Guess what?
im going to be a grandpa for the first time!
sorry cuz mobile.
my daughter is pregnant and living in Texas while I continue to schlep away at my teaching job and deli/produce/butcher job at Arizonas hometown grocer.
Saturday’s are my busiest workdays because I work deli 8-2, meat department 3-7 (mostly clean up) and then right to produce where I cut fruit until done (usually 60 cups/bowls in three hours). I work like twelve to thirteen hours with an unpaid break in between departments 2-3.
my wife was in Texas for the gender reveal and we decided I’d stay back to take care of the animals. She was gonna come out with us in a month to vacation in Vegas anyway so I was good with missing the gender reveal in person so long as I could watch it live. Even that I was okay with missing if they sent a video If necessary. But they scheduled it around me, and FaceTimed me about 2:10 or so. I just punched out from the deli and was walking to a quiet place (didn’t see jim halpert surprisingly) when the reveal was going down. My son, my grandmother all were patched in also. I made sure I had a decent angle on things so I didn’t have to move.
just as soon as things started to happen my store manager Mindy let’s call her , comes out of the store , walks to me (I was outside of my car, elbows on the roof while the phone was on ) and chided me for being on my phone When I’m supposed to be in meat department. I mentioned my daughters gender reveal , pointing to my phone , And told her I wasn’t scheduled until 3. This should have given her pause , but it didn’t. I (un)muted myself evidently (don’t u hate that?) when she became super adamant , saying “look you’re either working today or you’re not”
enter MC
she obviously assumed I was scheduled to go directly over to meat department ,and did not realize I worked cut fruit also. I knew the schedule and was familiar with the policy as well about working a fourteen hour shift. If I’m scheduled to work fourteen hours (anything over ten in a 24 hour period) I get paid a premium for the entire shift , and for some reason with raleys buying us out there’s also a policy where even if you call in for that shift you can use your personal leave or sick pay and it pays the premium rate It’s a weird loophole or whatever that’s the one bright spot to this not so hostile takeover.
I was Given a golden opportunity here.
I replied “I’m either working or not? I’m gonna go with not. Seriously I need to spend some time with family. My shift doesn’t start until 3, so that gives you time to find somebody right? Oh and also youll need someone to cover me for cut fruit tonight”
manager goes “look that’s not what I meant no one here knows how to close meat or do cut fruit …”
”sorrry “Mindy “ I just can’t make it. My daughters pregnant in Texas and try is is a big deal “ I say as I hold up the phone of people , one of which tells out “haaa haaa” Ala the simpsons.
she turned away in anger/disgust/resentment/regret? Who knows, but I certainly didn’t care at that point The wife was upset originally because she didn’t realize I was gonna get the pay still, but that paycheck just dropped today. Wanted to make sure it did before I officially wrote this out.
it was like 308 bucks just for that Saturday. I stayed on and FaceTimed the remainder of the time that was feasible Didn’t want to force my other son who went with mom to miss out on his Fortnite. The simpsons were on still.
oh, and it’s gonna be a boy!!!!
tmdr (too mobile didn’t read): I was forced to make the choice of getting paid to work for fourteen hours at 22 hourly, or work 6 hours for about 51.33 hourly and see my daughters gender reveal. I chose the latter
Compliance is a dish best served cold… cuts.
Nice
no it wasn't, but of course i gave you both upvotes...
He roasted Mindy.
JFC. How much time do you spend at the teaching job if you’re also pulling 14 hr shifts at the grocery store?
Most schools are not open on the weekends. OP stated that it was his Saturday schedule.
I’m aware. It was more a “we don’t pay teachers enough if they have to work 14 hr shifts on top of their teaching load” comment.
Based on the grade level it might be that many hours daily if you add grading essays and making lesson plans. Those are typically unpaid hours.
That's Arizona for you (I can say that because I live in Arizona). And the state department of Education (run by a tRumper) can't figure out why Arizona has a teacher shortage.
