How many of you read the short story by Herman Melville about the employee who preferred to do nothing at all? Bartleby just stood around his office, looking out the window, and when the boss asked him to do anything he just said "I would prefer not to". He was eventually fired, but he refused to physically leave, and slept in the office as well. Eventually the boss left, moved the office, and still Bartleby wanted to stay put in the old office.
When I worked for the New York City Housing Authority there was a legendary employee who supposedly was still working there. This was in the 70s. This employee refused to do any work. He was just like Bartleby the Scrivener, only he was real.
We were responsible for calculating the rent of all the families in the buildings we were responsible for. It was based on annual income, family size, and number of rooms. I remember the very maximum rent was about $225. This employee refused to do any of those calculations. He refused to do anything.
His boss tried to fire him but the union defended him. Their position was that there simply was no minimum productivity spelled out in the union contract, and you can't just start making up rules as you go along, you can't just ignore the union contract, you have to abide by it. Guess who won. The union won.
Don't mistake this as being anti-union. I'm very pro-union. I wish I was in a union. My current boss is a cheap prick who doesn't replace workers who leave, just piles their work onto those who remain, and pressures most of the employees into working many weekends and evenings for free, completely unpaid, taking advantage of their conscientious nature and their willingness to be shitted on. If he died tomorrow I'd go out to eat, to celebrate.
lfbno7 posted on Jan 17, 2008
| views: 111
Comments
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Twylarants said on Jan 17, 2008....
I guess there's one in every workplace. Or 2 or 3 or more.
We have 2...one is the assistant manager of our department, the other a part-timer.
No unions down here, but help is hard to find and harder to keep, so management dances around them.
I don't know who's worse, though...the slugs or the martyrs. There are 2 martyrs in my dept. who actually argue about who is going to do more work.
They're both very short, very talkative, and very hyper. It's like working with manic Hobbits!
Everyone friggin' day we go thru the same stupid scene. They start work earlier than I do so they should take their breaks first, right? Well, I still have that union mentality, so 2 hours after I start work, I'm ready for a break.
Me: Did you guys take your breaks yet?
Them: No! I have too much to do! No! I have too much to do! There's too much to
do! (picture 2 Mad Hatters running around singing "I'm late, I'm late, for a
very important date!")
Me: (Backing away slowly so they don't bite my ankles..) All righty then, I'm taking
my break now.
Them: You can't! We have to go first! We were here first!
Me: So go.
Them: No! You go! We have too much to do!
Me: See ya.
I refuse to fan the flames of the fire martyrs build under themselves.
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beyondtheveil said on Jan 17, 2008....
7- I live and worked in Texas, which is a 'right to work' state. That means if you work in a vocation that has a union, you don't have to belong. We had quite a few people who wouldn't join the union because they knew if they got into trouble the union had to protect them and they didn't have to pay dues. Pissed me to no end.
I joined when hired, not for protection, I never needed it, but because they were the reason we had good pay, great benefits. The company and union here got along well. More than a few worthless employees were put on the street. Good.
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