Seems like some companies want the recession to continue...-Page 2: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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June 19, 2010 9:30 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

In reply to Toyman01:

Fair enough, but please remember where this kind of thing eventually ends up when inequality gets big enough.

http://www.solutionsabroad.com/en/security/security-category/kidnapping-in-mexico....
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46826

Fortunately, for the moment, impoverished US citizens would rather work. What happens if things are so bad for so long that they dont?

I'm happy that your business is sucessful, but wouldn't you hate it if you had to waste your profits on barbed wire around your house and bodyguards for your kids?

I didn't mean to sound like a communist in my previous posts..the reason I'm so angry about what's going on in my workplace is because I want my company to do well. And it makes me seriously angry that they're willing to eject talented people at the drop of a hat in the name of "cost reduction", and not giving us the tools & manpower we need to excel at our task.

Of course, I'm still an old "lefty", and suffer from the old misconception that people are actually more important than money..but some of my leftist friends still are angry with me because I still think capitalism can acually provide better rewards to more people than communism.

I guess I just want the capitalism I was taught in elementary school, where a slice of the profits went to retain talented workers (and give them enough dough to actually buy things), and to improve the product..instead of into the pockets of people callous enough not to care about the quality of the company's products.
June 19, 2010 9:55 p.m. Toyman01 Dork

friedgreencorrado wrote:

In reply to Toyman01:

Fair enough, but please remember where this kind of thing eventually ends up when inequality gets big enough.

http://www.solutionsabroad.com/en/security/security-category/kidnapping-in-mexico....
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46826

Fortunately, for the moment, impoverished US citizens would rather work. What happens if things are so bad for so long that they dont?

I'm happy that your business is sucessful, but wouldn't you hate it if you had to waste your profits on barbed wire around your house and bodyguards for your kids?

I didn't mean to sound like a communist in my previous posts..the reason I'm so angry about what's going on in my workplace is because I want my company to do well. And it makes me seriously angry that they're willing to eject talented people at the drop of a hat in the name of "cost reduction", and not giving us the tools & manpower we need to excel at our task.

Of course, I'm still an old "lefty", and suffer from the old misconception that people are actually more important than money..but some of my leftist friends still are angry with me because I still think capitalism can acually provide better rewards to more people than communism.

I guess I just want the capitalism I was taught in elementary school, where a slice of the profits went to retain talented workers (and give them enough dough to actually buy things), and to improve the product..instead of into the pockets of people callous enough not to care about the quality of the company's products.

Well said. Your reasoning is why I no longer work for a large company and started my own. We take care of our people and they (all two of them) take care of us. I worked for The Stanley Works company for three years. I was one of probably 2000 employees. Some of the decisions large companies make are asinine. They will absolutely try to screw their employees for a half percent on the bottom line. That's what happens when middle management gets bonuses based on profits alone. That's why I no longer work there. If I understand your job, breaking out and doing it on your own would be tough and I can see why your are frustrated. I would probably be pissed too. It's hard to keep your employers best interests at heart when they won't return the favor.
June 19, 2010 10:27 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

Toyman01 wrote:

Well said. Your reasoning is why I no longer work for a large company and started my own. We take care of our people and they (all two of them) take care of us. I worked for The Stanley Works company for three years. I was one of probably 2000 employees. Some of the decisions large companies make are asinine. They will absolutely try to screw their employees for a half percent on the bottom line. That's what happens when middle management gets bonuses based on profits alone. That's why I no longer work there. If I understand your job, breaking out and doing it on your own would be tough and I can see why your are frustrated. I would probably be pissed too. It's hard to keep your employers best interests at heart when they won't return the favor.

Yeah, that's what I was getting at, Toyman. I'd love to start my own business. Problem is...in my field, that would mean buying a small town TV or Radio station. I'm not much good at anything else. I don't care about much else (our racing addiction being one of the few! ). But stations are insanely expensive, even when one comes up for sale.
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/PTFP/Application/equipcost_Radio.html

Even if I had the cash to acquire one, then I have to think about what my "clients" actually want to see/hear. And after that, figuring out how to pay for the broadcast rights for that media.

I'm no "wage slave", my company is paying me quite well..but not well enough to buy what I'd need to build my own station..or even to buy one tha's been put on the market.

Weird thing I've discovered...somebody in my industry is actually making such an attempt. They're actually using the technology in my industry (central hub, transmitting to a "repeater" at local stations) that I believe "killed" local radio & TV in the first place.
http://www.myretrotv.com/aboutrtv.html

"Squad 51, Squad 51. Please respond to the riot at WMUD Radio Station, where Clear Channel has fired all the local DJs..."