Sadly, the teacher shortages are all intentional to make a push for charter schools 🤢
You got that right, so the state (public schools) can be bankrupted.
Depends on the state. In my state a new teacher makes the median state wage plus another 50% in benefits. By the time they hit 10 years they are roughly 1.5x median wages and making another 75% in benefits (paid medical, dental, retirement, days off, etc.). Max pay teacher is making roughly double state median wage and another 100% in benefits. This is all for a 3/4 time job. They can go get a summer job and make more and many do. At that they complain they are not making enough money. While I agree it's a tough job (and I happen to love teachers) nowhere else can you get paid that much working 3/4 of the year. Before someone brings up all the time off the clock they spend grading papers. I know plenty of people on salary working 50 to 70 hours a week making less then teachers. I also know people making same or more then teacher but are working up to 100 hour weeks.
To make it even worse. Schools themselves when looking at all funds budget (every dollar they get divided by total number of students) receive about 15k/student or at 30 kids a class 450k per class room. But if you look at the general funds budget (depending on district) 4-5k per student is budgets or roughly 150k per classroom on average.
The question to be asked is where did the other 300k/classroom go?
Do your part and insist on the all funds budget from your local school (they'll only want to give the general budget number). If you can force the number out of them (good luck) then start asking question about just where the rest of the budget goes. In my states case that 300k gets eaten up in administrative cost (well more then it should be) and retirement benefits (well well above what it should be).
Not going to name names but in my states case the best paid retired school employee is making 7 figures. 7 figures which come out of states all funds school budget, that's just one retired employee. I also know retired professors who were making 110% of their working wages in retirement. As for the 7 figure earner, retired football coach at our top university.
FYI college football and basketball coaches, last I looked for all 50 states, are the top paid public employee in every state. Colleges/universities pay them millions when actively coaching when their pay figures into their retirement pay.
This fall, I’ve averaged 58 hours/week for my teaching job. Luckily, I don’t also have a grocery job, and I’m paid decently.
Congrats on the grandson, totally worth it.
I just read this through and oof, sorry guys. I’ll change the mistakes. I originally said 14 hours but it’s more like 13 it really depends on how much cut fruit and what type. Watermelon cups are fastest to come out
Maybe my European-ness is showing, but saying you worked only 13 instead of 14 hrs on the weekend after what I assume is a full-time teaching job does not feel like much of a difference in a crappy situation.
But mostly, congrats on becoming a grandpa! You definitely made the right call to ignore work even if you had been docked pay. You won't remember this shift even a year from now, but you'd always regret missing these kinds of events!
I'd say your actions left an indeliable mark in your manager's memory.
She didn't realize how fruitless her efforts were going to be.
When you first told her what you were doing, was there a pregnant pause in the conversation?
Did the manager's confrontation meat her expectations?
I'm a dad, I can't help myself.
Grandpa? You're a lucky guy. I'll never be a Grandpa, and the odds of being a Step-Grandpa are mighty slim. About as close as I'll come is Great Uncle.
Enjoy the hell out of that next generation! :)
PS Nice MC.
What the fuck kind of dystopian helscape are you running in the US with these working hours over two jobs? Wtaf.
I don't get the Jim halpert reference
It wasn't actually a Jim Halpert reference. It was a poor John Krasinski reference because he directed and starred in the movie A Quiet Place.
That makes sense.
“A Quiet Place”, the movie. Stars the actor who played Jim Halpert on “The Office”.
Ah, that makes sense. Thankyou. I didn't see that movie.
The Office
Yeah, I know who he is, I just don't get the joke.
Congratulations on being a grandpa. And congratulations to your daughter too.
Mindy needs to learn to think about what she's threatening before she opens her mouth.
Congratulations on your new grandson!
"Premium pay" but less than $26/hr?
It's Arizona AND a grocer. What do you expect?
Thanks for another entertaining story!
LOVE IT!!!!!!
"teaching job"
"saturday's"
...hmmmmm