From Salary to Hourly and other Stupidity in Still Listening to Spirit

So, just as the hairdresser warned me when I got a haircut about a month ago, "Heath changes deals, especially with employees, breaks his word." I heard that and thought "Not me! He won't do that to me."

I was wrong.

All week things have been slow with only one or two ships in town. I might have sold 4 seats the whole week. Likely only pitched 10 people total. We are last tour seller north on Broadway and several others south catch shoppers first. Fortunately we sell all tours through travel agents (or online brokers or something) which helps a lot on days like this week.

That does not, however, mitigate the hemorrhaging of money having too many employees standing around in popcorn and coffee areas. So on Wednesday, Heath announced as we were all standing at our stations that everyone was now on hourly, there was no salary.

I thought "oh, not me." Dang it, I am special you know. I was disabused of this notion when I was taught Thursday to clock in and out on the computer located at the cash register in the popcorn area.

Then I was pissed. And half trapped, jobs I want are taken, things are set up and settled among the tour companies and as much as someone else might want me, the rest are probably honest and honorable and would not let someone go just to have me. After all, they made commitments to their employees which they honor.

I gave it all some thought and realized that this is really to my advantage. Heath and I had already had the discussion about me showing up at 6:30am when my hours are 7 to 3. Heath said "That half hour is on YOU!" and we laughed as I agreed. NOW, that half hour will be on HIM!

AND, that once or twice a month Saturday he wants Lisa or me to come in to check in Jeeps and take phone calls for tours in case the 2 drivers can't handle it? That's on HIM too. If I work 5 days a week, that 6th is double time. And, of course, any hours over 8 per day are time and a half.

I grin and chuckle to think I will be getting the best of Heath for his dishonorable behavior. I am also relieved that I am on hourly and do not need to stay for the last hour or whatever when I am caught up and have nothing to do. If I want to. I think I can find enough office work to make certain I am there until 3 or beyond.

My energy is building and I am tired but not completely exhausted when I get home. However, this still slow week has not tested me hard. Next week we have 8, 9, 10-thousand passenger days and that will continue until the last week or so in September.

The computer is making me feel very stupid and thoroughly frustrated. Firstly because I couldn't even get on it most of the week because someone else was there. Bryan, Heath's friend since kindergarten and the IT guy, or Heath, or Jamie--Heath's wife.

THEN someone stuck a printer on my folding table/desk and a computer tower on my 2 drawer file cabinet, robbing me of all of the space save small areas around monitor and keyboard! I asked each day for someone to move it and that finally happened Thursday afternoon after I left. Sigh.

Heath is not only terribly ADHD, he also has mild OCD...and it's hard to keep our counter neat when it becomes a repository for all sorts of things including his and Jamie's 'stuff'.

I am not complaining, only observing. I can laugh and adapt. I am responsible for how I react and deal with these new challenges.

On to an alarming development: Katie, Madame's niece, has been working her little skinny butt off getting the coffee bar up and running. From nothing, she ordered, set up, asked that certain shelves be built for holding flavors, etc. etc. She brewed and tested, mixed and researched until all the myriad permutations of coffee-bar requests suited her taste and those of others she asked to taste.

She also helped me out one day when we were the only two there. All 4 Jeep rental customers came in at the same time. She jumped in, I showed her the contract, and a list of things on the Jeep folder she needed from the customer to photocopy, and she behaved like a competent and fully trained expert. I was sure to let Heath know.

Since Thursday Heath has had her training popcorn employees to make coffee. She has done an excellent job as far as I can tell, as I don't drink coffee. She even had everyone order coffee from TJ (trainee) speaking as fast as they could so he could get used to hearing the way people were going to order! What a great idea!

Friday, while Heath was in Juneau with the track team for a regional meet, Jamie was told to fire her. HUH? Jamie said "I just fired Katie. I didn't want to." I asked her why and she said "We have had some complaints about her."

Puzzling since we haven't had enough customers to get complaints and I have seen no one with a recently purchased coffee drink approaching Jamie or Heath.

Katie was told that she was too demanding of the other employees, especially the ones she was newly training. HUH?

Katie is 26, she worked her butt off getting things right. The bozos she was training were teenaged boys, none even 20 years old. She is right to be exacting in her standards and demand that things be done right--professionally.

To top off the praise of Katie, Friday a representative of the health department came to visit to see if we needed certified and/or inspected to be in compliance with state regulations concerning food handling, etc. He was in Our Town to see who might need to be in compliance that wasn't. Heath had said that the popcorn is not subject to restaurant rules and this is correct. However, the coffee bar because it handles milk, perishables is. I guess no inspectors came into Our Town last year, because this is the second (or third) year the coffee bar has been open.

