One of my favorite photos I took from the roof of Rose Wagner Theatre during a winter day looking across the roof to the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 3, 2011
Hey Dad, I Need To Tell You This.......
Hey Dad...I'd always say "Hey Dad" when you'd call, or when I would call you.
It's been a little over 2 months since you passed to the other side, and just a couple weeks since
I was back in Michigan with your Grand-daughter to attend your memorial service. I have been
thinking a lot about you since then.
I had not seen you in many years before you passed away, but I felt close to you as you did make
every effort to keep in touch with me and your 3 Grandchildren. When Saturdays and
Sundays come now, the phone does not ring with that familiar "313-898-01.." phone number
on the caller ID anymore. I knew that number my whole life. We didn't move around growing
up. My assistant principal at Hanneman Elementary referred to our family as a "staple family"
you made sure to keep things as normal as possible for me as a kid....well, other than the
horrible fights with Mom, or your iron fist "Drill Sargent" as you called it, way you chose to
discipline me. You apologized for all of that a few months before you passed over. I told you
"It's OK. You DO better when you KNOW better". It's a line I stole from Oprah. But I find
it to be true. I have been thinking a lot about what you tried to do for the family as I was growing up.
There were always summer trips. Irish Hills, Cedar Pointe, Kentucky, North Carolina. But
Irish Hills and Cedar Pointe were always the most frequent destinations. Camping and swimming at Irish Hills. Cedar Pointe and it's roller-coasters off of Lake Erie.
I'd get so excited to go to either. You really didn't show a lot of emotions. I mostly remember you being angry at one thing or another.
You'd laugh in slight spurts, and I think other people laughing made you uncomfortable.
You hated it when I'd turn on comedy shows. "Why don't you watch something that makes
a little fucking SENSE?!" You'd say. And Oh Jayyyysuus, I would sit through so many
PBS shows. Nova...you loved Nova. Sundays brought "Wild Kingdom" and you bought the
encyclopedia set that I would sit and read for hours. Volume after volume. I used to curse you
making me sit through all of those shows. But you know what, Dad? I know A LOT of things
from watching those shows and reading those encyclopedias. I bet you didn't know why I
spent so much time reading the encyclopedias. Well, as much as you hated comedy shows,
you loved violent, action packed movies. One night I was sitting with you and Mom watching "Three Days of the Condor" starring Robert Redford.
Now, "The Condor" was an espionage expert, as you know. He was killing and tricking the bad guys and knew how to tap phones and escape..."The Condor" was a sight to behold.
There was a line in that movie where one of the bad guys asks his partner (speaking about "The Condor") "How does he know how to DO all of this shit?" The bad guys partner replied "Because he reads EVERYTHING!!"
"WOW!!" I thought. Just by READING i could DO all of this shit? So, I started to read EVERYTHING, Dad.
From ingredients on shampoo bottles and shave cream cans while in the bathroom. To the
encyclopedias, to text books...you name it. Dad, even by allowing me to watch the movies, you inspired me to keep learning.
People REFUSE to play trivia games with me. You'd be proud, Dad. I am pretty fucking smart!
This has served me well in college. Yeah, you discouraged me from going to college when I got outta high school.
"Go to Trade School" you said. I went to work for K-Mart instead. Warehouse shit. Then I went
to school to be a sound engineer...with MY hearing, that worked out great.
As you know, Dad, things were not working out well in Detroit for me. I didn't really have a good job. The factories were closing due to the greedy corporate assholes that didn't give a damn
about Detroit's future. So I moved to Utah. Your daughter lived here for years, and you warned me about her. I should have listened.
I got married, drove trucks, had 3 kids, then I took your advice and went to Trade School.
Union sponsored Trade School!! Heating and Air Conditioning and Pipefitting. 4 and a half
years of school, 6 months shy of graduating and I starting going through the divorce.
I worked hard to learn my trade. I worked excessive hours trying to feed the family.
Got re-married and became stable. Got a great job with the local government now, Dad.
Does not pay as well as the private sector, but it gives me a benefit of having time off.
I use the time off to pursue a college degree now, Dad. I thought your advice was terrible for years.
"Don't go to college". A parent never says that. But, you know what, Dad? I have always had a job. Pays the bills, my skills are in demand.
And now that I am settled and in the government, I can use a college degree to ride a desk as
my body falters and is not as adept to climbing on roof tops in summer and winter. I also
qualify now for Pell Grants, so the government helps me to achieve my educational goals
so long as I keep good grades. And as I said...I am pretty fucking smart, Dad. Except math...but you remember THAT struggle.
As much as you tried to yell and scream math aptitude into me...my mind just has a hard time grasping numbers.
I have been thinking about all of the things you did and said, Dad. I am glad you created a mind
in me that would be open to new ideas. You didn't believe in being a zealot to anything.
About 7 months ago, when I mentioned my interest in becoming a Free Mason, you encouraged
me to pursue it. You told me of you own interest in it, but you told me you never had time to commit to it fully.
When I told you how I was enjoying Gnostic gospels, you expressed a great interest in it and encouraged me to read more of it.
Dad, I need to tell you this:
I miss you. I have missed you for many years. I wish we could have fished a little more, camped a little more and maybe could have watched a few more movies.
I will bet you did not know how much you influenced me to learn and learn some more.
I wonder if you did that on purpose.
I have become a lot like you,Dad. Well, except for my kids are not afraid of me, and I laugh a lot. Maybe talk too much and bullshit frequently.
I break balls just like you did in the garage. But, just like you, I treasure the opportunities to help people.
I am unselfish just like you, Dad. Me and your Grand-Daughter were sitting waiting for the U2 show to start and we were lamenting the fact of how we did not like selfish people.
I told her that the unselfishness comes from you and your Dad. I am glad I have passed the unselfish nature on to your Grand-daughters and your Grand-son.
When we see each other again, Dad, it will be one grand sight. I won't be limping around on my shot ankles and you won't be dizzy and your hands will not be asleep.
