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When you were already scraping by when the storms came
By adamg on Sat, 02/21/2015 - 11:00am
Scraping by in Boston is a blog by, well, somebody who was already scraping by when we got hit by all the business-closing snow:
We don't have sick time or vacation days, so we don't get paid if we can't come in due to illness, snow, transit being shut down, job being closed for the day, or needing to care for a child. We usually budget for this, but with all of the snow days lately, it's added up. ... I guess the silver lining in this is that our food stamps will be reinstated, and at a generous amount at least for a few months, since we've made so little money the past few weeks. Oh, and that tax refunds are coming soon, so we'll be able to pay the bills this month, and then hopefully it will stop snowing.
Also see:
Weather weighs on city's food pantries.
Neighborhoods:
Free tagging:
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Comments
Here's a radical idea
Instead of writing a blog use that time to market yourself and find another job.
And here's an idea
Start a blog and see how you can do both that and look for a job. One doesn't have to detract from the other.
Reading comprehension?
Blogger isn't unemployed. He says frequently on the blog that he takes care of a disabled relative. I think also is fostering a relative's kids based on previous posts.
an even more radical idea
Don't spend time commenting on a blog if you think it shouldn't exist.
This person bashing Union workers
is extremely misinformed. Those Union workers who were hired didn't take a day off to make money shoveling, they were all out off work, laid off. Union guys once on a job-site can request days off, you call out they replace you. Your job/project ends, you're now unemployed and looking for work.
The winter is very hard for most guys in the Trade Unions, so stop acting like you the only one struggling.
get what you are saying but...
'Loco Motive' (i.e., the blogger of 'Scrapping by in Boston') is making statement that the T should have opened the shoveling work up to more than just Union workers (and South Bay prisoners...).
They would, assumedly, like the opportunity for some of that work as well; but because they didn't below to a local they were not eligible....
Yep
Yes, the priority absolutely has to be about how to get the MBTA back into service as soon as possible and at least before the next work day starts.
It should have been all hands on deck clearing snow out of MBTA stations and off the rails, not just union card carriers and prison labor. The unions absolutely should have waved the contract requirement. Next time the contract is negotiated, the requirement should be written in a way that allows adequate snow clearing labor force, union or not, to get the T running as fast as possible.
T also needs a snow removal plan that works even when accumulation is high and temps are cold.
Every cook, bartender,
Every cook, bartender, server, dishwasher in the city is feeling this. I'd imagine most hotel staff are as well. All of these are hourly jobs. Even if the place is open they'll start cutting people as soon as it becomes apparent no one is coming out to eat. That's a huge amount of people missing half their income through no fault of their own.
troll
When a troll is only looking for personal attention, as is the case with the person trolling this post, there's no point in engaging. I do not follow a "do not feed the trolls" rule across the board, but sometimes it is right.
Our idiot under the bridge
We do not get anything out of interacting with him, but he does. As is indicated on some of his posts, he wants us to think he's some sort of saint. Picture him as he really is-- a sad little self absorbed manboy frantically jerking off when someone actually pays attention to him.
Life is short. Let's not waste it any more on him.
A great reminder to tip well (if possible) during this snow seas
While I do wish tipping would stop and tipped employees made living wages year-round because it annoys the hell out of me as a customer to have to subsidize the employer (raise your prices if you must!), but until that happy day, tip your servers, bell hops, etc. well.
Taking care of those around us
There are some things that those of us who are fortunate can do for those who are struggling.
My office put together an overnight kit for our office cleaner, who works swing and was in danger of losing work days to the MBTA collapse. We brought in a cot and gear so that she can sleep over in an unused office, and not worry about trying to get home late at night. She has had to do this twice, but losing two days pay would be very hard for her.
My next Costco trip will include cases of items that our food pantry needs, because the need is severe right now. Current needs are canned chicken and tuna, pasta, peanut butter, breakfast cereal, canned beans, and other staples that are cheap at warehouse stores when purchased in bulk.
If you have a car and a neighbor who has transportation problems, you can offer them a ride.
If you can provide child care, cover a gap between when one parent has to leave or another gets home, or pick a friend's kid up when they are delayed by transit or traffic, that is helpful too.
Underemployed and working from home right now.
Swirly makes a great point about helping those around us. For me, that's giving my time and the strength of my back. Have been making a lot of grocery and library runs for neighbors.
The other half of the Rocky Relationship sent me a box of tea that is sold for cheap in the "no go zones" of a faraway place, but costs roughly 4x as much here, so have been instituting the practice of Afternoon Tea. A bit of quick bread or cookies (this past Tuesday, we had fastnachts), tea, and conversation go a long way towards making everyone feel better.
Wish I had more to give, but work with what I've got.
I'm willing to bet that your
I'm willing to bet that your office cleaner is a ray of sunshine, too, despite (or maybe because of) her situation.
At my last office job, found myself working late, tired and forgetful. Those folks always had my back. (You didn't forget your keys, did you? Your ID card? Give me 20 minutes, I'll walk you part way home; there've been a couple attacks up the street recently.)
We like her well enough!
She is a pleasant, older Latina woman who is warm and very good at her job. She was recently made a shift supervisor, and has a large multigenerational family at home. She reminds me an awful lot of my grandmother, actually, who cleaned schools for a living when I was growing up.
Part of it is that the people in my office are mostly up-from-down types - people who have pulled ahead in the rat race due to education. Many of us are from working-class backgrounds and are inclined to look out for those who do the jobs that our parents and grandparents did so that we don't have to.
She works for a contractor for the building, so we can't do much for her directly. We can ask her what she needs, though. When we have big meetings, we pack and mark the leftover food for her to take home to her extended family.
These things don't take much to do, but they can make a difference.