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Someone needs to invent that transporter beam that they had in Star Trek. Then we can just beam into work, no matter what the weather is like.
I'm also waiting for that, it'll be the best invention ever! On my lunch break I could beam myself over to a cafe on the Champs Elysse in Paris, then get back to work after my lunch break, it would be so awesome!
Many people have lost power who would not have the luxury of their employer (at tax-payer's expense) say - hey, you lost power....take the day off. Where does this sense of self-entitlement come from that the government has to give their employees a free day where they don't have to take leave... I've never understood that.
Apparently common sense doesn't reign here. Let me break this down for you, so that you can understand what I mean. There are places that does not have electricity, which means there are stop lights out, which means crazy drivers become even crazier. Adding federal government workers, who is the largest employer in the region, to slick, icy roads which have not all been plowed makes it worse. Adding these drivers to roads that are full of stranded vehicles make it worse. Also if you are like myself, who has modem-connected telephone service, if the power goes out, you have no way of communicating to the outside world, which makes teleworking a non-option if you need technology to do so. And if unless you have a FWD vehicle or you live near a metro station, if you can't drive out of your neighborhood, you have no chance to get to work or get work done. I can understand that certain employers don't let their workers off for this, but it is not the same. Most places are profit-driven and don't have as many employees as the government. It's not entitlement, it's common sense. Just because you don't have to go through it doesn't make it any less difficult.
My beef with the OPM is out of their control. It's that every employer I've worked for in this area goes by the Fed when it comes to weather. The problem is, they only go by "late" or "closed" and not all the variations of liberal leave, telecommuting, etc. So while a federal worker might be able to take leave, I still have to go in to work. I just wish other employers would stop using the Fed system and go by common sense, but I guess they have to pick something.
I wish I had a proposed solution instead of a rant. Schools close very early and you really can't go by that, county governments seems to mimic the Federal government (BTW, It makes me laugh that they tell people to stay off the roads then tell their employees they need to work). It's too bad there isn't some independent system based on logic and safety and not government budget concerns that employers could use to better judge what to do.
My view is, is that we should be a similar to the area that we work in as possible. We should not get any more stuff or better treatment than private companies. We all have our own experiences and I can only relate mine to the field I'm in. In the area of DoD that I work, our contractors do not get free days for weather. Haven't seen that happen in my 20 years in the business. I think we should look at the climate of work in this country and be like that. I do agree that there are companies that are generous and give days off to their employees but I have no personal experience with that myself, or with my extended family, or circle of friends who are all in varying degrees of the private sector. Heck, my husband is a private union electrician with a Top Secret clearance who works in the Executive Office Building. He lost two days pay last week because they would not allow workers in the building when the Chinese President was in town. Fair? I think not.
What it really comes down to is whether or not it was bad enough for a total shutdown of the Federal Government. It is obvious by how many people *did* show up for work today and/or teleworked that it would have been unjustified to do so. I do not argue that there are times it should close, but today wasn't one of them. They can't just shut down because certain areas had it bad.
I guess I can't blame you for not wanting the govt. to shut down, since neither you nor your spouse get paid in that case. I would feel the same way, probably.
Kind of off the subject, but I don't think they should treat contractors differently--but I don't think there should be so much contracting. Had the old system continued, folks who work for contractors now would have likely been in full-benefits federal-employee positions.
Apparently common sense doesn't reign here. Let me break this down for you, so that you can understand what I mean. There are places that does not have electricity, which means there are stop lights out, which means crazy drivers become even crazier. Adding federal government workers, who is the largest employer in the region, to slick, icy roads which have not all been plowed makes it worse. Adding these drivers to roads that are full of stranded vehicles make it worse. Also if you are like myself, who has modem-connected telephone service, if the power goes out, you have no way of communicating to the outside world, which makes teleworking a non-option if you need technology to do so. And if unless you have a FWD vehicle or you live near a metro station, if you can't drive out of your neighborhood, you have no chance to get to work or get work done. I can understand that certain employers don't let their workers off for this, but it is not the same. Most places are profit-driven and don't have as many employees as the government. It's not entitlement, it's common sense. Just because you don't have to go through it doesn't make it any less difficult.
Ok, since obviously I am a dumb a**. I drove into Arlington today in my Toyota Corolla on unplowed MAIN roads like Rt. 28 and Rt. 66 and parked in an unplowed neighborhood in Arlington. We had no phone service in our building and hardly any feds were there (I work in a government building). Many contractors came in who actually had no power at their homes. Other contractors came in with horrible inbound commutes - say west and north of town. They were happy to be able to work and get paid.
Government employees have plenty of benefits to be able to use their leave time for a day like today - generally, contractors don't. Today - government employees did use their time and did take off which I was grateful for. But - the whole institution doesn't just have to shut down.