Our hearing might be good enough to hear one another!!
I know you come around here often, Dad. I was certain you attended the U2 show with me and your Grand-Daughter. You always wondered what the appeal was with my following that band for 20 plus years. Did you like the show? I think you see the appeal now.
You are welcome to visit as much as you like, Dad. Move in if you want to.
But, I think you are enjoying your time on the other side. Blitz and Blizzard, your son, your Mother and Father. Has to be a great homecoming.
I am enjoying my time on earth, Dad. I have a lot of fun. I have fucked up some, and I have done good for people.
I can wait a lot longer to see you, but I do feel you. I wasn't there when you were dying.
You told me not to be there. You knew I was in school. You asked me to do well, to learn and pass the class.
So, I stayed home. Never missed a class, but my mind could not escape the thoughts of your death.
When you died, it was during spring break. I was in a difficult math class. Yeah, MATH.
Sorry, Dad. I failed that class. Well, I got a D..needed a C. I just could not let my mind let go of your passing. And numbers are so hard for me anyway.
But, I will pass the class in the fall. I will dedicate the semester to your memory, and I will pass the class.
I am sure this letter has been on the cusp of a rambling session for more than a few paragraphs, so I will close now.
Thanks, Dad for everything. I am sure you are very proud of me and your grandchildren.
We are you!! And we will see you later. No offense, but I hope much much later.
Thanks to what you made us, our lives are pretty good!!
Take Care,Dad (I always said "Take Care" when we'd say our good-byes, remember?)
Johnny
It's been a little over 2 months since you passed to the other side, and just a couple weeks since
I was back in Michigan with your Grand-daughter to attend your memorial service. I have been
thinking a lot about you since then.
I had not seen you in many years before you passed away, but I felt close to you as you did make
every effort to keep in touch with me and your 3 Grandchildren. When Saturdays and
Sundays come now, the phone does not ring with that familiar "313-898-01.." phone number
on the caller ID anymore. I knew that number my whole life. We didn't move around growing
up. My assistant principal at Hanneman Elementary referred to our family as a "staple family"
you made sure to keep things as normal as possible for me as a kid....well, other than the
horrible fights with Mom, or your iron fist "Drill Sargent" as you called it, way you chose to
discipline me. You apologized for all of that a few months before you passed over. I told you
"It's OK. You DO better when you KNOW better". It's a line I stole from Oprah. But I find
it to be true. I have been thinking a lot about what you tried to do for the family as I was growing up.
There were always summer trips. Irish Hills, Cedar Pointe, Kentucky, North Carolina. But
Irish Hills and Cedar Pointe were always the most frequent destinations. Camping and swimming at Irish Hills. Cedar Pointe and it's roller-coasters off of Lake Erie.
I'd get so excited to go to either. You really didn't show a lot of emotions. I mostly remember you being angry at one thing or another.
You'd laugh in slight spurts, and I think other people laughing made you uncomfortable.
You hated it when I'd turn on comedy shows. "Why don't you watch something that makes
a little fucking SENSE?!" You'd say. And Oh Jayyyysuus, I would sit through so many
PBS shows. Nova...you loved Nova. Sundays brought "Wild Kingdom" and you bought the
encyclopedia set that I would sit and read for hours. Volume after volume. I used to curse you
making me sit through all of those shows. But you know what, Dad? I know A LOT of things
from watching those shows and reading those encyclopedias. I bet you didn't know why I
spent so much time reading the encyclopedias. Well, as much as you hated comedy shows,
you loved violent, action packed movies. One night I was sitting with you and Mom watching "Three Days of the Condor" starring Robert Redford.
Now, "The Condor" was an espionage expert, as you know. He was killing and tricking the bad guys and knew how to tap phones and escape..."The Condor" was a sight to behold.
There was a line in that movie where one of the bad guys asks his partner (speaking about "The Condor") "How does he know how to DO all of this shit?" The bad guys partner replied "Because he reads EVERYTHING!!"
"WOW!!" I thought. Just by READING i could DO all of this shit? So, I started to read EVERYTHING, Dad.
From ingredients on shampoo bottles and shave cream cans while in the bathroom. To the
encyclopedias, to text books...you name it. Dad, even by allowing me to watch the movies, you inspired me to keep learning.
People REFUSE to play trivia games with me. You'd be proud, Dad. I am pretty fucking smart!
This has served me well in college. Yeah, you discouraged me from going to college when I got outta high school.
"Go to Trade School" you said. I went to work for K-Mart instead. Warehouse shit. Then I went
to school to be a sound engineer...with MY hearing, that worked out great.
As you know, Dad, things were not working out well in Detroit for me. I didn't really have a good job. The factories were closing due to the greedy corporate assholes that didn't give a damn
about Detroit's future. So I moved to Utah. Your daughter lived here for years, and you warned me about her. I should have listened.
I got married, drove trucks, had 3 kids, then I took your advice and went to Trade School.
Union sponsored Trade School!! Heating and Air Conditioning and Pipefitting. 4 and a half
years of school, 6 months shy of graduating and I starting going through the divorce.
I worked hard to learn my trade. I worked excessive hours trying to feed the family.
Got re-married and became stable. Got a great job with the local government now, Dad.
Does not pay as well as the private sector, but it gives me a benefit of having time off.
I use the time off to pursue a college degree now, Dad. I thought your advice was terrible for years.
"Don't go to college". A parent never says that. But, you know what, Dad? I have always had a job. Pays the bills, my skills are in demand.
And now that I am settled and in the government, I can use a college degree to ride a desk as
my body falters and is not as adept to climbing on roof tops in summer and winter. I also
qualify now for Pell Grants, so the government helps me to achieve my educational goals
so long as I keep good grades. And as I said...I am pretty fucking smart, Dad. Except math...but you remember THAT struggle.
As much as you tried to yell and scream math aptitude into me...my mind just has a hard time grasping numbers.
