Dreaming, I must be DREAMING

Back when I was wishing on a star I mentioned a story about a woman who lost her job for taking care of her grandchild because the parents were in New Orleans during Katrina. I posted the company link and email link and sent a (I hope) scathing letter myself.

Well people, you did it! She got her job back!

Now I can not claim that one little blog did it all by it's self, I'm not that vain, but I hope the letter I wrote helped build the pile that made the company reconsider it's "policy" ({unwritten }guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent, or advantageous). Policy is what had us rebelling against the king of England. He could change the rules to suit himself because nothing was written down.

Most companies have a company handbook for employees stating the expected behavior, rewards and punishments of working for them. Almost all companies also have "policies", the unwritten rules they will hang you with if given a chance.

I expect someone who is always late or absent to be fired someday. I do NOT expect someone who's home has had a tree fall on it in a rural area to be fired for not calling in because the phones were out in that area. Sure it annoys all of us to have to cover for a mystery absence but until we know the reasons why we should not be angry, only concerned.

Should my mate lose his job because he left early to meet the ambulance at the hospital when I had my heart attack? No. So why would this company think they should fire an employee who was covering family during an emergency? She had used all her vacation and personal days. It was "policy". Thank you all who wrote letters explaining in small words of one syllable "f--- policy".

Americans have less vacations and less sick days than any other work force. We show up sick in fear of losing our jobs if we call in. We miss family events because they are during work hours. With members on all three shifts someone always misses the reunion. And now it takes two checks to make ends met in most families so both parents are either gone at the same time or never home at the same time. This strains relationships and leaves our next gen with no parental supervision. Let's face it, a sitter is not the same as the mom or dad being there.

I don't have the fix for it. Money drives it. It's cheaper to have fewer people working longer hours than it is to have more people working fewer hours. Insurance costs for employees are astronomical. But I can say I don't like it! Maybe one of you can figure it out.

Until then, I have one friend who takes off the first day it is sunny and 70 degrees after winter, I have several friends who get each other out of work to go riding. Yup, they lie to the bosses. I mostly show up all the time right now but I used to have food poisoning a lot when the weather was right for fishing or riding myself.

So you do what you have to do but we, by heaven, got one poor lady her job back. Way to go, team!

I'd like to leave you with one of my favorite comedy songs as food for thought and just to do another thing I have never done.....an mp3 link!

"Twenty Yoopers in a pontoon boat,
Fishin' for Moby Dick.
The wife, she thinks I'm workin',
The boss, he thinks I'm sick!

It's a perfect day for fishin',Drinkin' beer and tellin' lies.
It's a little bit like heaven
When you're fishin' with the guys!"