Qing's arrival and beyond .

[Arnold]

So ... is it time for some Photo's again ?
Qing and I went Sunday to my late Wife's Gravesite and put some Flower's there . It was exactly three year's since she passed away . After we had taken our new Tennis equipment with us and drove to the Court's I used to play many times . I found that Qing is good , but not as good as in Ping Pong . But that will change , as I will teach her this also in the coming year , as we plan to play often . Makes me want to go back and play my old Friend's , at the semi-pro level . That will take a while though , as I have to get used to a new Racket . They sure are big , compared to the old ( Jimmy Connor's Wilson T-2000 ) racket . If I'm capable , that is another thing of course ?
Anyway , here are some Photo's from the Snow near-by where I live and at the Court .

[brett]

Wow, nice photos. Are those the Rockies? Here we only have hills.

All Chinese ladies seem to love sport and exercise. I'm not sure I like either. I think I will be ordered to take up some activity. I like the idea of watching my lady in her belly dancing exercise class :angel:. I am rubbish at ping pong.

[ttwjr32]

i get killed in ping pong here in china even the little kids
 are really good at it  hahaha

[David5o]

Shaun,

I am totally baffled!!! ....What do you mean you drive each and every day without pay???
You have NO workers ''Health and Safety'' regulations in the States??  No-one is allowed to work 12 hours 7 days a week, Surely?? Your labour laws would hold president over any buckshee employers contract, in fact all contracts would have to apply to your Labour Laws....

Something just don't sound right here, .....We are talking about America here, ...aren't we ?

David

[Arnold]

Wow, nice photos. Are those the Rockies? Here we only have hills.

All Chinese ladies seem to love sport and exercise. I'm not sure I like either. I think I will be ordered to take up some activity. I like the idea of watching my lady in her belly dancing exercise class :angel:. I am rubbish at ping pong.

Your right Brett , she loves Sport's and also exercises daily at home . These are not the Rocky's , they are only about 5000-6000 feet high at most . Snow-level was down to about 3000 feet that day . It Snowed at my House for a while .. not much .

[Neil]

I was thinking the same thing David.  I don't think that would work in Canada either - contract or not.  I'm pretty sure you can't make a contract to supersede human rights and labor laws.  Signing under duress - isn't that a good reason for a contract to be void?

[maxx]

David your right.Labor laws in the states fall under Federal law.Any state law that contradicts federal law.Is not a law that will hold up in any court.

There is ways around labor laws.If the employee is on a salary.(Salary means a set amount of wages per day.week,or month).It is real easy to get around labor laws.

The last salary job I worked was 60 hours a week.Federal law states that if you work more then 40 hours a week.The company has to pay you some kind of compensation.My compinsation was I could come to work when I wanted to.I could go home when I wanted to.I took as much time off as I wanted to.I went to China 4 times and Thailand once all withen a years time.I was payed for all the time I missed work.I had free gas..And the use of a company vehical anytime I needed to.

The salary job I have now is 35 hours a week.Five days a week.Anytime I need off.I just take off.I'm still payed for the time I miss work.

With a salaried job.It's all in the contract you negotiate.With the company or the individual.If you do not like the contract.There is no law saying you have to work there or sign there contract.I always had my contracts wrote up.That if there was something the company needed to Change.That would effect my contract.I would be told.And a new contract would Then be negotiated.The last company wanted to renigotiate my contract.I didn't want to renegoitate my contract.So the company terminated my contract.They payed me for time left on my contract and 2 weeks pay.

On a sales job it is way to easy to get around labor laws.Most companies in the states where the sales person is payed a commision.There only salery is there commision.They are payed a substance wage durring the week.And the end of the month they are payed there sales commision.Minus what ever money they used durring the month.On a sales job you can work 12 hours a day seven days a week.Depending on the company you work for.No further compinsation is mandated by federal or state law.

Where the United States labor laws really come into effect.Is on employes that are payed hourly.In the States you must pay.A full time employee 7.50 a hour at the minnumum. Most Americans make way more then 7.50 a hour.They only have to work 40 hours a week anything over forty hours is time and a half.In short they are well payed for anything over forty hours.It is mandated by federal  laws.That you must give them a 30 minute rest every 8 hours.If the company has over 15 employes they must offer there employees insurance

If you own a company in the states and you don't follow theese laws.The employees can and will take you to court.After you pay the court fees and the fines.And payed the back wages owed to the employee there is a good chance your little company will go bankrupt.

I think what Shaun is talking about is that he has to drive a ways before he gets to where he starts picking up passengers.And the Bus system Shaun works for  isn't paying him for the time.It takes him to drive the bus to the start of his route.Some bus companies consider this a grey area where the law really isn't exact.

It really isn't a grey area.The law states that anytime you are driving a company vehical on company time.That you will be payed.For your time.As long as you are engaged in work.In Shaun's case driving to the beggining of his route.

The paper Shaun signed.Probably said we are not going to pay you for this time.If you don't sign this paper.Your services are no longer needed.Wich means Shaun would be terminated.It is against labor laws.

I used to drive Semi trucks like Martin does.The company I worked for.Tried the same thing with me.They wanted me to drive a empty truck and trailer from Fontana California to Denver Colorado.They told me since the truck was empty I wasn't going to get payed.I just told them if they wanted there truck and trailer back.I was going to get payed.If I ddin't get payed I was going to drop a loaded truck and trailer on Sunset boulivard in Los Angelos.And let them come out and get what was left of it after the cargo was stolen and the truck was stripped.