Now, for those government employees and contractors alike who could not get out - both had to use leave time or take LWOP if they did not show for work. Nobody is holding a gun at anybody's head forcing them to drive in.
Unscheduled leave allows the option for contractors to still come to work and get paid. Closing the government gives government employees a 'freebie' at taxpayer's expense.
My husband is a fed and I am a contractor so I know both worlds.
Ok, since obviously I am a dumb a**. I drove into Arlington today in my Toyota Corolla on unplowed MAIN roads like Rt. 28 and Rt. 66 and parked in an unplowed neighborhood in Arlington. We had no phone service in our building and hardly any feds were there (I work in a government building). Many contractors came in who actually had no power at their homes. Other contractors came in with horrible inbound commutes - say west and north of town. They were happy to be able to work and get paid.
Government employees have plenty of benefits to be able to use their leave time for a day like today - generally, contractors don't. Today - government employees did use their time and did take off which I was grateful for. But - the whole institution doesn't just have to shut down.
Now, for those government employees and contractors alike who could not get out - both had to use leave time or take LWOP if they did not show for work. Nobody is holding a gun at anybody's head forcing them to drive in.
Unscheduled leave allows the option for contractors to still come to work and get paid. Closing the government gives government employees a 'freebie' at taxpayer's expense.
My husband is a fed and I am a contractor so I know both worlds.
Okay that's what happened to you in VA, but do you know that the DC region also includes places in MD, which have portions that got more snow? On top of that, a lot of the public transportation was limited including Metro buses, which only traveled snow emergency routes today. So that means people who rely on Metro, VRE and MARC may not have had the opportunity to use the public transportation that they rely on to get to work. Also if they do not have power at home (310,000 homes don't) they more than likely can't telework either, so the only option is to use leave, but is that fair? Those people may have to use leave even though they have the desire but not the means to get to work? It may be okay for many, but if it is not feasible for everyone to have a normal commute than how is that fair? You have to look at this from other people's perspective. Yes this is a difficult decision but to sit here and say that demanding the day off given these conditions is 'self-entitlement' is a bit much. I'm sure you wouldn't like it if people said that about you. Some people on here think the world revolves around them and what they do.
Last edited by justtitans; 01-27-2011 at 01:51 PM..
Closing the government gives government employees a 'freebie' at taxpayers' expense.
Wait--who do you think is paying for all the police/firefighters/tow-truck drivers who had to respond to all the stranded cars last night? OK, it's not federal taxes--but it still comes out of your pocket and mine.
I guess I can't blame you for not wanting the govt. to shut down, since neither you nor your spouse get paid in that case. I would feel the same way, probably.
Kind of off the subject, but I don't think they should treat contractors differently--but I don't think there should be so much contracting. Had the old system continued, folks who work for contractors now would have likely been in full-benefits federal-employee positions.
No, it's just my spouse that does not get paid.
I am a federal government employee and I do get paid when it shuts down. Just because I get paid doesn't mean I think they should do it when things get dicey.
Kind of off the subject, but I don't think they should treat contractors differently--but I don't think there should be so much contracting. Had the old system continued, folks who work for contractors now would have likely been in full-benefits federal-employee positions.
The government doesn't actually treat contractors differently--it is the owner of those companies that do it. If you are contractor and you don't show up or don't telework, you CANNOT bill back to your contract with a direct charge number. If the company wants to give you administrative leave, they cannot bill that back to the contract. It comes directly out of their profits.
Apparently common sense doesn't reign here. Let me break this down for you, so that you can understand what I mean. There are places that does not have electricity, which means there are stop lights out, which means crazy drivers become even crazier. Adding federal government workers, who is the largest employer in the region, to slick, icy roads which have not all been plowed makes it worse. Adding these drivers to roads that are full of stranded vehicles make it worse. Also if you are like myself, who has modem-connected telephone service, if the power goes out, you have no way of communicating to the outside world, which makes teleworking a non-option if you need technology to do so. And if unless you have a FWD vehicle or you live near a metro station, if you can't drive out of your neighborhood, you have no chance to get to work or get work done. I can understand that certain employers don't let their workers off for this, but it is not the same. Most places are profit-driven and don't have as many employees as the government. It's not entitlement, it's common sense. Just because you don't have to go through it doesn't make it any less difficult.
meatkins,
All of your points are valid; however, the government did open today with many of their workforce showing up. None of the things you pointed out above happened as far as crazy drivers blocking intersections or making those intersections worse. The fact is, for some areas, it was REALLY bad and for others it was not bad at all. As for people with no power, I ran into two ladies today in my office who had no power in their homes since about 6:00 p.m. yesterday and they figured it was better to come to work where there was power and heat than to stay home and sit in the dark, cold house.
I think the bottom line is that everyone wanted a day off and it didn't happen.
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