12/22/2011

(I ended up swearing in this a lot more than I had anticipated.)

The ship is sinking and there isn’t a damn thing I can do about. Everyone is going to (figuratively since it is only a metaphorical ship) drown and die. And I…am powerless. And I hate powerlessness.

I know it was naive, but when I took the supervisor job it was out of idealism. I honestly thought I could do this better than anyone else. And there’s been a few who’ve told me that I do over the years…of course none of them were my bosses, but that doesn’t mean shit to me. Back on point though, all I wanted out of this was to give the "white-shirts" a better view of management and show them someone did actually give a rat’s ass about them. And I knew that I would largely be a powerless figurehead with enough responsibility to take the fall but not enough power to fix the problems in the system. But again, I was naive. And I took the position in the off chance that I could maybe slip a few things past the bigwigs and do something to make life a little easier for the people a step lower on the totem pole.

Now 9-10 of my people are going to be removed from post due to "security concerns". I find this doubly bullshit because they already fired everyone here who actually caused the client’s alledged "security concerns". The company just wants to gouge a few extra dollars out of the client by bringing in CPO’s that they can charge more money for who have absolutely no idea what goes on here. I’m 28 and I can see this. Does the client not realize this? Are they blind or just fucking stupid?!

Anyway, people, some of whom have been working here almost as long as I’ve been alive, are going to be removed from posts that they have worked for years, all for a few dollars more. But never fuckin’ fear! According to the memo they sent out (yes, these sackless bastards didn’t even have the decency to tell them this in person), they will be moved to different positions in the contract or with another contract. Well let’s see, they’re closing this place and downsizing the other locations on this contract so there’s already no place for them to go here. And from experience I can tell you that when they offer you a position outside the contract, they pick a place that there is maybe a 1 in 10 chance the person will accept. When they decline because it is too far to drive everyday or it won’t accommodate their schedule, then the company can say "Well that’s what we got and if you can’t take it, there’s the door" and the person won’t get unemployment because they weren’t laid off; they technically quit because they were offered a job that they could not except.

So all this boils down to a big "Thanks for 20+ years of whoring yourself out to us. The money’s on the nightstand; get the fuck out." Which of course leads me to wondering how much longer before my turn comes up. I already know the ultimate plan is to use the new "training supervisors" as the real deal and relegate our role solely to answering alarms and medical calls. Until they decide that we aren’t even needed in that capacity because the client has its own medical staff and the fire watch people could very cheaply and easily be trained to answer the alarms. Hell, 1/3 of them already know how to do it. Then it’ll be my turn for a memo and an offer I can’t accept and big old "Thanks; now fuck off".

And since they’re letting go of (or have already let go) everyone I may have helped over the last 2 years as a supervisor, I can’t even take solace in thinking I might have at least made a small difference because there will be no one left who knows that.

Here’s to hoping I at least get that little cheap-ass pin and a certificate thanking me for 5 years of service (only 5 months to go) before they give me the "the money’s on the nightstand" routine.

Deuces,
CCG