I have been thinking about all of the things you did and said, Dad. I am glad you created a mind
in me that would be open to new ideas. You didn't believe in being a zealot to anything.
About 7 months ago, when I mentioned my interest in becoming a Free Mason, you encouraged
me to pursue it. You told me of you own interest in it, but you told me you never had time to commit to it fully.
When I told you how I was enjoying Gnostic gospels, you expressed a great interest in it and encouraged me to read more of it.
Dad, I need to tell you this:
I miss you. I have missed you for many years. I wish we could have fished a little more, camped a little more and maybe could have watched a few more movies.
I will bet you did not know how much you influenced me to learn and learn some more.
I wonder if you did that on purpose.
I have become a lot like you,Dad. Well, except for my kids are not afraid of me, and I laugh a lot. Maybe talk too much and bullshit frequently.
I break balls just like you did in the garage. But, just like you, I treasure the opportunities to help people.
I am unselfish just like you, Dad. Me and your Grand-Daughter were sitting waiting for the U2 show to start and we were lamenting the fact of how we did not like selfish people.
I told her that the unselfishness comes from you and your Dad. I am glad I have passed the unselfish nature on to your Grand-daughters and your Grand-son.
When we see each other again, Dad, it will be one grand sight. I won't be limping around on my shot ankles and you won't be dizzy and your hands will not be asleep.
Our hearing might be good enough to hear one another!!
I know you come around here often, Dad. I was certain you attended the U2 show with me and your Grand-Daughter. You always wondered what the appeal was with my following that band for 20 plus years. Did you like the show? I think you see the appeal now.
You are welcome to visit as much as you like, Dad. Move in if you want to.
But, I think you are enjoying your time on the other side. Blitz and Blizzard, your son, your Mother and Father. Has to be a great homecoming.
I am enjoying my time on earth, Dad. I have a lot of fun. I have fucked up some, and I have done good for people.
I can wait a lot longer to see you, but I do feel you. I wasn't there when you were dying.
You told me not to be there. You knew I was in school. You asked me to do well, to learn and pass the class.
So, I stayed home. Never missed a class, but my mind could not escape the thoughts of your death.
When you died, it was during spring break. I was in a difficult math class. Yeah, MATH.
Sorry, Dad. I failed that class. Well, I got a D..needed a C. I just could not let my mind let go of your passing. And numbers are so hard for me anyway.
But, I will pass the class in the fall. I will dedicate the semester to your memory, and I will pass the class.
I am sure this letter has been on the cusp of a rambling session for more than a few paragraphs, so I will close now.
Thanks, Dad for everything. I am sure you are very proud of me and your grandchildren.
We are you!! And we will see you later. No offense, but I hope much much later.
Thanks to what you made us, our lives are pretty good!!
Take Care,Dad (I always said "Take Care" when we'd say our good-byes, remember?)
Johnny
Saturday, March 19, 2011
That's My Dad
Greetings.
Late last night I got the word that my Dad passed away after battling many illnesses of late.
Weeks prior to this news, my Dad confided in me his misery battling these physical ailments and he instructed me "don't be sad when it's my time to go". It's not easy honoring that wish.
It feels too much like something is missing. Mostly there's a feeling of emptiness, but it's mixed with a feeling of relief for him as he no longer has to endure the discomfort and pain he has been through recently, and in actuality most of his life as he battled heart disease since he was in his 30's.
He told me stories of going to work on the assembly line at Fisher Body in Detroit (where I grew up) having to hold on to something as the line passed and it gave him vertigo. He told me about having to pull his car over on the way home from work when he couldn't control his heart rate and felt too dis-oriented to drive.
He would tell me of his desire to start his own auto mechanic shop(he went to trade school to learn the auto mechanic trade), but he didn't want to lose the medical benefits the United Auto Workers union had procured for the blue-collar workers in the auto industry. I remember him correcting me when I said "What a great company you work for that gives you these benefits." He quickly corrected that statement "NO! It's the UNION who got us these benefits. That factory doesn't give a FUCK if we have them or not!" He was a proud Union member. As a studied the history of the labor movement, I found out how right my Dad was about the importance of the labor movement and how Unions have protected the civil rights of the working class. He would come home and repair car problems for his friends. Doing brake jobs and anything else car related. As a young boy, I would venture out to the garage and hear the ball busting amongst my Dad and his friends, and the cursing related to doing mechanical work. If you have ever seen the movie "Gran Torino" and if you recall the barber shop scene, then you can understand life in my Dad's garage. The other aspect of my Dad's garage was excessive generosity. He never charged a lot of money to help people and rarely turned people away when they needed help.
My Dad loved westerns. He loved action movies. I was weened on John Wayne, Charles Bronson, Lee Van Cleef and the likes of them all. We'd sit on Sunday afternoons and watch movies like "The Missouri Breaks", "True Grit". We went to the theater to see "Unforgiven" and "Pale Rider" .
Me and my dad would talk often about out favorite lines in some of those movies. From "The Missouri Breaks" we liked the scene where Jack Nicholson was rudely awakened only to be told "Sorry to wake you, but your throats just been cut."
We also liked the line from "Unforgiven" where Clint Eastwood informs the rookie gunslinger "We've all got it coming, kid."
So I woke up this morning feeling the loss. But I have slowly been realizing that my Dad is still here, and will always be here.
I looked in the mirror this morning to brush my teeth, and noted the nose passed from him to me. "That's my dad", I thought.
I lost a slipper coming up the stairs to my bedroom this morning and muttered an "awwww FUCK!" That's my Dad.
I got a call this morning from a co-worker who needed help (it's my day off and he's on call) and I went to give him a hand. That's my Dad.
I love to watch "Pulp Fiction" and all kinds of movies no matter the content. That's my Dad.
When I eat corned beef hash. That's my Dad.
I have continuously questioned the words of the preachers and the content of the Bible and have sought to carve my own path of spirituality. That's my Dad.
I am a skilled tradesman and proud Union member. That's my Dad.
