UC system are crooks – Stresser of the Day

Insensitive Ruler

So I just got word today that the UC system is changing all non-exempt employees to bi-weekly pay periods. This means a few things. First of it puts me right back into the deep stress that I worked hard to get out of. Second it means that measly pathetic 3% increase means absolutely shit and Third it means I will have at least $400 less per month to live off of. Not that UC President Mark G. Yudof gives a rat ass, he is making his millions along with the 6 useless deans and lawyers that just got an average of %15 raises; all in the name of keeping the “high quality staff” on board.

Hey Mr. Yudof, how about the true high quality staff that actually makes the UC system work on the day-to-day basis. If the UC system is receiving and going to receive less monetary backing from the state why on earth are you giving high staff positions (which are not necessary) massive raises? the UC system cannot afford it. Now we know why this state is so fucked up and going down the toilet. That is because we have incompetent and insensitive people in power and running things who have no idea what they are doing. In my field we are getting paid at minimum $30,000 less than the median salary in the Los Angeles county in the IT field. President Yudof, do you really think a 3% raise is going to keep your staff from leaving? If you think that is true, then you are as blind and foolish as the snobby UC Regents are.

On top of all that the UC system now wants to ban smoking on all of its campuses, real smart, you will have under paid, over stressed employees with no way to release that stress on a daily basis; for those that smoke. I sense alot of jumping ship happening soon, lucky this is the US Postal service, we all know how crazy those individuals are.

Funny thing is though, technically the location I work within the UC system, we do not even get paid by the state of California, we get paid by the federal government. When asking for a raise or re-class from the over-paid, severely under worked superiors, it’s always the same, oh we can’t afford it. BULLSHIT you can’t afford it. You don’t need those 6 figure salaries, why do you think you deserve those types of salaries. Just because you have a PhD, big deal, it’s a piece of paper. You do not know how to run a business, let alone care about your employees.

So I am giving my employer a choice, either give me a raise, re-classify my position or I am quitting. I wont be able to afford to go into work everyday, with a minimum of $400 less per month out of my living expenses. They say they want to keep high-quality staff on board, well they are going to lose one if they don’t do something soon. And yes I consider myself a high-quality staff member, because no one in my department knows how to do what I do.

Related articles

• UC campuses will ban smoking (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
• SFgate.comUC system bans smoking, chewing of tobacco (sfgate.com)
• UC system to ban smoking, chewing tobacco (mercurynews.com)
• UC system banning smoking from all campuses (sfgate.com)

Disregard for employee safety rush before safety meeting – Stresser of the Day

It is unfortunate when someone loses their life to a violation of safety issues. It is my misfortune, however, that once again I will have to sit through another bland monotonous safety meeting. After 20 years of being employed at a number of companies, I have attended a fair share of these boring repeating safety meetings. You know the ones I am talking about, they contain bad actors/actresses, bad dialogue and bad comedy lines along with the same repeating safety issues.

Not only do I have to sleep through another one of those annoying monologues, but I also have to change the day I work from home, because it is schedule on the day that I do so. Now before you say, “Boohoo, get over it, so you have to drive into work,” you have to understand the day that I stay home and work is the same day that for some odd reason, traffic is at its worse. Literally, it takes me approximately 3 hours to get home.

Now for the ironic stress with this safety meeting. My company is notorious for calling upon my 3 person department (middle-aged, not fit men), to move things, such as conference desks, cabinets and other heavy objects. The kicker was today,

Stop smoking in the smoking section please – Stresser of the Day

There I was, sitting in the small courtyard at work, minding my own business and performing one of the most heinous habits of them all. No not digging for gold, picking my seat or picking at my potatoes. I was filling my lungs with the cancer causing chemicals of tar, nicotine and arsenic. Yes I know smoking is bad and that it is shortening my life. Please don’t say “Just quit smoking“, if you say that will find something that you use to take stress, anxiety and anger away and tell you to quit that, its only fair. I know I have to quit, it’s not that easy but soon i am going to have to stop smoking at work all together anyway, but that story is for another time.

This story is what happened today, when I was enjoying my time to relieve some work related stress. I was sitting in a company designated smoking area, signs were clearly visible. If you look around, near every bench, there is a gravel vertical ashtray to deposit your spent cancer sticks; some ignorantly think it is a trash receptacle as well. As i was sitting there, a young man and woman proceeded to sit down two benches away, took out their, what looked like their regurgitated breakfasts and started to eat. I proceed to take my usual inhaling of poison and exhale with ease and see the stress exiting my body. Then I heard the usual, attention getter… “cough, cough.” It wasn’t to loud but just loud enough for me to hear. Then it proceeded to get louder and louder, and being a parent I have developed a keen sense of super sonic hearing. Under their breath i heard them say,

Put your hands in the air! Back away slowly from the keyboard – Stresser of the Day

Image by Old Shoe Woman via Flickr

Some people got it, some people try but don’t and others well… They should not even attempt to get it.  What am I speaking of you ask? Life, no that is a portion of an enigma that will always run in your wildest fantasies. Love, that is not quiet something that someone “gets”, they more or less acquire it. Elected into the Presidency, well lets face it almost no one needs to do even desire that. I am speaking of skill and knowledge. Skill and knowledge to comprehend, learn and achieve desired results in your profession. Very anti-climatic I know, but let me explain.

Every six months I begin a new large project for my place of business. I have reluctantly dwindled down the calamity of catastrophes from the past wanna-be software programmer, whom was considered my predecessor. Seeing the garbage that spewed from this individuals decrepid fingers, I would like to take the old saying, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks” and prove it wrong. I have approximately 20 years in the industry I am in, and I believe from what I have heard, that the “programmer” before me, has about 30 years. I am not sure what he actually did during those 30 years, but it definitely was not in creating organized and productive software and databases. It is painful to my ears and programming heart to hear from my fellow colleagues that they were told

Same ignorance and stress, Different Year – Stresser of the Day

will be doing a piece on this soon enough

Hi Ho, Hi Hohhh… It’s back to work I go. Well my fellow stressed out followers, after a long 2 weeks of blissful Eden like vacation, it had to happen. The dreadful day of returning to the office for another year of stress and ignorance from high intellectuals who have no sense of common sense.

The day started out with the usual doldrums drive along the 210 to the 10 freeway with the usual “hands-not-so-free” cell phone chats, texters and bong smokers with the occasional old person driving so slow and so close their windshield that their breath can steam the windows. Once I arrive in my office, I open my email to begin reading some absurd and cryptic emails from my bosses. Along with those trash bin headed emails, I notice a ton of emails from would be participants for a few of our events, that for some reason expect people to be available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, no matter how mundane or insignificant their requests are. For instance I received 12 emails from the same individual asking to add something for him to our website, all over the course of 4 days (Mind you an “Auto-Responder” from the webmaster was sent out each time this impatient pest sent an email).

One email stood out especially brutal for me, because it showed the true lack of commitment and dedication this supposed boss had for the company. He instructed my immediate superior and myself to let anyone in, who comes wanting to get into his office, while he was away to “use his books.” Uh excuse me Mr. PhD.