My supervisor wanted me to go out with one of the client work crews to their place of employment and actually work side by side with the clients to get a better feel for the work the clients do.
I didn't really feel it was necessary. I'm not sure that I needed to clean toilets and sinks at a warehouse factory with my clients in order to understand it. I've cleaned plenty of toilets at home. I get how it works.
But, I'm a compliant employee and so I went out with the crew that cleans at a warehouse. I spent two hours cleaning sinks, toilets and urinals. I had the lovely experience of scrubbing the urine off the walls around the urinal. Sometimes up to a foot or more away from the urinal. How does that happen? Are they just flicking their stuff around when they pee with no regard to the urinal?
It was also my first experience with Maxims and Penthouses in the workplace. There was a stack of them in the various mens bathrooms. Now, I haven't been in many men's bathrooms, so maybe I'm naive and I don't realize that Maxim and porn is standard fare for mens bathrooms. I always figured that those magazines fell into the category of "Things that are inappropriate to bring to work from home".
All was well at the end though when the young woman I was working with turned to me with a grin and informed that I was a "hard worker".
Janelle's Journal
My Podcast Link
09/21/2007 14:58 #41235
Janitor for the dayCategory: wo rk
09/19/2007 22:26 #41202
More gum than can fit in my mouthCategory: gum
If you're at Wegman's on Amherst.
And you're eyeing the candy vending machine.
And you see the fruit shaped gum the size of a fist,
I recommend you have a sound jaw and a strong will to conquer that bad ass piece of gum.
And you're eyeing the candy vending machine.
And you see the fruit shaped gum the size of a fist,
I recommend you have a sound jaw and a strong will to conquer that bad ass piece of gum.
09/18/2007 08:52 #41173
Killing PuppiesOn the way home from work I ran into construction and turned up a cute little residential road when a dog bounded in front of my car. I hardly saw him coming. One moment the road was free from hazards, the next moment there was a curly haired dog standing in front of my car. He froze in place. I slammed on my brakes. I came just inches from hitting him, just inches. His owner was outside and had him off leash when he eloped. It was a good reminder to keep my own dog on leash, even though I admit that I'm guilty of letting him off the leash from time. And I just thank God I didn't hit the dog. I was in a car once with a driver who accidentally hit a coyote that ran across the interstate and I cried for the rest of the drive.
mike - 09/18/07 21:15
ugh, i hit a dog once that ran into the street. It was the worst thing ever!
ugh, i hit a dog once that ran into the street. It was the worst thing ever!
jenks - 09/18/07 20:22
Ugh. don't get me on my irresponsible dog owner rant.
So glad you didn't hit the pup though- for his sake and yours. I hit a squirrel once that was bad enough.
Ugh. don't get me on my irresponsible dog owner rant.
So glad you didn't hit the pup though- for his sake and yours. I hit a squirrel once that was bad enough.
mrmike - 09/18/07 15:03
Even worse, Josh, on my scale are the dog owners who are holding the leash like a prop, but it's not attached to the dog. Lease law protects both the dog and somebody who they interact with, but a lot of owners are dumber than their pets when it comes to that stuff.
Glad you had what space was there between you and puppy Janelle.
Even worse, Josh, on my scale are the dog owners who are holding the leash like a prop, but it's not attached to the dog. Lease law protects both the dog and somebody who they interact with, but a lot of owners are dumber than their pets when it comes to that stuff.
Glad you had what space was there between you and puppy Janelle.
joshua - 09/18/07 12:20
Why are dog owners so god damn stupid when it comes to keeping their dogs unleashed? This is a pet peeve of mine. Everyone thinks their little smooshie wooshie won't do what "those other dogs" do, but they are wrong. I see dogs unleashed on Elmwood and know that one of these days I'm going to see something gross.
Why are dog owners so god damn stupid when it comes to keeping their dogs unleashed? This is a pet peeve of mine. Everyone thinks their little smooshie wooshie won't do what "those other dogs" do, but they are wrong. I see dogs unleashed on Elmwood and know that one of these days I'm going to see something gross.
lauren - 09/18/07 11:49
Oh my...I can't imagine hitting a dog or cat. I hit a skunk once and that was traumatizing enough, especially considering I don't like skunks very much. Way to be an alert driver :)
Oh my...I can't imagine hitting a dog or cat. I hit a skunk once and that was traumatizing enough, especially considering I don't like skunks very much. Way to be an alert driver :)
james - 09/18/07 09:53
Glad you didn't hit the dog.
I was moving across town once in a uhaul van filled to the brim. On a grassy area next to the road a group of guys were playing with a puppy. Just as I got out of Gates circle the puppy bolted onto Delaware, full with traffic. He ran in front of my van, in front of the next lane and the two incoming lanes. He turned around and ran through all four lanes again back to his frantic owners.
