As per the current norm, we have a fresh, yet tastefully dry, post up at I Are Writer! Be sure to stop by and check out the latest writing related scribblings.
Today, I thought I would give everyone a rather sobering glimpse at the world of the guv'ment employee.
For better (rarely) or worse (usually) the guv'ment employee is always the whipping boy/scapegoat/poster child for the economic ills of the day. We're often called greedy, lazy, overpaid, underworked, not in touch with the real world, etc. etc. etc. That is the perception that politicians want to give. The reality is much harsher, more focused and exceptionally sobering.
To whit the fantasy: whenever there is a guv'ment made economic crisis, the guv'ment will (nearly) always perform a redirect towards a convenient scapegoat, brushing aside their pitiful greedy performance by saying it's the public sector unions fault.
The reality: Biting the hand that keeps you in office is never a good thing.
Sparing everyone the gruesome details from '09 & '11, unless you want a short and somewhat slanted synopsis, then check out the posts here, here, here and here. Diaper Dan Malloy, ye bully guv'nor of CT, decided to blame the state workers for the worsening budget crisis ($400 million and growing daily) and not the fact that raising taxes multiple times to ultimately drive GE into the arms of Massachusetts, and quite possibly Aetna too
April 11th is what I like to call Black Monday, in that roughly 156+ employees (including 106 at DCF) were pinked slipped in an opening salvo of the modern day Sherman's March To The Sea. This total may go up at DCF as certain nuances of labor contracts kick in. In a very sad twist of logic, our layoffs come at the exact same time that we're hiring new social workers. Stupid I know, but it goes something like this.
1} Last summer, Diaper Dan declared he was going to close the state's only juvenile facility for criminals under 18 by 2018.
2} DCF has been under a Federal court decree for the past 25+ years, and thus have to answer to the Feds and not Diaper Dan.
3} The people who were laid off were in an actual dead end job. Meaning there was/is nowhere for them to go if they got laid off. So contractually, they were F'd.
4} The main reason I and my immediate co-workers in my unit weren't affected is that our job is a dead end for fiscal clerical. You can't be bumped out or have someone bump in.
While all of this crap didn't affect me directly, it did affect me indirectly. I felt their pain, and unlike Bill Clinton, my feelings were genuine because I went through the exact same thing in 2003. My immediate goal is to help these people anyway that I possibly can. I want to treat them just a little better than I was treated.
My long term goal is to make sure I still have a job within the next couple of years. With the stated goal of closing this facility in either 2018 (Diaper Dan) or 2017 (General Assembly), I want to make sure that I'm not made redundant.
Decades ago, people really wanted to work for the guv'ment, because once you got in, you were in for life. Great pay and great benefits (among other things) were had by all. Now, people are getting a harsh reality check and are taking a very long look at any offer they receive from the guv'ment, because quite frankly, at the least on the state level, there really is no advantage in working for the state.
Welcome to the modern day version of Life From Hell. May the deity of your choice have mercy on your stressed out soul.
(c) 2016 BOOKS BY G.B. MILLER. All Rights Reserved.
Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
ReplyDeleteThanks. I'm pretty secure this time around, in that having a dead end job is a good thing. No one can bump in or bump out, internally or externally.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear about how things are going. It's a similar situation for me, and I'm private sector. That means anyone can be made dispensable at any time for any reason. No one is safe, ever, and I'm watching things spiral out of my control.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I'm also being told not to use the Internet for non-business things because I'm "a member of the leadership team" or some such BS. I wanted to say something so rude when I was "reminded" of this, but...y'know. Paycheck.
Hang in there.
I know the private sector has it worse, but at least you're not the popular whipping boy/scapegoat when the politicians can't control their own greed.
DeleteI have never worked in a government job but these days I am totally at the mercy of the government for my life. All my retirement pay is from the government, SSA and husband's military pay and so I am dependent on government workers and politicians not screwing up.
ReplyDeleteScary thought indeed, sad to say.
DeleteI'm glad you are secure right now - that's is scary.
ReplyDeleteIt is, and because my place was affected the heaviest, I've become the go-to guy for answers related to layoffs, mostly because I was laid off myself.
DeleteArgh. Job insecurity is the worst feeling. I can relate! I wish you all the best. I wish I could do more to help.
ReplyDeleteThat just fucking sucks. Sounds like a real prize of a Governor you have there. Kind of you to want to help the people who got fucked over, too. Hang in, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHe is one of those old school Dems who thinks of nothing when it comes to rewarding managers, corporate reformers and being an all around bully. Claims to be for the little person then slices the services that those people need the most.
DeleteSounds like a nightmare situation to be in but I'm glad your job is secure at the moment anyway.
ReplyDeleteA very bad nightmare to be in, because I do believe they're not finished. I believe once the new fiscal year starts on July 1st, they'll be more layoffs.
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