2011.02.18 01:00 - Union blues

Wol Euler was guardian for this session.

Bertram Jacobus: hey wol ! good morning ! how are you today !? :-)
Wol Euler: hello bert
Wol Euler: I'm pretty well,thanks, and yourself?
Bertram Jacobus: hm - i'm sad because my gf is not so well - but we try to help her with professional psychological help ...
Wol Euler: oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
Bertram Jacobus: yes. depression is a very serious and terrible, very sad illness ...
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: insidious
Wol Euler: it changes your weltanschauung
Wol Euler: reinforces itselfr
Bertram Jacobus: i think not only insidious. i think, there are many forms of it
Bertram Jacobus: it can lead people to suicide ...
Wol Euler nods.
Wol Euler: I wish her (and you) well.
Bertram Jacobus: yes. tyvm

--BELL--

Bertram Jacobus: when do you get the result from the kindergarden / black forest project ?
Wol Euler: end of next week, the 25th
Wol Euler: I don't know what to hope for :)
Bertram Jacobus: do you have already a feeling how it may be ? (the decision)
Bertram Jacobus: ah okay ;-)
Wol Euler: well, it's really hard to tell. The judges are not the people who wrote the competition brief.
Wol Euler: they bring their own ideas
Bertram Jacobus: i see ...
Wol Euler: it sometimes happens that they all want a particular thing, and maybe they didn't know it themselves before the jury started :)
Wol Euler: but you notice that all the winners had round buildings ...
Wol Euler: In that case, it doesn't matter how good your project is :)
Wol Euler: assuming that the jury isn't looking for a round building, and we don't get thrown out in the first round, I think we will do well.
Wol Euler: good morning, egg.
eggsalad Ormstein: hi wol!!
Wol Euler: but if we do win, then we will have to start working in earnest on the 28th!
Bertram Jacobus: good morning salad ! ;-)
Bertram Jacobus: i see. how many competitors are there ?
Wol Euler: the project depends on a particular slice of public funding, which runs out on December 31
Wol Euler: so the kindergarten must be finished and in use on the 30th!
eggsalad Ormstein: hi bert
Bertram Jacobus: okay ...
Wol Euler: not "okay", try "nearly impossible even if everything goes well"
Wol Euler smiles.
Korel Laloix: Heya
Wol Euler: hello korel
Bertram Jacobus: hm ...
Bertram Jacobus: hi korel
Korel Laloix: Any particular topic today?
eggsalad Ormstein: hi korel
Wol Euler: whining about work, so far :)
Korel Laloix: I am good at that.
Wol Euler: :)
Korel Laloix: My work is mostly good... the people I work with are great and I get paid too much.
Korel Laloix: But some of our clients are just jerks.
eggsalad Ormstein: me too. I am dramatically overpaid for what I actually do
Wol Euler: lucky :)
Wol Euler: erm, does anyone know? ;-)
eggsalad Ormstein: know what?
Wol Euler: that you are overpaid
Korel Laloix: lol
Korel Laloix: I know exactly why.
Korel Laloix: I don't technically work for my boss.
Korel Laloix: I work for his wife.
Korel Laloix: One of her conditions to stay after his last affair was that she got to hire the help.
eggsalad Ormstein: I know why I'm overpaid, as well
Wol Euler chuckles.
Wol Euler: do tell
Korel Laloix: SO in walked a chemically labotomized, achneed, waif that could typle.... so I got the job.
Wol Euler: we can edit it out of hte log if it's sensitive
Korel Laloix: No need.

