They Take Away More

The memo came down that we are going to be accruing less vacation time for every hour that we work. Half as much to be exact. We will have to hit four and five years of employment to earn back the amount that we have been earning thus far. We are no longer able to have a personal day each six months. Only the salaried employees can have those. Also, new employees can only begin to earn vacation hours after a year. Any time requested must be done a minimum of 30 days in advance and NO time may be turned in for pay. You MUST actually take the time off. Some people have had a financial need and have turned it in to make ends meet and now that is not an option.

They told us that they figured we would rather give up vacation perks rather than health insurance. They are right about that, but here it is coming down to them holding the health benefits over our heads. They know how important the health care issue is to many of their employees and they are going to make the most of it. We know it is only a matter of time before they ask us to pay more for our benefits. There is a limit to how high I will go. At some point it will not make sense to stay there if it becomes more feasible to take John's insurance.

Many of us that rely on the insurance plan are worried. Each week it seems as if there is a new cut and a new memo. All the management is nervous about getting the axe. It is hard to maintain a good attitude and still smile and serve the public when you do not hold your own company with much regard.