ancona
Praying Mantis
During our careers we all make assumptions from time to time, not because we absolutely have to, but often because our previous experiences and foreknowledge lends us the ability to assume certain things will or will not occur. Case and point is my project to remove asbestos at a certain facility, within which there were some items clearly marked Does Not Contain Asbestos. We were directed to remove this material over the weekend [at premium rate] so I re-directed my crews to be there on Saturday for a few hours so we could knock this thing out and keep moving. This is where my assumption went wrong. As an employer, I try to keep a steady stream of work going so that I do not lose my core group of workers, often “buying” jobs to keep them busy when I have to. Lately, we have had steady work at Davis Bacon Wage Rate, so the guys are largely content. I assumed that since the wage would be time and a half from a base rate of $22.97 per hour would be sufficient motivation for the twelve man team to show up with bells on bright and early. That was where I went wrong. I got a call at around 8:00 Saturday morning from my superintendent who was absolutely livid, asking me [as if I fucking knew] where the hell his crew was. Out of twelve men and two Supers, I ended up with two Supers and four workers. All of them were understandably pissed off. I called around, waking up various workers, using the Mrs. Anconas phone of course, and could not believe the lame assed excuses I was hearing. One kid, barely 21 and quite new to the crew, explained that he was going to a birthday party in the early afternoon so he didn’t want to just go in for half a day. A Birthday party??? What are you……fucking twelve or something? Another told me that he hadn’t yet done his taxes and had an appointment at 10:30 so it didn’t make any sense to come in for a few hours. When I asked him why he couldn’t come in at 11:30, because since he does the 10-40 EZ it can’t possibly take more than an hour to prepare the forms, he responded with, “It’s not worth it for just a few hours”. Sincerely……he actually had the balls to say that to me. Well, I nearly erupted after calling these ‘mokes’ and hearing absolutely nothing substantial that would justify blowing off a days wage at the high rate.
Is it me or are the stereotypes bearing themselves out about American workers? Seriously folks, what the hell is going on with our country?? Here is a group of individuals, largely in their mid thirties and early forties with a few greenhorns sprinkled in, guys who for all intents and purposes have achieved the highest station in life that they will ever achieve, refusing a days worth of high paid labor out of what amounts to sheer laziness. What does it say about the state of our People when two out of three capable men refuse what for many would have been a godsend of found money? At time and a half, the wage rate works out to $34.45 per hour, and for eight hours they end up with $275.00 for one lousy day of what truly was easy work. Folks, this is more money than a lot of guys make all fucking week, yet two out of three decided they simply did not need it or want to be bothered with scraping the bed off of their lazy back on a Saturday. Again, What the Everlasting Fuck?
The men who did show up ended up working 13 1/2 hours to finish what should have been done in four with the intact crew. Their windfall will be $465.00 gross pay for one long, hard day. I will be instructing them to rub that in the noses of the workers who blew them off on Saturday, and I will further let them know that for their continuing loyalty I will be rounding the wages off to $500 per man.
I fear that we have become a nation of entitled, spoiled, arrogant brats. Many in this country have become complacent and have lost the desire to achieve more than bare subsistence. I see guys with young families who are quite content with $600 a week in take-home pay, living in their rented hovels while drifting through life vicariously through their X-box. The real tragedy is that many of these same people are educated, smart folks, some of whom have attended and graduated with a college education. Perhaps it is time to have a look around to see if there are any truly hungry souls out there, people who will be grateful for a job that pays four times the take-home pay of a fast food joint.
Is it me or are the stereotypes bearing themselves out about American workers? Seriously folks, what the hell is going on with our country?? Here is a group of individuals, largely in their mid thirties and early forties with a few greenhorns sprinkled in, guys who for all intents and purposes have achieved the highest station in life that they will ever achieve, refusing a days worth of high paid labor out of what amounts to sheer laziness. What does it say about the state of our People when two out of three capable men refuse what for many would have been a godsend of found money? At time and a half, the wage rate works out to $34.45 per hour, and for eight hours they end up with $275.00 for one lousy day of what truly was easy work. Folks, this is more money than a lot of guys make all fucking week, yet two out of three decided they simply did not need it or want to be bothered with scraping the bed off of their lazy back on a Saturday. Again, What the Everlasting Fuck?
The men who did show up ended up working 13 1/2 hours to finish what should have been done in four with the intact crew. Their windfall will be $465.00 gross pay for one long, hard day. I will be instructing them to rub that in the noses of the workers who blew them off on Saturday, and I will further let them know that for their continuing loyalty I will be rounding the wages off to $500 per man.
I fear that we have become a nation of entitled, spoiled, arrogant brats. Many in this country have become complacent and have lost the desire to achieve more than bare subsistence. I see guys with young families who are quite content with $600 a week in take-home pay, living in their rented hovels while drifting through life vicariously through their X-box. The real tragedy is that many of these same people are educated, smart folks, some of whom have attended and graduated with a college education. Perhaps it is time to have a look around to see if there are any truly hungry souls out there, people who will be grateful for a job that pays four times the take-home pay of a fast food joint.