Can I rant a little? PLEASE?

[WillParkinson]

I work 3rd shift Room Service. For the last 6 months we've been trying to hire someone for my off days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and with the exception of the guy who never came in, the other guy who came in one day and the other guy who totally fucked up we've had no viable prospects. I've been working the weekends to help cover. The only stipulation was that I have off one weekend a month for the flea market. Well, in the last 5 months I have had none of those weekends off. I even have had to stay up 27 hours on the Sunday to help Paul pack up after the show.

I have to take 3 weeks of vacation before November 5th. We usually take 2 weeks in October and the other week somewhere around April or so.

Well, this year I put in for my vacation in the middle of May. I scheduled it so there would be no baseball teams or large groups in house. My boss came in, looked at my vacation request and said, "How am I supposed to fill this? I have a hard enough time getting these guys to cover days off for you. How am I supposed to tell them that they'll have to work 9 days?"

For the past 5 months I've been giving up my show dates to help out, working extra days to help out and letting my schedule be VERY flexible to help out.

Now I'm being told I can't take my vacation because it's not convenient for the other employees. I've been there 17 years. Longer than ALL the other employees combined and I have to put my life on hold for them.

Oh, and in case you were wondering why it's important for me to take my vacation now: Because I'm a tipped employee my vacation checks SUCK. We get paid at 5.15 an hour (or whatever minimum wage is). I make 8.11 an hour BEFORE tips. So I lose $3.11 an hour of vacation wage even without my tips. So it ends up costing me money to take my vacation and I just can't afford to take 3 weeks off in close proximity.

OK, end of rant. Thanks for listening to me whine.

[MSgt213]

1. Businesses have such a hard time finding good depenable people that if you

are one you can expect to get abused.

[WillParkinson]

3. Well, you know...

Abuse is one thing but a kiss now and then would be OK, too....

[wysimdnwyg]

2. See if they'll just cut you a check for the vacation time...

Then keep working and get paid for that, too.

Or if you REALLY need the time off, tell your boss that they are legally required to let you take your vacation time, and that's when you want to take it. Explain how much you have given up recently, and that you think it's only fair that you get to take the time off that you have earned.

If neither of those options work, find a new job and tell your current boss he's a real prick.

[WillParkinson]

4. I *NEED* this vacation!

I'm to the point where I want to ask people, "Now really, don't you think that's a fucking stupid question?"

Last night a guy asked me: How big is your pizza? (It says on the menu 10 Inch 3-Cheese Pizza) I tell him it's 10 inches. He says, "How many people does that feed?" That question always irks me. I mean if you're REALLY hungry it'll feed one. If you're not so hungry it'll feed two. If you just want to snack you could probably get enough for 3 or 4 people.

(My favorite question was from a woman who asked: How big is your pizza? It's 10 inches ma'am. She said to the guy in the room, "Honey, it's 10 inches." Then she comes back to the phone and says, "How big is that?" You just do NOT want to know how badly I wanted to tell her she was dating the wrong guy if she didn't know how big 10 inches was...)