The company payed me for the run from California to Colorado.3 weeks after that.I found a different company to work for.

Just the few of the goverment agencies you have to deal with in the States if you own your own company.

Osha.( ocuptaional saftey health administration) real bad people.Safty violation fines alone can close your company.

 labor board.If a employee in your company has a problem.With the company.This is the people the employee complains to.Labor boards in New Mexico have about a 70% succes rate.That means if a employee complains there is a good chance you as the company owner ar going to be out of allot of money.

Workmans compinsation.You have a employee on your payroll that gets hurt on the job.Your workmans comp insurance is responsabel for all medical bills lost wages.And retraining expenses if the employee cannot return to work after the injury

Another orginisation in the states is labor unions.Labor unions Are real big and real powerful in the states.I have never worked  a union job.Vince or abiggbutt would know more about them then I would.

[ttwjr32]

Maxx- was that company central refrigerated out of fontana? the old dick simon company?

[Rhonald]

I work for a wireline company and during the winter months the field workers do 2 weeks on and one week off. The field engineers will do a job catch 3 hours sleep and be off to another site. They get pushed, but also they get bonus per job. So if they want to abide by the labour law - then they don't make the coin.

Sorry for the partial Hii-jack Arnold so I will conclude with

Nice set of pictures and I can see who one the set :sleepy: Advantage Qing.

[maxx]

Ted no it was Swift transport.

[Arnold]

Did I ever mention , that funny things keep happening to Qing and Me ? As I said before , Qing took her English Test a week and a half ago .. to determine what level of Class she'll be in . They told us , there are about 100 people ahead of her ... to be placed into a class ..then . Today , Qing get's a call at Home and they wanted her to come in and Register for Class and join the first one for her .. at level three out of four . This now coming to think of it , of course had to be on the 26th day of the month's . As both our Birthday's are on the same day .This doesn't surprise us any more , there are just too many to remember ... if I don't write them down , to be used later in the Book . Anyway , before leaving her alone and I went home ... I told her NOT to make a new Boyfriend and forget about the Bee . Hmmm ... that's funny and I got a poke into my side . Haha
I just hope she can make a or some Friends in her Class . Well , got to go and pick her up now . She has class only two hours and Home is about 15 minutes from the School .

[Vince G]

Strike!, Strike!, Strike!, Yes, I was a Teamster for a many years. My dad was for 40 years or so. It's basically the same rules except there was a shop steward on site, we had about 60 drivers and about 75 people during the day and about a dozen at night. It was a milk company so I worked nights. If there was a grievance you went to the Shop Steward and he'd take care of it. I never had a problem from management that I had to go to him. I knew them since I was born, owners and all. I had a problem with a coworker once. Been on strike a few times too. Even a wildcat strike. Going to Teamster meetings was scary. It was NY City in the 70's., if you get my drift.

[shaun]

Shaun,

I am totally baffled!!! ....What do you mean you drive each and every day without pay???
You have NO workers ''Health and Safety'' regulations in the States??  No-one is allowed to work 12 hours 7 days a week, Surely?? Your labour laws would hold president over any buckshee employers contract, in fact all contracts would have to apply to your Labour Laws....

Something just don't sound right here, .....We are talking about America here, ...aren't we ?

David

David I do not get paid for my first and last 15 minutes of each trip.  I drive 2 trips a day.  It equals 1 hour.  The rest of the time I am paid.  Their reason is that they should not pay for me to commute, I drive their vehicle, it is not parked at my house, it is 5 miles to my route.

I was forced to sign their contract stating that my pay would begin at the first pickup and end at the last stop before I could pickup my vehicle.  Is it legal according to State and Federal law?  No.  Is it legal if I sign a contract stating they will pay me that way?  Yes.

We have over 200 drivers.  If 150 of them willingly sign the contract and 50 do not then the 50 lose their job.  We have a lawsuit against them and it looks at this time to be in our favor.  I couldn't talk about it earlier because it is a government agency but it has been made public so now it does not matter.

No, my issue is nothing like what Arnold and Qing ran into but it is legally possible to do it.

[Vince G]

Shaun, your not alone in this and it's really not that bad either. One job I had I installed and repaired elevators and ADA lifts (wheelchair carriers and that seat that goes up the stairs) The boss called one day saying he wanted to only pay us for time on the job and deduct any travel time to, from and any travel in between. My reply was "NO!" He made the (stupid) contracts with management companies of a 24 hours service. If someone got stuck we had to get there and fix the unit within 24 hours. That means we had to drive to some place as soon as a call came in maybe Sunday night at 9pm? I got a call one time on a Saturday night 9 PM to South Beach which means try to find a place to park could be a half hour alone? Raining, dark, no overhead and your working with electricity? I saw it this way, If I had to leave from my house to get to the job? I'm getting paid.

[ttwjr32]

Maxx,

same owner he bought central off of dick simon.
my last working stint was i bought a new semi and drove for central for
a year and a half before i retired again. always wanted to drive and see
the country so i did it and enjoyed it for about a year and it took 6 months to
sell the truck so i could retire again. driving was on my bucket list of things
to do in life before i go