Even nearly hitting a dog is traumatizing. I am glad everyone turned out unbruised for you.
Glad you didn't hit the dog.
I was moving across town once in a uhaul van filled to the brim. On a grassy area next to the road a group of guys were playing with a puppy. Just as I got out of Gates circle the puppy bolted onto Delaware, full with traffic. He ran in front of my van, in front of the next lane and the two incoming lanes. He turned around and ran through all four lanes again back to his frantic owners.
Even nearly hitting a dog is traumatizing. I am glad everyone turned out unbruised for you.
leetee - 09/18/07 09:29
Wow.. close call. Glad you didn't hit the puppy!
Wow.. close call. Glad you didn't hit the puppy!
09/17/2007 13:48 #41154
HomecomingsI went home for my 10 year highschool reunion feeling fairly smug with myself. I, afterall, escaped the clutches of Bloomington-Normal, IL and have had some fairly interesting life experiences. I lived in Philadelphia and I had adventures in Vietnam. Turns out that most of my classmates have had interesting lives so far, even the ones living in Bloomington Normal. So, I learned two things....
1. Humility
2. You can make the most of life and have great experiences in life, regardless of where you live....even in Bloomington-Normal.
When I wasn't at reunion events with my former classmates, I was at home working with my family to act out a false reality of sameness. We did our best to make everything look the same as always despite the fact that in reality my parents are divorcing. It was an odd and stressful situation and by the time we got home on Sunday night I collapsed into bed to sleep it off.
1. Humility
2. You can make the most of life and have great experiences in life, regardless of where you live....even in Bloomington-Normal.
When I wasn't at reunion events with my former classmates, I was at home working with my family to act out a false reality of sameness. We did our best to make everything look the same as always despite the fact that in reality my parents are divorcing. It was an odd and stressful situation and by the time we got home on Sunday night I collapsed into bed to sleep it off.
leetee - 09/17/07 14:29
Interesting that some of us can stay within the same 10 mile radius of where we were born, and others roam the earth. Somehow, some of us find adventure no matter where we are.
My father has never lived anywhere besides Hamilton... of course, his life is boring.... :oP
Speaking of parents... sorry to hear about yours. No matter how old we get, most of us still want our parents to be together and happy.
Sorry, mostly, about the stress of it.
((((( (e:Janelle) )))))
Interesting that some of us can stay within the same 10 mile radius of where we were born, and others roam the earth. Somehow, some of us find adventure no matter where we are.
My father has never lived anywhere besides Hamilton... of course, his life is boring.... :oP
Speaking of parents... sorry to hear about yours. No matter how old we get, most of us still want our parents to be together and happy.
Sorry, mostly, about the stress of it.
((((( (e:Janelle) )))))
09/03/2007 11:18 #40906
Labor Day PonderingsCategory: life
Some thoughts as we celebrate Labor Day with barbecues and low, low prices at the stores!
Alright, (e:peeps)! You can catch Drew and I at the Amvets on Elmwood Ave today trying to fight the man by buying thrift store clothing! That's our Labor Day celebration, lol!
- US companies like Google and Wal-Mart are actively fighting current attempts by Chinese labor activists to reform Chinese labor laws that would afford Chinese laborers labor rights similar to those rights in the United States.
- Los Angeles is close to replacing New York City as the sweatshop capital of the world.
- Made in America labels are meaningless. One case in point below:
- The US territory of the Commonwealth of North Mariana Islands is exempt from the minimum wage provisions of the Fair Labor Standards act and is partially exempt from the Immigration and Naturalization Act and gets to put Made In America Labels on the clothes produced in the territory.
- Social workers, English professors, clerical staff/secretaries are just a few of several professions that had relatively higher pay in the days when those fields were dominated by men.
Alright, (e:peeps)! You can catch Drew and I at the Amvets on Elmwood Ave today trying to fight the man by buying thrift store clothing! That's our Labor Day celebration, lol!
janelle - 09/03/07 22:54
(e:mike): Look a little deeper into the North Mariana Islands and it gets a lot worse than exemption from minimum wage provisions and "Made in America". 16 hour work days; abort the baby you're pregnant with or you get shipped back to China; substandard housing condiitons; and oh so much more of interest for a place that is a US territory.
(e:mike): Look a little deeper into the North Mariana Islands and it gets a lot worse than exemption from minimum wage provisions and "Made in America". 16 hour work days; abort the baby you're pregnant with or you get shipped back to China; substandard housing condiitons; and oh so much more of interest for a place that is a US territory.
mike - 09/03/07 21:18
that is very interesting on the made in america in those island things. I bet nothing is actually made here anymore!
that is very interesting on the made in america in those island things. I bet nothing is actually made here anymore!
jason - 09/03/07 20:31
Wowsers, I am very, very impressed. Your compassion is admirable, Janelle.