These same sort of virtues I have passed to my own children. I look at them and see me and my Dad in them as well. The generosity, the inquisitiveness, the love of movies, the love of music (forgot to mention the constant strumming of the 6 string my Dad would do, it was a background music to the home I grew up in.)
One day I went to my son's school and I heard my son tell one of his friends (referring to me)
"That's my Dad." Made me feel like my son was proud of me.
I am proud of you, Dad. You left behind a lot of goodness within me.
And when the world hears me curse a bit, question authority, generously give of my time, be a friend to others, break the balls of my friends, get lost in music, work hard, be chronically early to my appointments, be dependable, be quietly by myself, and above all else, when you see me loving the life I have, I am quietly telling you
"That's my Dad"
Rest Peacefully Tusco "Bill" Asher March 19, 2011
Late last night I got the word that my Dad passed away after battling many illnesses of late.
Weeks prior to this news, my Dad confided in me his misery battling these physical ailments and he instructed me "don't be sad when it's my time to go". It's not easy honoring that wish.
It feels too much like something is missing. Mostly there's a feeling of emptiness, but it's mixed with a feeling of relief for him as he no longer has to endure the discomfort and pain he has been through recently, and in actuality most of his life as he battled heart disease since he was in his 30's.
He told me stories of going to work on the assembly line at Fisher Body in Detroit (where I grew up) having to hold on to something as the line passed and it gave him vertigo. He told me about having to pull his car over on the way home from work when he couldn't control his heart rate and felt too dis-oriented to drive.
He would tell me of his desire to start his own auto mechanic shop(he went to trade school to learn the auto mechanic trade), but he didn't want to lose the medical benefits the United Auto Workers union had procured for the blue-collar workers in the auto industry. I remember him correcting me when I said "What a great company you work for that gives you these benefits." He quickly corrected that statement "NO! It's the UNION who got us these benefits. That factory doesn't give a FUCK if we have them or not!" He was a proud Union member. As a studied the history of the labor movement, I found out how right my Dad was about the importance of the labor movement and how Unions have protected the civil rights of the working class. He would come home and repair car problems for his friends. Doing brake jobs and anything else car related. As a young boy, I would venture out to the garage and hear the ball busting amongst my Dad and his friends, and the cursing related to doing mechanical work. If you have ever seen the movie "Gran Torino" and if you recall the barber shop scene, then you can understand life in my Dad's garage. The other aspect of my Dad's garage was excessive generosity. He never charged a lot of money to help people and rarely turned people away when they needed help.
My Dad loved westerns. He loved action movies. I was weened on John Wayne, Charles Bronson, Lee Van Cleef and the likes of them all. We'd sit on Sunday afternoons and watch movies like "The Missouri Breaks", "True Grit". We went to the theater to see "Unforgiven" and "Pale Rider" .
Me and my dad would talk often about out favorite lines in some of those movies. From "The Missouri Breaks" we liked the scene where Jack Nicholson was rudely awakened only to be told "Sorry to wake you, but your throats just been cut."
We also liked the line from "Unforgiven" where Clint Eastwood informs the rookie gunslinger "We've all got it coming, kid."
So I woke up this morning feeling the loss. But I have slowly been realizing that my Dad is still here, and will always be here.
I looked in the mirror this morning to brush my teeth, and noted the nose passed from him to me. "That's my dad", I thought.
I lost a slipper coming up the stairs to my bedroom this morning and muttered an "awwww FUCK!" That's my Dad.
I got a call this morning from a co-worker who needed help (it's my day off and he's on call) and I went to give him a hand. That's my Dad.
I love to watch "Pulp Fiction" and all kinds of movies no matter the content. That's my Dad.
When I eat corned beef hash. That's my Dad.
I have continuously questioned the words of the preachers and the content of the Bible and have sought to carve my own path of spirituality. That's my Dad.
I am a skilled tradesman and proud Union member. That's my Dad.
These same sort of virtues I have passed to my own children. I look at them and see me and my Dad in them as well. The generosity, the inquisitiveness, the love of movies, the love of music (forgot to mention the constant strumming of the 6 string my Dad would do, it was a background music to the home I grew up in.)
One day I went to my son's school and I heard my son tell one of his friends (referring to me)
"That's my Dad." Made me feel like my son was proud of me.
I am proud of you, Dad. You left behind a lot of goodness within me.
And when the world hears me curse a bit, question authority, generously give of my time, be a friend to others, break the balls of my friends, get lost in music, work hard, be chronically early to my appointments, be dependable, be quietly by myself, and above all else, when you see me loving the life I have, I am quietly telling you
"That's my Dad"
Rest Peacefully Tusco "Bill" Asher March 19, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Note From A Skilled Tradesman Employed By Local Government
Greetings all!
My last post was at Christmas, so it has been awhile.
Please indulge me as I write about my experience as a skilled tradesman i n the pipe fitting and heating and air conditioning field. Everything I write in this post regarding my wages are a matter of public record as a government employee, so I am not breaching any "privacy" rules one usually finds in the private sector where employees are warned to keep their wages private or face repercussions by management.
I have been a skilled tradesman for about 15 years. Only about 3 of these years have been with the government. In order for one to become a skilled tradesman, you must attend about 5 years of schooling. My initial education in the skilled trades came from Local Union 19 Plumbers and Pipe fitters, in conjunction Salt Lake Community College, where I was attending school 3 nights a week while under the employ of a Union shop where I was an apprentice worker learning from journeyman workers (workers who have been through the schooling and work hours needed to have obtained the skills required to be self-sufficient in the trade. This is 5 plus years, usually) so I learned my trade from books, and by experience at the same time.
My starting wage as an apprentice Union member working for a Union shop was $8.25 an hour. Out of this wage I had to pay my union dues ($65 a month) and pay partial education costs (the Union paid a fair percentage) and also help to support my family. I took a pay cut from driving a truck making $15 an hour to join the apprenticeship program so that I could insure my future with a skilled trade.
