Heh

My S/S tried some of his self-aggrandizing again last night. But since I now have a better feel for how things actually are at work, it just struck me as funny as this man tried to show how he was the only capable person in existance. ;)

Anyway, after that I asked him what was happening around Christmas at work. The site is essentially shutting down from December 25 to January 02, and that means we'll need to throw an extra shift on (during business hours we don't have any security there).

He said he didn't know just how he was going to work that out yet, so I mentioned (again) that I'm not really doing anything over Christmas and don't mind coming in for any shifts he needs to fill. May as well make some cash, right?

He said that's okay, but that I should be aware that "the site doesn't pay overtime". Huh?

He goes on to say that they'll pay him OT, but nobody else. But that's okay he says, since if I got paid extra I'd actually lose money because it would kick me into a higher tax bracket.

I laughed and pointed out how much I make now. My basic income tax rate is around 17%. The next level is 22%. A week's worth of overtime isn't going to change that. He was surprised; I don't think he's used to people pointing out such simple things to him.

So next he says that he tried to get [our liason to the site] to give more money for the guards, but he wouldn't spring any loose. I told him that's fine, since the site doesn't pay me. The site pays my company, and they pay me.

He says "Yeah, but then [my company] loses on their contract with the site." I replied with "It's not my problem if they didn't take this into account when they set up the initial contract." He then said "Well, if it comes down to that, they'll just bring in an addition guard for the extra shifts and not have to pay OT."

Suits me. This kind of extra coverage is going to be happening at all sorts of sites that my company does. I'll be able to pick up hours and shifts whenever I want them. And they'll have to pay me overtime, like the law says, if they want me there. It would make more sense to me if they were paying me the OT for being on a site that I'm already experienced on, but if they want to play the shell game, that's fine too. I won't lose out.

But, as always, I'm astonished that the lowest-paid people are asked to sacrifice what's theirs by law. And I'm even more astonished when people agree to it. They rationalize "Well, more hours even at straight pay is more money." Which is true, but an eight or twelve hour shift is one thing. A sixteen or twenty hour shift is quite another. You do need a little time to recharge, if only for your mental fortitude. And it's the law.

Whenever I've heard about this "We don't pay overtime - if you want to work it'll have to be at the normal rate" attitude coming from someone, I've fantasized about it happening to me, me responding with some clear and basic rebuttal (unlikely from me), them responding like jerks, and me recording the whole thing.

And then going to some local media outlet, telling my story, and having a sound bite like "You depend on [company name] for all of your [company specialty] needs, but they're underpaying and cheating their employees. How do you feel about having these now-disgruntled employees doing their "quality" work for you?"

I like discomfiting people, but am notorious for being all bark with no bite, unless the bite somehow involves me giving up something for myself. So I doubt I'll do it. Plus, when would I ever get the opportunity? ;)

In the news... "Fears of being booed are one reason why U.S. President George W. Bush will be giving a speech in Halifax next week and not to a joint session of Parliament."

Awwwww, is widdle Schwub wuwwied dat da nasty Canadians won't wuv him?

For those that are unfamiliar with Canadian geography, Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia. Any city or province is important of course, but such a visit is vaguely like Tony Blair or whomever the United States currently considers its greatest trading partner or military ally coming to your country for the first time to talk shop... and then bypassing D.C. and talking to some people in Albuquerque instead. And then leaving the country.

Read the article here.

Damn, just what sort of reality are Bush's handlers trying to engineer that they don't want him booed? Is it from this sort of behavior that reporters tell United Statesians that people around the world love them, and if they don't it's only because they're jealous? Sheesh.