Katie was the only one there besides Lisa and I and she handled it beautifully. She was calm, expressed concern that the owner wasn't aware they needed the certificate and inspection, and after a short chat, asked the man to please come to the area and look things over. She said "I want to know what I am doing right and what I am doing wrong so we can be in complete compliance."

Katie is not a girly-girl, isn't really very pretty, especially her hair (personal opinion, skinned back straight scraggly hair isn't flattering to anyone). So it wasn't that she was 'charming' the man necessarily, she was being appropriately concerned and eager to be in compliance.

She then presented a list to Jamie when she came in and went immediately to the hardware store to pick up the needed items to clean, etc. to satisfy a 'real' inspection. Katie doesn't smile a lot, she is very quiet, but .... oh nevermind.

Here's what happened to Katie Thursday night and I wonder if this one person (Bryan) is perhaps the 'complaint' that tipped Katie out of a job. It's most likely my suspicious mind making hash of a simple firing but it is something I want to write here as well.

Bryan, Heath's friend since kindergarten, has made my spidey-sense and other alarms go off every time I see him. He seems awkward, not comfortable with his own self, not shy, but certainly not outgoing, just plain 'off' as far as I have been able to determine without anything to put my finger on to explain it.

Katie has hung out a bit with Bryan and others at the 'campfire' that happens at the campground every night. There are also several around town, Brandi's is one, Reba's is another, at their houses. The only one that takes place every night is the socializing campfire in the campground.

She and Bryan had the discussion about Katie not looking for any relationship, hookup or what have you, but encouraging friendship whether male or female. Thursday Bryan was next to her at the campfire and in addition to whatever he had, he drank her half a bottle of Jack (Jack Daniels or Yukon Jack, who knows, doesn't matter).

Bryan made a move on her and she set him straight--twice--the last time pushing him away and standing up. She announced she was going home and he quickly arose to say "I'll drive you home, I have my truck here." Katie told him firmly she wasn't getting into any vehicle with him when he had been drinking.

Katie walked away with Bryan following her asking her to stop, talk to him, get in his truck, etc. Katie kept walking. Bryan caught up to her, grabbed her by the back of her upper arm and yanked her back and around so she was pinned to him, inches from his face!

Katie did not tell me what he said at close range, but she was able to elbow him (or punch him) in the stomach and break away. She continued walking home to Madame's. The next thing she sees is Bryan in his truck, following her, shouting out the window.

She was half way down an alley only a block from home. Said alley runs by the church she and Madame and family attend. Women's prayer group had just broken up (it wasn't even 9:30p) and someone was in the church setting things to rights. Katie ran there, pounded on the door and was let in. She was shaking so badly she had to sit and recover for a few minutes.

Katie then called Madame and Madame sent Greg over to walk her the rest of the way home. While Katie was in the church, she and the other woman saw Bryan circling the block and going back and forth trying to find her--not knowing she had ducked inside.

Katie told me this Friday morning before anyone else was in. She wanted to know if she should talk with Heath, as Bryan was his friend and staying in his house, or just keep quiet. She had asked Madame and Madame had given her opinion, then suggested Katie talk to me for my opinion. (how proud that makes me feel!)

I told her Heath was not responsible for his friend's behavior. I told her that this was an issue between 2 adults. Katie is 26 and Bryan being Heath's age must be somewhere in his 40's. I told her this was not a work problem either.

I told her first never to hang around him when he drinks. I told her she should talk to him somewhere fairly public, to iron out how you want the relationship to be and suggest if he wants to behave as he did Thursday night, they could not even be friends. I also told her that if she needed to put the fear of MAN into this twerp, she could ask Greg to talk to him as her male relative OR that my husband as frail and in pain as he is would leap at the chance to confront Bryan.

I also told her the next time she should also report the assault to the police. It was an assault and probably something else could be charged as well. I also told her to call and report him driving drunk for goodness sake.

Sigh, as I have recorded earlier here, this season has started all wrong and it really hasn't even started yet. The vandalism and fire setting was a major shocker. The stealing of bicycles is at its highest ever. Someone ran into the market when it was closed the other night. I haven't seen the damage, but I understand there was glass all over and evidence that it was a pickup or taller red vehicle as evidenced by the red paint transfer and height of the dents in the building.

Further, some crew off a ship last week used Yakatania Point trail as some sort of challenge hike or run. Whoever set it up marked the trail with neon yellow/green paint on the footbridge, rocks, and dirt along the trail. If one can't follow this well worn and tended footpath, they shouldn't be hiking anywhere in Our Town at all, maybe not even down the streets!

I have more, but I am not going on and on now... having to do with daughter. She and her family are fine, business not so much and ....

I am off to watch a PBS program on Mid-Century Modern Architecture. Hurrah there is something new and interesting to watch on Saturday night.

Blessed be!