Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Why I'm Still Angry at My Old Job

Ok, this is convoluted. I was a case manager for the FCSP program. My senior center has a contract with PCA (hereafter referred to as the devil) to deliver this program. For five years, I served two masters, the senior center and the devil.

Just before Christmas, we got wind of a rumor that the Devil was pulling the contract. It wasn't official, but a muckety-muck told my boss to "expect a letter". Just before Christmas. Assholes.

The letter said the Devil would closing FCSP at the various community sites and pulling the program to their headquarters in Center City. I would be given the opportunity to apply for my job.

And this is the first thing that really pissed me off. I would be "given the opportunity" to apply for my own job that's I'd done for five years.

The second thing that really made me furious was that last October another senior center with the program was closing. We were told by the Director that senior was only being closed because the senior center had fiscal problems. They had no intention of closing the other sites.

They lied to us.

They new last October and lied.

So would you want to work for these lying jerks? It's slightly more money, but I'd have to pay for parking and I'd lose all my rocking vacation time. Moreover, I would be a new employee on probation. I really like my job and my clients, but enough to work for the devil?

My senior center offered me another position, if I wanted to stay. I took their offer.

In January, my supervisor informed the Devil that neither myself nor Jule would transfer. We'd rather wash dishes at the center than work them, but she probably phrased it better.

January 31, I'm still working in the old program, trying to tie things up. I get a call from the Director. They've already hired someone for my position and she starts on Monday. Could I send over 25 cases for her?

And this is the thing that made me loose it.

They have no regard for my experience. They replaced me with someone who just graduated college and has no work experience. Our program is difficult and there's a high turnover rate because it's hard to find the right person for the job. I've been doing this for 5 years, so has Jule. We rock. We've been told by auditors that we are the best in the program, not to toot my own horn. It's so comforting to know that all my experience and quality work is so replaceable.

The worst was boxing up my cases. I kept thinking about this new chick and how it's was not right that she was getting all my cases and my hard work. I told my boss that I was justing "freaking resentful."

And I am resentful. For five years, I've worked in this program and the Devil has treated my badly the entire time, that's why it's the devil. I've had second hand computers, shoddy server connections, not been informed of policy changes until after they've happened, been ignored by technical support, and treated overall as an inferior. And yet, I've excelled. I've taken their poor resources and archaic computer programs and spun straw into gold. Fuck them.

But I still miss my old job and that's killing me.