By the time my apprenticeship was finished (I left the apprenticeship about a year early due to life circumstances which have been discussed previously, I will not repeat it here in this post) I was making about $16 an hour. Full health benefits, dental, etc.
The Union contract between the employees and the Union shops helped the employee exponentially by stating such things as what tools the employer must provide (heating and air tools are expensive. Vacuum pumps and recovery machines cost 200-500 dollars) the employee usually supplied hand tools, but when they broke, the employer was obligated to replace them. Most of the employees bought Craftsman tools, which have lifetime warranties, so we would only ask the employer to indulge us with the time it took to go to Sears to replace the tool. This time was granted with no qualms.
After I left the Union (under no duress, my employer at the time convinced the crew to vote to leave...long story) things changed. I worked for employers who did such things as make the begining of the work week a Saturday, so they would EXPECT us to work the weekends with no overtime pay. The expensive tools were now our responsibility to buy. "Oh just put it on our tool account at the supply house" they would say. The employers would then take amounts out of our checks PLUS 5-10 per cent as a "convenience fee" for using the account. So, now you owe money to the employer while trying to make a living for yourself.
Now, this was not true in every non-Union shop I worked for. A couple were decent. Most were not worker friendly. The last company I worked for paid a decent wage on paper ($21.75 an hour) but did the crooked things with work hours, only gave out 30 hour work weeks to the employees. Expected the employee to be available at all sorts of strange hours (sent us home during the day, then called at 6-7 at night expecting the employee to work for straight time)
Now remember. Heating and air conditioning is a SKILLED TRADE. The tradesmen spend a lot of time in educational ventures learning to be a skilled tradesman. As skilled tradesmen, we expect a bit better treatment than that. Or at least I did.
Having tired from the mis-treatment, I started looking at other ways to use my skills. I did not have the money to start my own shop, so I checked the internet and found my local government entity was looking for a skilled HVAC tradesman like myself. I applied and subsequently got the job. The position came with all the tools needed for the job. Full health coverage (though we do pay a large share in premiums). Ample time off (I will discuss this in a moment) 8 hour work days, yet still one has to be available for "pager duty" where you are "on-call" 24 hours a day for a week, about every 3 months. In the private sector, the same pager duty is expected. Many times it was a week every month, the employer did make it lucrative most of the time by offering things like $50 every time you went on call, PLUS time and a half. Many times you got $100 pager duty pay, then time and a half for every call. Pager duty is an annoyance, but in the HVAC trade, it comes with the territory.
When you come to work for the government, you do give up some things. First, the pager duty pay was sub-par to the private sector. We got 4 hours pager pay, then 3 hours minimum per call. AFSCME recently negotiated 10.67 hours compensation for pager duty pay. So now we have a day off without using our own vacation time to make up the difference for the annoyance of carrying the pager. We get 2.67 ours pay as well. So, this is in par with private sector workers, and this is something the employees in the trades asked for and got.
Employees with the local government here earn time off. 4 hours a pay period vacation, and 4 hours in sick pay. Also, there are paid holidays. When not on call, we usually only have to work 8 hours instead of the 10-12 a day in private sector jobs in HVAC trade. These set hours have enabled me to go back to college to further my education. This came with the job, was not negotiated by AFSCME. AFSCME has only been representing the trades here for about 6 mos.
Sounds great, right? And the time off is, especially as a 43 year old working the physical skilled trades job. HVAC trades are full of climbing, lifting, kneeling, being on extremely hot and cold rooftops and noisy conditions. after in the trade for many years, the body screams.
Now let's discuss the pay. I was making $21.75 after 12 years in the trade in the private sector. When I came through the door of government, I lost about$3.50 dollars an hour. My starting wage with the government was $18.28.
I got a couple of raises where I then made almost $19 an hour, BUT THEN the economy tanked and every employee of the local government took a 3% across the board pay cut. Put me back to $18.48, while at the same time my portion of the health insurance raised 10%.
Recently, thanks to the upswing of the economy, we all got 1% back, so now I am at $18.68...BUT my portion of the health care raised another 10%.
Last year, I grossed 38k, after taxes and child support, health care, i brought home about 25k.
My pension will reflect this when I retire.
The point of this post?
Your local government employee is NOT getting rich. We get days off with pay, which is priceless, no argument there. But we are NOT the blame for the so-called "budget crisis" which you hear of. Contrarily, your government employees are usually the first ones to take cuts to insure services for the public are afforded. The libraries, the recreation centers, the garbage pick-up, the snow removal, are all done more inexpensively by your local government as these services are done by a non-profit entity.
The government employees make less to insure the public pays less for the services.
Please think twice and do your research before you blame the people on the front line for the problems some governors say they have.
I am proud to be a government employee. I consider my employ to be a service to the community I live in. I am also a proud Union member. My Union stands to protect the rights of the middle-class that so many literally fought and died for in the generations before me. The Union is not in existence to demand anything but fairness, and fairness is the only "thing" Union members expect. We are not lazy, or spoiled.
Thanks for reading this. I felt compelled to share my story so that the myths can be dispelled about how "the blame" rests with your government employee. Very contrarily, your government employee is very often the solution to keeping the services in your community affordable.
My last post was at Christmas, so it has been awhile.
Please indulge me as I write about my experience as a skilled tradesman i n the pipe fitting and heating and air conditioning field. Everything I write in this post regarding my wages are a matter of public record as a government employee, so I am not breaching any "privacy" rules one usually finds in the private sector where employees are warned to keep their wages private or face repercussions by management.
I have been a skilled tradesman for about 15 years. Only about 3 of these years have been with the government. In order for one to become a skilled tradesman, you must attend about 5 years of schooling. My initial education in the skilled trades came from Local Union 19 Plumbers and Pipe fitters, in conjunction Salt Lake Community College, where I was attending school 3 nights a week while under the employ of a Union shop where I was an apprentice worker learning from journeyman workers (workers who have been through the schooling and work hours needed to have obtained the skills required to be self-sufficient in the trade. This is 5 plus years, usually) so I learned my trade from books, and by experience at the same time.