The joke is only because I'm jealous. I've constantly wondered about RTV since I discovered it. Hey, SWMBO likes the mountains...maybe I should ask them for a job? IMO, working for a "small business" like yours beats the hell out of working for the "large company" you've described, and that I still work for...
June 20, 2010 8:26 a.m. Toyman01 Dork

In reply to friedgreencorrado:

With the way companies like Clear Channel are buying up everything with a tower and a transmitter, getting away from corporate media would be almost impossible. The entire industry seems to be headed toward being one gigantic corporation owning everything. That would be a shame. The small stations seem to have more personality.

Are you on the technical side or the programing side of the industry. Maybe something like a supplier to the industry rather than working directly for them. Tough choices. I had to think long and hard before I made the choice to walk off a good paying job for the uncertainty of no job. If I hadn't been royally pissed off I probably never would have.

It's unfortunate that the cold hearted jerks always seem to end up being the ones in charge at big companies. Good luck whatever happens.
June 20, 2010 9:10 a.m. Xceler8x Dork

Toyman01, reading your first post I took away the complete wrong impression of your stance. I read your followup post and think I get it now.

If more companies treated their employees like you do then we wouldn't even have this discussion.

Employment really is a partnership. If you're not holding up your end of the "good deal", whether employed or employee, then things are going to go south real quick.

Employers and Employees are the ying and yang of industry. If either side is unbalanced then trouble follows.

Back on topic - I still think the best candidate should get the job, whether they're currently employed or not. To dismiss someone because they currently don't have a job is short sighted and damaging. With so many people out of work it's not like everyone without a job is a poor employee.
June 23, 2010 10:25 p.m. friedgreencorrado SuperDork

Toyman01 wrote:

In reply to friedgreencorrado:

With the way companies like Clear Channel are buying up everything with a tower and a transmitter, getting away from corporate media would be almost impossible. The entire industry seems to be headed toward being one gigantic corporation owning everything. That would be a shame. The small stations seem to have more personality.

Are you on the technical side or the programing side of the industry. Maybe something like a supplier to the industry rather than working directly for them. Tough choices. I had to think long and hard before I made the choice to walk off a good paying job for the uncertainty of no job. If I hadn't been royally pissed off I probably never would have.

It's unfortunate that the cold hearted jerks always seem to end up being the ones in charge at big companies. Good luck whatever happens.

I'm on the technical side. "Broadcast Operations" (that's actually corporate "newspeak", for most of the history of TV, we were called "Master Control"). In short, we're the folks that maintain the signal you actually see on your set at home. When your screen goes black, it's one of my folks that made the mistake (unless your local cable company is having distribution problems). We recieve a paper document that states just what (and when) is supposed to be on the air the following day (including the programs that our programmers wish to air, the promotional announcements from our strategic planning people, and the commercials our clients wish to air during those programs), and it is our task to insure that all media is prepared to air, and will air in the proper order. Our mission also includes having someone in the transmission room to document that each piece of media (program, promo, commercial) airs as intended, and creating the documentation of what happened on the few occasions when things do actually go wrong. The paper document is actually considered a legal document, since it includes the commercial material.

My strength in this field is actually my understanding of the tools we use to accomplish these tasks (shouldn't be a surprise to another GRM guy, eh? ). My "backup plan" is making friends with the folks that make those tools, and convincing them that I understand those tools (and the people who will use them) so well that they should hire me to teach their customers how to use their products.

Of course, as a committed "Commie-Pinko Leftist", I'm pissed off that corporate nonsense has gotten to the point that I need a backup plan in the first place.

Or perhaps my "righty" friends are correct in the first place..and I'm just lazy.
June 23, 2010 11:15 p.m. Toyman01 Dork

In reply to friedgreencorrado:

Cool job! I bet it can get pretty intense when things don't go as planned.

My wife used to do something like that for a local radio station here in town on the overnight shift. Everything would be prerecorded, and they would give her a list to follow. Back then it was all pretty much on tapes. Almost like an 8 track cassette. It used to drive her nuts if she got off the schedule by more the 10 seconds.

As for being lazy, I seriously doubt it. Probably more of a comfort zone thing. There have been a lot of days I wish I hadn't been shoved out of mine. Being self employed has it's down sides too. Stress is one of them. That and being on call just about 24/7 for the last 5 years. I have more gray hair now than I did back then.

I wouldn't sweat the back up plan too much. If there is one thing consistent about corporate America, it's change. What pisses you off today will be changed soon. Then you can be pissed off by the new crap. That was one of the things about Stanley that drove me bat crap crazy. I tend to be a creature of habit. About the time I got used to a new system or procedure the bureaucrats would change it. Not to make things better or easier or more efficient, but so they could have a new database to study and tell us how much money they were loosing. The customer didn't matter, neither did the employee.

You'll figure it out, Commie-Pinko Leftist or not.

From one of those "Righty" friends...