Oh yeah, the economy is just great.
The husband who is a parts manager at a Ford dealer reported to me last night over dinner that since they aren't selling new cars, he was told to lay off the best parts driver he ever had in 33 years. What a parts driver has to do with not selling cars is baffling to this blonde and even to grouchy husband.
After all, Ford's break and get into accidents. (Fix Or Repair Daily -Found On Road Dead) The parts driver delivers parts to body shops and repair shops all over the island. How will parts sales do if there is no one to deliver the parts? The parts department employees work on commission. Why not lay off the car salesmen? Or maybe put one of them in the parts department to help drum up more parts sales to offset the car sales? I ought to go there and offer my advice.
Parts sales were still good but will sink when regular clients (especially ones that buy expensive fenders and quarter panels) find out that they won't have reliable delivery, if any delivery? What will happen is that the husband's income will now drop but he will still work hard and long hours missing sales calls if he has to go out on the road to deliver to the best customers.
So the husband went to the general manager and made a case for the need of a parts driver. The company graciously offered him the prep guy who is bored, who has no clue how to navigate and can barely speak enough English to collect money. Furthermore, he is a few fries short of a Happy Meal™. Husband suspects that the prep guy will fuck up royally and then he'll will hopefully make the case to rehire the fabulous and reliable driver who was laid off (assuming that he doesn't find another job).
There is a union deal that the guys with the least seniority, no matter how great a worker he/she is, must be laid off first. Don't get me wrong- unions are good to have, but when times get tough, sometimes you are stuck with the bottom of the barrel. Why are the bottom of the barrel still working there, you ask? Answer: You can't fire them.
The owner of the dealer died about a month ago. Around election time, he was telling the employees that there is no room for anyone who doesn't plan to vote for bush. Imagine telling a union shop to vote for bush? Too bad he's dead. I would have called him and given him a piece of my mind.
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