My starting wage as an apprentice Union member working for a Union shop was $8.25 an hour. Out of this wage I had to pay my union dues ($65 a month) and pay partial education costs (the Union paid a fair percentage) and also help to support my family. I took a pay cut from driving a truck making $15 an hour to join the apprenticeship program so that I could insure my future with a skilled trade.
By the time my apprenticeship was finished (I left the apprenticeship about a year early due to life circumstances which have been discussed previously, I will not repeat it here in this post) I was making about $16 an hour. Full health benefits, dental, etc.
The Union contract between the employees and the Union shops helped the employee exponentially by stating such things as what tools the employer must provide (heating and air tools are expensive. Vacuum pumps and recovery machines cost 200-500 dollars) the employee usually supplied hand tools, but when they broke, the employer was obligated to replace them. Most of the employees bought Craftsman tools, which have lifetime warranties, so we would only ask the employer to indulge us with the time it took to go to Sears to replace the tool. This time was granted with no qualms.
After I left the Union (under no duress, my employer at the time convinced the crew to vote to leave...long story) things changed. I worked for employers who did such things as make the begining of the work week a Saturday, so they would EXPECT us to work the weekends with no overtime pay. The expensive tools were now our responsibility to buy. "Oh just put it on our tool account at the supply house" they would say. The employers would then take amounts out of our checks PLUS 5-10 per cent as a "convenience fee" for using the account. So, now you owe money to the employer while trying to make a living for yourself.
Now, this was not true in every non-Union shop I worked for. A couple were decent. Most were not worker friendly. The last company I worked for paid a decent wage on paper ($21.75 an hour) but did the crooked things with work hours, only gave out 30 hour work weeks to the employees. Expected the employee to be available at all sorts of strange hours (sent us home during the day, then called at 6-7 at night expecting the employee to work for straight time)
Now remember. Heating and air conditioning is a SKILLED TRADE. The tradesmen spend a lot of time in educational ventures learning to be a skilled tradesman. As skilled tradesmen, we expect a bit better treatment than that. Or at least I did.
Having tired from the mis-treatment, I started looking at other ways to use my skills. I did not have the money to start my own shop, so I checked the internet and found my local government entity was looking for a skilled HVAC tradesman like myself. I applied and subsequently got the job. The position came with all the tools needed for the job. Full health coverage (though we do pay a large share in premiums). Ample time off (I will discuss this in a moment) 8 hour work days, yet still one has to be available for "pager duty" where you are "on-call" 24 hours a day for a week, about every 3 months. In the private sector, the same pager duty is expected. Many times it was a week every month, the employer did make it lucrative most of the time by offering things like $50 every time you went on call, PLUS time and a half. Many times you got $100 pager duty pay, then time and a half for every call. Pager duty is an annoyance, but in the HVAC trade, it comes with the territory.
When you come to work for the government, you do give up some things. First, the pager duty pay was sub-par to the private sector. We got 4 hours pager pay, then 3 hours minimum per call. AFSCME recently negotiated 10.67 hours compensation for pager duty pay. So now we have a day off without using our own vacation time to make up the difference for the annoyance of carrying the pager. We get 2.67 ours pay as well. So, this is in par with private sector workers, and this is something the employees in the trades asked for and got.
Employees with the local government here earn time off. 4 hours a pay period vacation, and 4 hours in sick pay. Also, there are paid holidays. When not on call, we usually only have to work 8 hours instead of the 10-12 a day in private sector jobs in HVAC trade. These set hours have enabled me to go back to college to further my education. This came with the job, was not negotiated by AFSCME. AFSCME has only been representing the trades here for about 6 mos.
Sounds great, right? And the time off is, especially as a 43 year old working the physical skilled trades job. HVAC trades are full of climbing, lifting, kneeling, being on extremely hot and cold rooftops and noisy conditions. after in the trade for many years, the body screams.
Now let's discuss the pay. I was making $21.75 after 12 years in the trade in the private sector. When I came through the door of government, I lost about$3.50 dollars an hour. My starting wage with the government was $18.28.
I got a couple of raises where I then made almost $19 an hour, BUT THEN the economy tanked and every employee of the local government took a 3% across the board pay cut. Put me back to $18.48, while at the same time my portion of the health insurance raised 10%.
Recently, thanks to the upswing of the economy, we all got 1% back, so now I am at $18.68...BUT my portion of the health care raised another 10%.
Last year, I grossed 38k, after taxes and child support, health care, i brought home about 25k.
My pension will reflect this when I retire.
The point of this post?
Your local government employee is NOT getting rich. We get days off with pay, which is priceless, no argument there. But we are NOT the blame for the so-called "budget crisis" which you hear of. Contrarily, your government employees are usually the first ones to take cuts to insure services for the public are afforded. The libraries, the recreation centers, the garbage pick-up, the snow removal, are all done more inexpensively by your local government as these services are done by a non-profit entity.
The government employees make less to insure the public pays less for the services.
Please think twice and do your research before you blame the people on the front line for the problems some governors say they have.
I am proud to be a government employee. I consider my employ to be a service to the community I live in. I am also a proud Union member. My Union stands to protect the rights of the middle-class that so many literally fought and died for in the generations before me. The Union is not in existence to demand anything but fairness, and fairness is the only "thing" Union members expect. We are not lazy, or spoiled.
Thanks for reading this. I felt compelled to share my story so that the myths can be dispelled about how "the blame" rests with your government employee. Very contrarily, your government employee is very often the solution to keeping the services in your community affordable.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
So THIS Is Christmas?
Greetings!
So, December 25, 2010 is quickly moving in upon us all. Christmas. Most of us are darting about at double speed trying to buy somebody something to put under the proverbial tree all decorated in the living room.
Most of us have been to the gatherings where most of us have put on a pretty face so that most of us may even be able to wish the best to those least liked or not at all appreciated.
All of us have been inundated with Christmas music and "Black Friday" ads since just after HALLOWEEN!
