Hack Hero
Norfolk County Register of Probate Patrick McDermott to union hacks: No more banging in for hangovers, long weekends. No malingering on the public dime if you’re not sick. Yeah, there’s hack outrage at the injustice of it all. Howie Carr:
Until yesterday, I had never heard of Patrick W. McDermott, Esq., register of probate in Norfolk County, and I live in Norfolk County. I must have seen his name on the ballot, but I never vote for anybody running unopposed, especially Democrats from Quincy.
But today, this $110,221-a-year state employee is my hero, and it is all because of a memo he put out this week to his unionized courthouse employees on the subject of “Sick Time Review.”
I’ll boil it down for you:
No more sick time for hangovers, or, as McDermott diplomatically refers to them, “effects of a prior night’s celebratory activity.”
He also mentions “minor aches and pains,” and doctors’ appointments, but what jumps out is his ban on taking sick time for hangovers, although McDermott is not totally heartless.
“If you need to take a few hours in the morning to jumpstart a particularly tough morning, use a couple of hours of sick time and then try to get yourself to work.”
How dare you, McDermott! His hungover hacks must be livid, and indeed, one of them faxed me this memo, adding a cover note, “It is illegal and not fair to other employees.”
To reward good behavior, McDermott is offering his employees who haven’t taken more than 10 of their 15 allocated sick days this year an extra half-day off before Jan. 2. Sadly, only six of the 22 Registry employees are eligible for this perk.
There was a legislative study once that in the Dreaded Private Sector, workers take off five days a year for sickness. In the public sector, the average was 15. I’m guessing the rate of public-sector absenteeism is much greater on Fridays and Monday, too. It’s the culture.
…
This cruel taskmaster then says that if you exhaust all your illness and vacation time and still call in sick, “I will begin disciplinary proceedings which may lead to termination from employment with the Trial Court.”
In other words, you hacks may be fired and then you will have to go out and find yourself a real job, in the Dreaded Private Sector. And that, I can assure you, is when you will really need a drink.
I’m with Howie. I don’t vote for Dems, period, let alone unopposed ones. I live in Plymouth County, next door to Norfolk, where we actually get Republican candidates for local office every now and then. But I’ll have to seriously consider voting for any meanspirited Dem who starts cranking out memos like this … and follows up.
Speaking of meanspirited, here’s Howie earlier this week on Fat Matt Amorello, former Big Dig chief and career hack, and his soon-to-be ex’s gripes about his malingering. A Massachusetts judge actually issued the order …
I don’t know what’s going on around here. This is Massachusetts. Whatever happened to solidarity among hacks?
Topics: hacks
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 7:57 am Comments (0) on Friday, December 5, 2008
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