I do not expect people all over the world to behave like we would like them to. It isn't true when it comes to Iraq, and it isn't true in many, many other applications. It is when the workers have literally no dignity, a la the labor camps, a la forced labor, a la diamond workers, garment workers, and many other people, when we should really become enraged. The thing is, most people are compassionate with their mouths and not their hearts or wallets. Made in China is ubiquitous.
Incidentally, my fave Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, and it is impossible to not think of them when you read it.
Wowsers, I am very, very impressed. Your compassion is admirable, Janelle.
I do not expect people all over the world to behave like we would like them to. It isn't true when it comes to Iraq, and it isn't true in many, many other applications. It is when the workers have literally no dignity, a la the labor camps, a la forced labor, a la diamond workers, garment workers, and many other people, when we should really become enraged. The thing is, most people are compassionate with their mouths and not their hearts or wallets. Made in China is ubiquitous.
Incidentally, my fave Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11, and it is impossible to not think of them when you read it.
janelle - 09/03/07 19:40
Wow,
I should have let you write the post ;) Your work sounds interesting. I'd be interested to hear more about it. maybe in a post?
Wal-Mart stifling labor activists was just recently in the Buffalo news-either this past Sunday or the previous Sunday. The paper ran a lengthy article about China being on the brink of some major labor reforms. Major US companies, including Wal-Mart and Google, actively lobby the government not to pass the reforms. It is up to the Chinese government to pass the labor law, but it must be difficult for them when Wal-Mart and Google threaten to move to India if they do. But it sounds like you have much more knowledge of labor in China, so maybe you can give some insight on that.
I, agree, that paying Chinese workers in China according to US wage standards is not going to happen. Do people still think that's for real? I think maybe I thought that way up until highschool when I learned a few things about economics. I just think it would be nice to improve their work environment, working hours, etc... And I don't think it's the United States business to do that, but I also don't think US companies should exploit weak labor laws in other countries. And I have the right to express my concern by not shopping at Wal Mart.
The biggest issue that I don't like is sweatshop labor in the US. It was hard, but but after reading about the sweatshops in New York City fueled by illegal immigrants from the Fuzhou province of China, I finally made a commitment to almost exclusively buy thriftstore clothing. Ocassionally we shop at Marshalls/Big Lots when we really need something and we make this compromise under the impression that the company is still taking some loss by selling their clothes to a discount store.
Drew and I are both passionate about "oppression of workers" and I try to think about how I treat the staff I supervise. One of my favorite bible verses is James 5:1-6.
And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you've piled up is judgment.
All the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You've looted the earth and lived it up. But all you'll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you've done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.
Wow,
I should have let you write the post ;) Your work sounds interesting. I'd be interested to hear more about it. maybe in a post?
Wal-Mart stifling labor activists was just recently in the Buffalo news-either this past Sunday or the previous Sunday. The paper ran a lengthy article about China being on the brink of some major labor reforms. Major US companies, including Wal-Mart and Google, actively lobby the government not to pass the reforms. It is up to the Chinese government to pass the labor law, but it must be difficult for them when Wal-Mart and Google threaten to move to India if they do. But it sounds like you have much more knowledge of labor in China, so maybe you can give some insight on that.
I, agree, that paying Chinese workers in China according to US wage standards is not going to happen. Do people still think that's for real? I think maybe I thought that way up until highschool when I learned a few things about economics. I just think it would be nice to improve their work environment, working hours, etc... And I don't think it's the United States business to do that, but I also don't think US companies should exploit weak labor laws in other countries. And I have the right to express my concern by not shopping at Wal Mart.
The biggest issue that I don't like is sweatshop labor in the US. It was hard, but but after reading about the sweatshops in New York City fueled by illegal immigrants from the Fuzhou province of China, I finally made a commitment to almost exclusively buy thriftstore clothing. Ocassionally we shop at Marshalls/Big Lots when we really need something and we make this compromise under the impression that the company is still taking some loss by selling their clothes to a discount store.
Drew and I are both passionate about "oppression of workers" and I try to think about how I treat the staff I supervise. One of my favorite bible verses is James 5:1-6.
And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you. Your money is corrupt and your fine clothes stink. Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within. You thought you were piling up wealth. What you've piled up is judgment.
All the workers you've exploited and cheated cry out for judgment. The groans of the workers you used and abused are a roar in the ears of the Master Avenger. You've looted the earth and lived it up. But all you'll have to show for it is a fatter than usual corpse. In fact, what you've done is condemn and murder perfectly good persons, who stand there and take it.
joshua - 09/03/07 17:55
Its funny how a few of these items are right up my alley - I am a social compliance auditor and we are the #1 auditing firm for the Big Gray Box in North America... and we regularly audit in China. Without saying too much, I can tell you that by FAR the largest issue that comes out of China relates to working hours. Almost every company in China has double books and its on nearly every single audit report that our company writes.