No Thanksgiving. Halloween then CHRISTMAS!!
I wondered why this has been the case. And then it dawned on me that there is no real PROFIT in people being thankful. It seems as if the masses must be evoked as soon as possible to start shopping. Forget the turkey, the meal where at least once a year the extended family actually sits together just to eat and enjoy one another.
No profit there.
Let's get the carols pumping through the airwaves. Lets get the presses all pretty in red and green and "HALF OFF" slogans. Let's do this right away, right after Halloween. There is MONEY TO BE MADE!!
Christ, the Enlightened One, has come to bring Peace and Gnosis to the world.
So let us GO SHOPPING!!
I don't have the pretty tree. I won't be buying all sorts of gifts. There are no pretty lights along the outline of my home. BUT there is a sincere thankfulness to my god for my life, my wife, my children, and the small amount of people I call my friends.
I will do all I can to help those in my life who need help. I try to make sure everyone knows I appreciate them. I try to do this through my selfless actions.
I try to bring goodwill and peace, the spirit of the Enlightened One. Sure I fail sometimes.
But there is no profit to be made in this true spirit of Christmas.....let's go shopping instead.
Friday, November 26, 2010
A Few Words About Thanksgiving 2010
Greetings!
I sit here well fed the Friday after Thanksgiving watching re-runs of "Iconoclasts" on the Sundance Channel. My wife is next to me taking a nap. My son is in the downstairs portion of the house playing video games. It is a peaceful scene as we just spent yesterday all at the table celebrating the fact that we are all well, we want for nothing, and we have a lot to offer the people in our lives.
Life has been good. I have found myself entrenched in the negative lately, though. The lead up to our celebration of Thanksgiving found me worrying about the recurrence of the bladder cancer I fought this past summer. I was worried that I would not have the house cleaned up well enough to have mom-in-law over. I scrambled to find a suitable turkey while I bitched that the markets are playing xmas music right after Halloween these days, and it seems the markets don't even have a good Thanksgiving display or sales on food anymore.
The reality is as of this moment, which is the only time I have in reality, I do not have bladder cancer, the house cleaned up just fine, I found a suitable turkey and we had ourselves an excellent feast. Life is good!!
2010 has been a year full of so many victories and just a few challenges. I have been through a lot of bad years, and this really has not been one of them. The lights are on, the mortgage is not behind, my car has a full tank, my children and my wife are healthy, I am at this moment, healthy, I am affording my continued education and am keeping a high GPA, I am duly employed.
Too much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to!!
Hope your year has been one to be thankful for as well!
I sit here well fed the Friday after Thanksgiving watching re-runs of "Iconoclasts" on the Sundance Channel. My wife is next to me taking a nap. My son is in the downstairs portion of the house playing video games. It is a peaceful scene as we just spent yesterday all at the table celebrating the fact that we are all well, we want for nothing, and we have a lot to offer the people in our lives.
Life has been good. I have found myself entrenched in the negative lately, though. The lead up to our celebration of Thanksgiving found me worrying about the recurrence of the bladder cancer I fought this past summer. I was worried that I would not have the house cleaned up well enough to have mom-in-law over. I scrambled to find a suitable turkey while I bitched that the markets are playing xmas music right after Halloween these days, and it seems the markets don't even have a good Thanksgiving display or sales on food anymore.
The reality is as of this moment, which is the only time I have in reality, I do not have bladder cancer, the house cleaned up just fine, I found a suitable turkey and we had ourselves an excellent feast. Life is good!!
2010 has been a year full of so many victories and just a few challenges. I have been through a lot of bad years, and this really has not been one of them. The lights are on, the mortgage is not behind, my car has a full tank, my children and my wife are healthy, I am at this moment, healthy, I am affording my continued education and am keeping a high GPA, I am duly employed.
Too much to be thankful for, and so much to look forward to!!
Hope your year has been one to be thankful for as well!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
An Open Letter to My Fellow Liberals
To my fellow Liberals:
On November 2nd, 2010, the Democratic majority was erased from the Congress of the United States of America. The Democratic majority was also narrowed in the Senate. This leaves many of the policies protecting and intended to grow the middle-class in America in jeopardy of being overturned by the ultra right wing zealots who were elected on November 2nd. One of the laws the ultra right wing zealots seek to overturn is the Health Care Reform LAW that many Americans pressed for and saw their Congress and Senate pass to protect them from out of control for profit insurance companies who would cancel insurance coverage when an insured member got sick, or would not re-instate coverage if an insured member got sick. This left many Americans facing bankruptcy as they tried to pay their medical bills, but could not keep up with the mounting debts incurred as they just tried to stay alive using medical help they needed.
That is just one target in the scopes of the ultra right wing zealots. The Department of Education has been mentioned by the zealots as a target of "ending", Pell Grants which have allowed many in the middle-class to seek college education has been threatened by the zealots. The Department of Energy which regulates atomic power has been threatened by the zealots, The Environmental Protection Agency which protects by regulation the air we all breathe and water we all drink is on the chopping block of the zealots.
These are just a few ideas from the twisted minds of the zealots that would effect in severe monetary and intellectual ways the progress of the middle-class of America.
My fellow Liberals, this is a dark time for any progress for "We the People" disguised as light from the so-called "constitutionalists". The zealots have twisted the words of the Founding Fathers as to make many believe that the capitalists are the purveyors of freedom, while capitalism has enslaved the masses into debt and violated of human rights of the working peoples in the countries the capitalists have chosen to seek "cheap labor" where working conditions are many times dangerous and the pay is sub par while the corporations who then sell the products of what is essentially slave labor to the eager credit card carrying consumer for huge profits while at once seeing that the working class remains in debt or in poverty and in deep servitude to the communist country where they work, or to the credit card corporations to whom the consumer is now indebted to. CAPITALISM DOES NOT EQUATE TO FREEDOM!
