Letters to the Editor
NapalmGod
Published Letters: 6 Editor's Choice: 4
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Unions for IT?
[Read the article: Job destruction update]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm an IT worker. I would love to be unionized. I'm tired of 60-80 hour work-weeks accepted as "standard" for IT workers, tired of seeing my boss going golfing while I'm doing server upgrades. I, and many of my friends, would be interested in unionizing.
The problem with IT unions is the same as with non-IT unions. Workers don't see a benefit for them.. Until unions can come up with the "killer app" of organized labor, they will continue to fall in membership.
Personally, I don't understand why this is even a problem, I can think of a dozen ways to increase union membership just off the top of my head. It's called "Added Value". Offer union 401(k)s with match, optional health insurance, etc. Show that there's a valid benefit for having a union membership from day one.
Imagine going to workers at Wal-Mart and saying "Not only can we get you more pay, but you can join our 401(k) plan and get free dental!". You'd have to fight them off with a stick.
Heck, with the right stick, you could get corporations to want to be unionized. What if, for smaller companies, unions offered health care? Get a big enough pool of people, and you can get a huge discount on medical insurance. Plus, your insurance is through the union, not the company, so it would be portable across jobs.
But, I guess that's too easy...
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Fair Play
[Read the article: You can't stop a tidal wave with a fork]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What's missing here is, quite simply, fair play.
You want to outsource this job overseas? Manufacturing or service? I have no problems with that. Go for it. As long as there's a level playing field. America went through a labor revolution to get where we are today; revolutions that have little chance of happening overseas. It's different when the government really doesn't care if you don't work and would just as soon shoot you if you go on strike.
Let's export our labor revolution. Anyone sending work overseas gets an additional 10% tax on any money sent to another country for a product or service, unless said country allows free and fair access to union organizing. Another 5% if they don't have reasonable pollution controls in place.
Give me that, and I think we'll have a self-correcting mechanism. No more 13-year-olds making Nike's for $0.50/day, just like the 13-year-olds suddenly disappeared from the steel mills of the midwest.
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Wordsmithing
[Read the article: I was fired because I was the fall guy. What do I say in interviews?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In business nowadays, the most important art.
You don't need to go into specifics. The person on the other side probably doesn't really care, as long as you give a concise and truthful answer. Details just cause you to give more details to explain what you're talking about. Go with the utter, basic truth:
"We disagreed about what my job was and where my responsibilities were, and so parted ways."
If pressed for more, again, tell them the truth: "They wanted me to work on projects that I wasn't comfortable working on, and the help I asked for (i.e. - training) wasn't forthcoming."
And finally, if still being pressed: "Yes, I was terminated as a result of project failure. I regret I wasn't more forceful in bringing forth my objections."
If they want more than that, I'd be really impressed. But you get the basic idea.
Don't use the 'fired' word.
From what you're saying, you didn't fail, or at least fail alone. Accidents and problems are the end result of a chain of events, and are not typically due to one single person.. Especially not in the case of the big impressive ones.
Take a deep breath, relax, it's not the end of the world. You go out, you find another job, and get on with your life. Optionally, you can do what I do, cackle maniacally saying "I'll show them! I'll show them ALL!!!!" before starting the job hunt.
-ng
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I think you missed the point, Cary...
[Read the article: I'm a condo parking-spot hoarder!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My take on reading it is the problem isn't 'what to do with the space'. She mentions her family and friends coming over, and using the spot then. If the spot is full of plants, then she still can't use it when she wants to.
Now, personally, what I would do is tell the neighbor "I'm sorry, I'm not interested in renting it, I'm anticipating (friend/family member) coming over a lot more soon.." or even just "No, not interested.".
Plan B would be to block it off using something movable, like, as Cary said, a potted plant. Something that her friends/family would be able to easily move when they visit, but something that obviously the neighbor shouldn't touch. Maybe an orange traffic cone? Doing that, the friends/family could just drive and push it further into the space so no stopping necessary.. :)
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Use the pool.
[Read the article: Would you please get out of my swimming pool!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Easy enough. Find a use for the pool that would allow you to change the rules for the cousin.
You have kids. Why not have one of them in training for the swim team, or even have the swim team over to practice sometimes?
"Sorry, Janie, but little Chrissy is joining a swim team, and they're going to be using our pool for practicing.. You're going to need to call before you come over to use it, I'd hate to disappoint you by turning you away once you're already here."
Alternately, you can have a group that meets in your backyard and swimmers would disrupt it. Have some friends over in a book club. have the meeting schedule change weekly, so, again, the cousin should call first before coming over.
What you want to do here is change the circumstances enough that you are able to get the cousin to call first. The actual trigger can be anything, but you need an excuse to provide cover for revoking 'just stop by' privs.
Just my $0.002.
-napalmgod