| Username |
Post |
| well-wisher |
Posted
on 01-Jul-03 05:06 PM
hello all, i need some advice.
i've been working at an independent children's bookstore for the past 5 years and i absolutely love it. the problem is that my boss can be kind of slimy. we've caught him twice paying us under minimum wage (his excuse was that minimum wage had just gone up and "he hadnt noticed"). he raised our wages and compensated us for the time we were working under minimum wage, so we didnt do anything else about it. (its a really great store and we didnt want to bring it down since its the only one like it in a LARE area).
my teen coworkers and i also suspect that he pays us teens less than the adults working there, but this is, so far, unsubstantiated. my personal guess is that he pays people whatever happens to pop into his head when he hires them. one of my coworkers has told me that he and his wife (the owners of the store) are independently wealthy and thus dont quite understand what its like for ppl to need money. evidentally, this is also why they're able to stay in buisness when so many independent bookstores are closing.
but none of that is really the problem right now. the issue is my work schedule. we have a really flexible schedule which, normally, is great, basically there are 5 slots in the morning and 5 in the afternoon and people just sign up for whenever they can work. there is no method to this signing up. its just whoever gets there first. normally this is not a problem because they only put up sheets for the next 3-4 weeks or so.
however, a couple saturdays ago, one of my coworkers made sheets for the entire summer (need i emphasize how much my boss is NOT invovled with making our work schedules?). by the next tuesday (3 days later--we're not open on sundays), when i came back in to work, the ENTIRE summer had been filled up and there was NO room for me to sign up. so, begining in july and continuing into august, i only have 45 hours that i am scheduled to work. obviously i'm really pissed off. to make matters worse, part of the reason that it filled up so quickly was because my boss had hired a new girl who had signed up to work every day, mornings and afternoons, all summer. i've since met her and she's a really nice person and a really good worker and its totally not her fault because she didnt know.
i'm planning to go talk to my boss about it this week (i've waited this long b/c i didnt want him to be distracted by the harry potter mania). the problem is that i'm not really sure how he can fix it. i want to ask him that he make a new procedure for signing up based on seniority, responsibilty, and quality of work. unfortunately, this will most likely mean that my two friends who i've been lobbying with (about minimum wage etc) will get either sacked or really screwed over. either that or the new girl (who is really responsible and a very good worker) will get sacked.
honestly, i'd prefer that my boss sack the 2 girls i've been lobbying with b/c they cancel alot and dont really work that well (as opposed to the new girl). but i feel REALLY awful about this. of course, its completly (COMPLETLY) possible that my boss will refuse to do anything about the situation.
do you guys have any suggestions about what i can do/say to him. i REALLY need to work this summer. and its annoying because he asked me back in spring break if i was gonna work and was all excited when i said yes. plus i've been working there for 5 years and so on. i'm so annoyed. please let me know any suggestions that you have. i'm sorry this is so long and thanks in advance.
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| SITARA |
Posted
on 01-Jul-03 06:01 PM
Hi Well-wisher ji:
I sympathize with your working conditions/environment. Just one question: would you consider finding another job which does not give you the fringe benefits of so much heart-ache, stomach burn, time-sheet squabbles and monetary exploitation ?
Think abou it. I wish you the best for the summer months!
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| Poonte |
Posted
on 02-Jul-03 07:52 AM
Ho bhanyaa...khurukka arko jaagirkhojna jauna! Jindagi bhar tyo independent book store mai rumaliyera basne bichaar ta pakai ni chhaina hola..."pyaat matlab! eeeeeeeeeeeeee khaaa!" bhanera surukka hidne ni tyahaan baata!
(arko jaagir paayena bhane feri khanu shraap khane bho ni yo Poonte le!)
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| premora |
Posted
on 02-Jul-03 12:18 PM
Well Wisher, it sounds like you don't have a real job. A real job would guarantee you adequate hours, and a predicatable pay. The boss is taking advantage of the situation by having so many people on his payroll. He has the opportunity to cheat more of his workers. You might take your case to the labor relations board in your area, provided you are authorized to work. May I suggest you use your time during July when you are not working to go find yourself a more stable work environment. You need money to live, you need a job to take up your time. Many people work at less satisfying jobs and use their free time to do something they like to do. Beyond liking books, what is your satisfaction staying at the bookstore ? Summer is a good time to find a job because so many businesses have to provide time off for vacations for all the workers. Why not work for someone like Borders Books Store, Houton Mifflin, a public library, or one of the other big books houses. You sound like a young, innocent girl; the kind people like to take advantage of. Get tough and go get what you want and what your deserve. Lots of people think of their jobs as a stop gap measure until they find something more lucrative. You sound like you are stuck in a rut and don't know how to get out. Take a bold step and talk to your boss, get another job, stop treating yourself like a doormat, and go for the big one.
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