Push the tyrants and assholes out of your life!

Good luck!

[earth mom]

146. Good for you to take an ethical stand.

Even though the economy is bad, I'm sure you'll find an open door that will lead you to the life you really want to live.

I am going to miss your insider tales about the big bad box store though. :dilemma:

[MrMickeysMom]

148. Maybe there is one more thing you can do to help those left behind...

Take a PG version of this post into the op ed of your newspaper. I think it may be timely and the best thing you can do to make changes.

Everywhere I've been during my health care career, I've tried to make it better when I've had enough and needed to more on before it really "got" to me"/ I guess I should feel luckier for having this profession, but in many ways, practitioners are used similarly. There are more layers to veil how we are used to cash in on third party reimbursement, too.

Anyway, I see you've been at DU almost a year to the day. I wish you well, and I hope you can draw attention to those employees like the woman who thought coming to America was a saving grace.

Best to you. :hi:

[Zodiak]

149. Reading all of these stories about CEOs making millions while regular employees suffer

I wonder why we do not go back to the days of brick bats and tar and feathering.

It seems to me that far too many rich people have become far too complacent that they will never suffer any consequnces when they screw the little guys over.

[FedUpWithIt All]

150. Best wishes finding something that better suits your ethics.

:hug:

And thank you for being one of the people in the world who cares about others.

[Epiphany4z]

151. Man thing usually get just enough of a raise to cover

increase cost of our health insurance...after 13yrs...we are $500 a year ahead of the starting pay and the way things are going I do believe that makes us one of the lucky ones.

[Turbineguy]

153. In an interview I was once asked why I quit a job.

"I didn't want to become like them."

Turned out, that was the right answer.

[RhodaGrits]

158. I've followed your many previous posts on your workplace...

and I want to tell you how much I admire your courage and integrity. I hope that you are able to find another position that will not sap your soul and will allow you to care for your co-workers respectfully and justly. You cannot change that world but I hope that you find another niche where you can be a force for good. Please let us know what happens next in your story.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

162. Oh, And In Addition;

I don't buy your story nor your little Middle East anecdote for a second.

[cascadiance]

166. Keep good notes on your situation here for future reference... You could be the MOST valuable later

I would anticipate that if we're ever going to get out of this economic mess, we're going to have to redraw the corporate charters to not allow an unbridled pursuit of profit as a company goal and damn how much the CEO's and their fellow board members pay themselves, the way it is now that has lead to the meltdown we're having... There will be a day when the rules will make a manager like yourself FAR MORE valuable than they are to future employers, especially if you can show that it's in your spirit as this incident suggests, and not just something you are doing to "follow the rules". And hopefully in those days later, there will be more people like yourself that are replacing the current corrupt old guard that will make for a lot more pleasant working environment too.

[Alcibiades]

167. Middle management is probably a bad match for you

You need to be able to take shit, and dump it on others. Much like the half of management you describe.

Sounds like you got out in time.

[TWiley]

169. That story sounds like Sears Fuckstik Roebuck to me.

Those mega assholes push credit cards that charge 30% and basicly fuck everyone who walks through the door. Especially their employees.

[Kat45]

172. My boyfriend, who works for a restaurant chain, says the same thing you do.

He's a kitchen manager, and even looking at the people just above him he always says he doesn't want to be like them. He told me to warn him if I ever see him getting anything like them.