8 posts tagged “the economy”

Had a screening  telephone interview  with a large OEM in Chicago a few months ago; of course it did not work out as I am still doing (or not doing) what I have been doing. From that interview, I have a hunch my name was passed on to a flaky recruiter there, who has farmed out me to other flaky recruiters/companies.  To wit:

A call came in, answered it as there was no telephone number displayed and first off a man, who doesn't identify himself or who he works for (one red flag) asks me;

a.) if I have ever had a salary over 100k - 'Yes'.

b.) How old am I (Ah, dude, haven't you heard of something called the EEOC?!) (Another red flag and a couple of rockets go off). 'Sorry but how is this question relevant?' I reply.

c.) does not answer my question but quickly asks if I would be willing to relocate. 'A possibility', I answer.

Then line quickly goes dead without a 'Good bye', 'Thank you for your time', etc.

Gotta be careful out there.

Note today, we are being asked to believe the recession is behind us.  Interesting as wife tells me that there's a new Wegmans store opening in the area soon and 500 people needed to be hired; 5,000 applied.

Its finally gotten through his teenage head that if he wants more adult play toys, like a car, he's going to need a job, even if its only part-time.

 He's not had much luck yet. He's applied to a couple of places, Blockbuster and Caribou Coffee and perhaps he'll get a nibble.   He applied to the store where his mother works, but they turned him down. He asked me about Dick's Sporting Goods, i.e., 'Dad, is Dicks' a good place to work?'

 Good question.  Told him that when viewing things broadly, yes there are companies which are thought of as good employers, like his mother's employer, large international automobile manufacturer #1, and others.  But, I told him, what really makes the difference is one's direct supervisor.  One could be working for angels, but if your supervisor is a shit, just an empty suit, or outright hostile, your job will not be fun.  So its not really  a question of whether Dick's is good/bad, but pretty much a crap shoot as to who will supervise him and hold well/poorly the person does it.

GM's common stock trading is below a dollar a share right now.  I have remarked to a couple of people that 20 or so years ago, if I had written a scenario such as is unfolding now about the U.S. auto industry, people would have judged me certifiably  insane or would want to know where they could get what I had smoked.

I am sure there'll be much finger pointing.  One Op Ed in the WSJ, which I sorely wish now that I had copied/saved, points fingers at both management and labor.  That the business model that served both well  only worked in a closed loop, i.e., no foreign competition, and that the failure of management and labor to realize the business model no longer worked has been their undoing.

Something that has not been mentioned in the media pile-on on this and the Chrysler story is what happens to those who own stock in these companies?  Yes I know that in bankruptcy, a holder of common stock is left basically holding a big, empty bag, but I am not thinking of those individual stockholders, but rather funds/401k plans with investments in these companies and how this will affect a very broad cross-section of individuals.  

I am not as sanguine as the current WH occupant that a turnaround is in sight.

In short some foreign workers are being paid to leave Japan on the condition they never ever return to Japan to seek work.

Talk about cutting off the nose to spite the face!  As part of a business trip back to Japan, I was taken for a meeting with reps from a seat belt company in 滋賀県 and later was given a tour of the factory.  Saw much and learned much from the tour, but what really impressed me was that the only Japanese I saw on the production floor were the班長's.  Everyone else were foreign workers. 

So if these guys go home, there will be Japanese willing to step up and perform the 3K (汚い、きつい、危険) jobs?

A western guy who  has now nearly 20 years at Large Multinational Automobile Manufacturer #1 in Japan. wanted to set up within a professional networking site, a group, composed of OBs from same said employer, which I guess  I'm going to be managing.

Anyway,  I asked, as I occasionally do, 'What's up?' over there and in the course of his reply, he mentioned a word  now in vogue, 'Hakken giri'. Now he typed in romanji and because of that I guess, the meaning puzzled me.  I was fixated on the word 'giri' as in 義理, but no,  it's not that.  The word's  true meaning is, as I was told, to cut part-time workers, so I guess the word is written as , 派遣切り

Things  must be tough all over

As part of  the Sunday evening ritual, I confirm with son his schedule for the upcoming school week, particularly his Japaneses class as depending on the week, I shuttle him to and from either 3 days out of the week or 2.

So,.... I ask and son says, 'I don't have Japanese until Thursday.'

"What?!"  'Why is that?'

 I have Monday & Tuesday off.'

 'No, that was last weekend.'

 'Dad, what have you been smoking?' I have a four-day weekend.'

[Now I am beginning to feel like the straight guy in a Bugs Bunny cartoon]

'You don't think I am going to believe you have 2 straight 4-day weekends, do you?'

 Go to the PC, click, click, bring up the school's website, and lo and behold he does have another, back-to-back, 4-day weekend, teacher's workdays this time!

Jezus!  He's going to be here and show about as much life as a clump of moss again for the next two days again?!

Frankly though I've always wondered what does go on during the teacher workdays.  This time they are preparing second quarter grades and yes, when you do a rough estimate by multiplying an average class size of say 25 by 7 (# of periods in a day)  that's a lot to take care of, but with the testing/quizzes leading up to the end of term, I've wondered, doesn't a teacher already have an idea of who will get what grade? So why the 2 work days?

Also noticed how far the economic malaise we find ourselves in has reached.  On the school's website was a note to parents advising that henceforth all interim and final report cards will no longer be mailed home to parents.  Each student will carry theirs home, which ought to spawn much 'fun and games', but my son's school will save about $920 in postage

Wife came back from work worked up.  Turns out there was a meeting within the store today to determine which employees need to be let go as the economy continues to falter. Hard to believe as the store, like its sister stores here do not seem to lack customers, but.....

She went full-time last month and believes she is safe and it is will be the part-timers who will be/are nervous.  Feel sorry  for many of the part-timers as many are immigrants who can scare afford to be told they no longer have a job......

My cousin, who is the little girl holding me in the picture, married a man who started a pool business and expanded to hot tubs. He's worked hard,  built up a respectable business and done well for himself and his family.

He has a large boat which he sails  to Florida about this time of the year, and keeps it there for the winter.  Later in the year, about a day or two after Christmas, my cousin and her husband  fly to Florida and spend a few weeks there, living on the boat and thinking how glad they are where they are.

This year I am told is different.  The boat will remain in the mid-Atlantic over the winter and they have decided this year's trip and stay in Florida will not happen.