The right wing zealots have perpetuated lies and fear as to manipulate the minds of the masses. Lies and fear only captivate the individual to one ideology; the ideology of paranoia. From the "Red Scare" of the 50's where the right wing warned of a communist in every dark corner to the "9-11 Scare" present day where the ultra right wing zealots would have the masses believe that our own president is "one of them terrorist" and not even American. When the masses are afraid of every perpetuated lie, it seems the masses are easier to control, and to manipulate with a paranoid mind. I believe fear and paranoia were the deciding factors in this last election of November 2nd, 201o. Our President, who has been working towards middle-class protections, was "the big bad wolf" this time.
So, my fellow Liberals, we can see clearly that the average American is so manipulated by fear that intellectual conversation seems to be muted by the paranoid mind. Talking points from the radio waves have interrupted individual thought or exploration. A deep investigation into ideologies take too much time for the "gotta have it RIGHT NOW" mind of the indebted consumer.
How, then, can the message of Liberalism, of fortifying and protecting the middle-class be absorbed by the people who are in most need of these protections?
Liberals MUST make the middle-class AFRAID OF CONSERVATISM!!
But, Liberals should only bring about this fear by using the truth. Use the right wing zealot's own ideologies and words to bring about this fear. Use comparisons "This is what the right wing wants for you, this is what LIBERALS want for you...see? Liberals want YOU to be stronger, and here is the Liberal plan... those right wing guys are scary! Be fearful of them!!"
This is not fear by lies. The right wing zealots ARE scary.
My fellow Liberals, let us take a short while and let us see what the zealots propose once they are seated in government..a short while, let us listen like wolves ready to pounce on any fearful, middle-class busting policy they propose, then, let us go onto every talk show IN UNISON and pick the zealots apart. Let us rightfully make America afraid of the ones that would in actuality steal the freedoms of the individual.
The zealots cannot succeed. Liberals, we must stand together and fight fear with REAL fear. We must not let the zealots succeed at any more of their lies.
We are the ones that can make a difference and protect the future of our freedom and our country. Let us not sit idle this time!!
On November 2nd, 2010, the Democratic majority was erased from the Congress of the United States of America. The Democratic majority was also narrowed in the Senate. This leaves many of the policies protecting and intended to grow the middle-class in America in jeopardy of being overturned by the ultra right wing zealots who were elected on November 2nd. One of the laws the ultra right wing zealots seek to overturn is the Health Care Reform LAW that many Americans pressed for and saw their Congress and Senate pass to protect them from out of control for profit insurance companies who would cancel insurance coverage when an insured member got sick, or would not re-instate coverage if an insured member got sick. This left many Americans facing bankruptcy as they tried to pay their medical bills, but could not keep up with the mounting debts incurred as they just tried to stay alive using medical help they needed.
That is just one target in the scopes of the ultra right wing zealots. The Department of Education has been mentioned by the zealots as a target of "ending", Pell Grants which have allowed many in the middle-class to seek college education has been threatened by the zealots. The Department of Energy which regulates atomic power has been threatened by the zealots, The Environmental Protection Agency which protects by regulation the air we all breathe and water we all drink is on the chopping block of the zealots.
These are just a few ideas from the twisted minds of the zealots that would effect in severe monetary and intellectual ways the progress of the middle-class of America.
My fellow Liberals, this is a dark time for any progress for "We the People" disguised as light from the so-called "constitutionalists". The zealots have twisted the words of the Founding Fathers as to make many believe that the capitalists are the purveyors of freedom, while capitalism has enslaved the masses into debt and violated of human rights of the working peoples in the countries the capitalists have chosen to seek "cheap labor" where working conditions are many times dangerous and the pay is sub par while the corporations who then sell the products of what is essentially slave labor to the eager credit card carrying consumer for huge profits while at once seeing that the working class remains in debt or in poverty and in deep servitude to the communist country where they work, or to the credit card corporations to whom the consumer is now indebted to. CAPITALISM DOES NOT EQUATE TO FREEDOM!
The right wing zealots have perpetuated lies and fear as to manipulate the minds of the masses. Lies and fear only captivate the individual to one ideology; the ideology of paranoia. From the "Red Scare" of the 50's where the right wing warned of a communist in every dark corner to the "9-11 Scare" present day where the ultra right wing zealots would have the masses believe that our own president is "one of them terrorist" and not even American. When the masses are afraid of every perpetuated lie, it seems the masses are easier to control, and to manipulate with a paranoid mind. I believe fear and paranoia were the deciding factors in this last election of November 2nd, 201o. Our President, who has been working towards middle-class protections, was "the big bad wolf" this time.
So, my fellow Liberals, we can see clearly that the average American is so manipulated by fear that intellectual conversation seems to be muted by the paranoid mind. Talking points from the radio waves have interrupted individual thought or exploration. A deep investigation into ideologies take too much time for the "gotta have it RIGHT NOW" mind of the indebted consumer.
How, then, can the message of Liberalism, of fortifying and protecting the middle-class be absorbed by the people who are in most need of these protections?
Liberals MUST make the middle-class AFRAID OF CONSERVATISM!!
But, Liberals should only bring about this fear by using the truth. Use the right wing zealot's own ideologies and words to bring about this fear. Use comparisons "This is what the right wing wants for you, this is what LIBERALS want for you...see? Liberals want YOU to be stronger, and here is the Liberal plan... those right wing guys are scary! Be fearful of them!!"
This is not fear by lies. The right wing zealots ARE scary.
My fellow Liberals, let us take a short while and let us see what the zealots propose once they are seated in government..a short while, let us listen like wolves ready to pounce on any fearful, middle-class busting policy they propose, then, let us go onto every talk show IN UNISON and pick the zealots apart. Let us rightfully make America afraid of the ones that would in actuality steal the freedoms of the individual.
The zealots cannot succeed. Liberals, we must stand together and fight fear with REAL fear. We must not let the zealots succeed at any more of their lies.
We are the ones that can make a difference and protect the future of our freedom and our country. Let us not sit idle this time!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)