--BELL--

Korel Laloix: SO in essence my main job is to keep and eye on him..... and play receptionist, and computer tech, and shredder, and keep the buidling healthy..... a good situation, but getting bored.
Wol Euler: hmmmm
Korel Laloix: But my official job title.... smiles.. you will like this....
eggsalad Ormstein: I point an oversized flashlight at people. For US$43/hr
Korel Laloix: Executive Assistant to the Senior Partner.....lol
Wol Euler: wow
Korel Laloix: Exrays?
eggsalad Ormstein: nope. spotlight
Wol Euler: ah :)
Korel Laloix: Oh.
Korel Laloix: Like in a theatre?
Bertram Jacobus giggles
Wol Euler: or a tv stage?
eggsalad Ormstein: precisely, korel
Wol Euler: cool
Korel Laloix: That sounds interesting to me.
eggsalad Ormstein: it is. Until you've done the same show 1083 times
Wol Euler nods.
Korel Laloix: My gf does xrays and MRIs and the like... she gets paid very well as well.
Korel Laloix: But lots of on call and bad hours.
Korel Laloix: Just 1083?
Korel Laloix: lol
eggsalad Ormstein: so far. the total contract is 4600 :)
Korel Laloix: lol
Korel Laloix: Wow
Wol Euler thinks. US$43 sounds pretty good, but I guess there aren't many hours in a day?
Korel Laloix: Well that might be a fair wage depending on where you life.
eggsalad Ormstein: at that rate, 8 a day is plenty
Wol Euler: well, sure :)
Wol Euler: I was thinking that you'd be paid for the 90 minutes of the show plus 30 mins each for setup and breakdown
Korel Laloix: And you get to see teh show for free.... smiles
eggsalad Ormstein: two a day, 2 hours each. maintenance & rehearsal, another 4 hours
Wol Euler: wow
Korel Laloix: What union are you in?
Wol Euler: well, good :) lucky you.
eggsalad Ormstein: IATSE
Korel Laloix: Oh OK.
eggsalad Ormstein: i.e. the stagehands union
Korel Laloix: I have heard similar complains from auto workers.
Korel Laloix: I can see why some folks are starting to get frustrated with unions.
Wol Euler: O.O
Korel Laloix: Sad really.
Wol Euler: what part of this is bad because of a union?
Korel Laloix: Unfortunaly there are some unions that have managed to get way overpaid.
Korel Laloix: And that is tarnishing the image of what unions do.
Korel Laloix: Like in New JErsey.... tenure after three years...... wow
eggsalad Ormstein: it's hard to call me overpaid, when the jamoke onstage makes $2500 PER SHOW
Korel Laloix: For teachers.
Korel Laloix: That is true.
Wol Euler: state employees in Wisconsin are about to have their pensions, health benefits and their salaries cut, because they are not unionized. Is that better?
Korel Laloix: Compared to them, we are all underpaid.
Korel Laloix: They need to unionize then.
Korel Laloix: There is a balance out there that is sorta of center..... and the bad examples are pretty bad.
eggsalad Ormstein: but only the egregious examples ever make it to the media
Wol Euler nods.
Korel Laloix: Yes, and that is my point.
Korel Laloix: Reading what Unions did for particularly the US in my history classes was fascinating.
Wol Euler waves silently to Obs.
Korel Laloix: Heya.
Korel Laloix: I read in one article that in teh past.... some folks considered the Unions to be the fifth branch of the GOv.... adding it to the press.
Wol Euler: insofar as they too are a kind of social control, acting to inhibit abuse of power, that is true
eggsalad Ormstein: well, I am going to bed. Nite all
Wol Euler: 'night egg, sleep well.
Bertram Jacobus: good nite salad

--BELL--

Korel Laloix: NIght.
Korel Laloix: Read on wisconsin.
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler: a friend of mine is a professor in the university there, and is facing exactly this situation.
Wol Euler: anyway :)
Korel Laloix: It looks like they currently are unionized, but they want to kill that right.
Korel Laloix: That is silly.
Wol Euler: yep
Wol Euler: well, from a right-wing point of view it is very sensible
Wol Euler: demoralizes and weakens them
Wol Euler: you sell de-unionizing to fools on the basis that they will be able to negotiate a higher rate than the union would get
Wol Euler: then offer them less pay for more hours with less security
Wol Euler shakes her head.
Wol Euler: and people fall for it.
Korel Laloix: But I can see the other side as well.... when the average wage in the state is going down and your public union is demanding a raise.... people are not going to side with the unions like that.
Bertram Jacobus: bye friends - ty for the talk ! have a nice time ! may all beings be happy pls ! ... *wave* ...
Wol Euler: bye bert, take care.
Bertram Jacobus: and "namasté" ...
Wol Euler: meine beste wünsche an deine freunidn
Korel Laloix: Ciao.
Wol Euler: *freundin
Korel Laloix: Danke
Bertram Jacobus: ty !
Korel Laloix: Need to read more on this.....
Korel Laloix: Proving difficult ot find info on both sides.
Wol Euler: I can dig out some links from FB, but it's on the oher computer
Wol Euler: I'll make you up a notecard if you want
Korel Laloix: I just need to take the time.
Wol Euler: ok :)
Korel Laloix: You so can't rely on any one single source.
Korel Laloix: I can't even get a straight story on what the bill says.
Korel Laloix: One says it wants to get rid of unions altogether.
Wol Euler nods.
Korel Laloix: A couple of other articles say they just want to limit some.
Wol Euler: so many vested interests at play, and so little belief in the value of clarity and truth
Wol Euler: makes one distrust both sides to some extent
Korel Laloix: And that is why I want to read more..... lol.. this is doing nothing for my insomnia...
Wol Euler smiles.
Wol Euler makes "shoo, go back to bed" gestures
Korel Laloix: Ok found a definitive... they want to limit some aspects of bargaining.
Korel Laloix: Not get rid of unions.
Korel Laloix: Seems a bit excessive.
Korel Laloix: If you want consesions from a union based on the present economy, ask them for it.. don't kill the bargaining rights..... seems really silly.
Korel Laloix: But need more info.
Wol Euler: mmhmm
Korel Laloix: But the unions are not doing themsleves any favors either.....

--BELL--

Wol Euler: okay, I'm off to work
Wol Euler: I hope you can get back to sleep, Korel.
Korel Laloix: Thanks.... take care.
Wol Euler: goodnight :)