I'm unaware of any attempts by Wal-Mart to try to stifle labor activists in China. To be honest, ultimately those sorts of decisions are made by the Chinese government, and I can tell you with virtual certainty that the Chinese government is interested in some reforms, but not widespread. Wal-Mart could decide to simply not source from China, but that is a virtual impossibility. To a degree I think Wal-Mart is interested in social compliance but the code is extremely weak in comparison to codes like SA8000, WRAP, Levi Strauss and FLA. When it comes to issues like payment, alot of people are idealistic about the idea of paying Chinese workers American wages (also known as "fair" wages) - its simply never going to happen.
LA IS the sweatshop capital of the world. We work there a ton. If not LA, then definitely a couple cities in Pakistan could measure up. LA's garment district is shocking. The biggest issue in LA usually revolves around the legal status of the workers that are there, but ultimately we aren't the INS. We only report about whether or not the I-9 forms are filled out properly - that is the extent of our jurisdiction when it comes to legal status, but its an important enough issue that if we aren't satisfied then it means a virtually guaranteed revisit and another $2000 fee that the company pays us as a contractual obligation to companies like The Big Gray Box.
I'm not surprised that the FLSA isn't applicable in that island group you mentioned. The thing about labels is tricky - its actually illegal to domestically import something and not have the correct country of origin on the tag. We've seen it before, and companies that do this can get into a world of legal trouble - the doors can be closed and we've also seen that. The rules in between are a bit of a labrynth, but what I can say is that "Made In America" is a dying concept and I've personally been to dozens of American suppliers that are now out of business due to Chinese competition.
Activists drive our industry, and I'm glad that they are around, but ultimately they really don't know a whole hell of a lot about social compliance, how it works and the limitations... which at times are very real and very frustrating.
Its funny how a few of these items are right up my alley - I am a social compliance auditor and we are the #1 auditing firm for the Big Gray Box in North America... and we regularly audit in China. Without saying too much, I can tell you that by FAR the largest issue that comes out of China relates to working hours. Almost every company in China has double books and its on nearly every single audit report that our company writes.
I'm unaware of any attempts by Wal-Mart to try to stifle labor activists in China. To be honest, ultimately those sorts of decisions are made by the Chinese government, and I can tell you with virtual certainty that the Chinese government is interested in some reforms, but not widespread. Wal-Mart could decide to simply not source from China, but that is a virtual impossibility. To a degree I think Wal-Mart is interested in social compliance but the code is extremely weak in comparison to codes like SA8000, WRAP, Levi Strauss and FLA. When it comes to issues like payment, alot of people are idealistic about the idea of paying Chinese workers American wages (also known as "fair" wages) - its simply never going to happen.
LA IS the sweatshop capital of the world. We work there a ton. If not LA, then definitely a couple cities in Pakistan could measure up. LA's garment district is shocking. The biggest issue in LA usually revolves around the legal status of the workers that are there, but ultimately we aren't the INS. We only report about whether or not the I-9 forms are filled out properly - that is the extent of our jurisdiction when it comes to legal status, but its an important enough issue that if we aren't satisfied then it means a virtually guaranteed revisit and another $2000 fee that the company pays us as a contractual obligation to companies like The Big Gray Box.
I'm not surprised that the FLSA isn't applicable in that island group you mentioned. The thing about labels is tricky - its actually illegal to domestically import something and not have the correct country of origin on the tag. We've seen it before, and companies that do this can get into a world of legal trouble - the doors can be closed and we've also seen that. The rules in between are a bit of a labrynth, but what I can say is that "Made In America" is a dying concept and I've personally been to dozens of American suppliers that are now out of business due to Chinese competition.
Activists drive our industry, and I'm glad that they are around, but ultimately they really don't know a whole hell of a lot about social compliance, how it works and the limitations... which at times are very real and very frustrating.
fellyconnelly - 09/03/07 11:42
oh yeah and as per your post... damn the man!
oh yeah and as per your post... damn the man!
fellyconnelly - 09/03/07 11:42
oh man amvets... i love thrift store clothing....
oh man amvets... i love thrift store clothing....
Oh that's it - I am totally getting that gum tomorrow. I want to check out what my jaws can handlw.
Speaking of gum: :::link:::
anybody who wants to see said piece of gum can come by our house, where it is stuck to the lid of a salsa jar. It is not hilarious, it is compulsive behavior gone disgusting.
If (e:janelle) and I had invested every quarter that she has put into vending machines, we could be retired and yachting right now.
This is hilarious
the jaw of thor is indeed mighty. I used to work for him, i would know.
but i will have to take a look and see what it is that you are referring to...
It was gum that large that the giants tried to trick Thor into giving up his hammer. But the jaw of Thor is MIGHTY!
i love chewing that gum til my jaw hurts but you keep going cuz you just can't stop...