Veterans Day - what an answer I got.

We leave on Friday and that is the scheduled day for our recycled cart to be picked up. I called this morning to see if because of the Veterans Day holiday, it would be delayed a day, such as with other Federal holidays.

I think I got the coldest, most insensitive answer ever to a question. "No, we don't honor that holiday". Yikes!

 

that is weird, in canada it is federal (though not paid as a stat with a lot of places) so all across the board the rules are the same. No garbage, no recycling, nothing open except stores and unless they sell gas/necessities or restaurant/hotel they can not open until 1 pm so people can go to the services and/or just give the respect to get past the 11th hour.

 

I would have guessed otherwise, considering it's a federal holiday. As for the response you got being cold and insensitive, it just sounds like the person you talked to misspoke. I'm sure he/she meant to say "observe" rather than "honor" and was speaking strictly from a business standpoint, meaning the normal recycling collection schedule was unaffected.

 

Garbage companies don't give employees all the Federal holidays off. Here in MI, just Christmas, New Years, July 4th, and Thanksgiving.

 

Keep in mind many utility workers and public servants work as well too. Things have to keep running. I worked many holidays as a cop and, though I'm also a vet, I simply viewed it as providing support so others could take the holiday off.

Bill

 

Maybe what the person meant was that they did not have the day off???

 

The person misspoke. They meant that it is not a paid holiday for them.

This was a bonanza for us government workers, because it was not a paid holiday for contractors and someone from the government would always have to be there to provide quality assurance oversight.

We got paid double time and a half. A pittance considering the shenanigans the contractor's would pull if no one were there to watch them.

I made $42.00 and hour. Do the math.

 

This is why my Dad usually worked every holiday not named Thanksgiving or Christmas. He got double time plus 8 hours and that was about $100/hr just before he retired (General Motors).

 

I have to post a disclaimer that after the budget got tight, overtime went away, except in very crucial situations, like a very critical crane lift or if a power outage was required. After the budget went sour, we got comp time which cannot be doubled or halved. In which case, "understandings" with your supervisor were met.

 

People who live in cities and have city trash pick-up don't understand that the entire world isn't like that. I didn't until I was an adult and moved to the country. Our trash (and recycling now) is picked up by a private company - and the only day of the year they adjust pickup for is Christmas. Period. There are MANY facilities & services that don't account for (US) federal holidays. My husband (who owns his own business) never knows what holidays are coming up because he never takes them, so I try to warn him when the banks will be closed because he invariably tries to make a deposit on a bank holiday. (I assume Joe has city trash pick-up but really have no idea since he doesn't say....)

It's unfortunate the employee chose that wording, but I really doubt they intended disrespect when they said it.

(don't even get me started on what I learned about wells, septic systems or internet access while living in the boonies :evillaugh)

 

I hope he did not intend to be disrespectful and instead saying it was a working day. Our weekly trash pick up is by the county and they work holidays. I can understand the no holiday schedule, otherwise those homes would not have the trash picked up that week.

 

I have 3 options for recycling. Take it to the Town center, contract with this company, or just dump it all into the trash.

The Town recycling center I swear has 12 different bins. They even have a bin to recycle athletic shoes. So much has to be separated it is unbelievable. Contracting with this private company for a 80 gal cart that everything goes into, is so much easier. For about $12 a month, I can toss newspapers, magazines, plastic (1-7) and glass into the cart.

The Town just does the garbage collection weekly and that is included in the property taxes.

I am a big believer in recycling but to drive 6 miles and have to separate everything so finite, was not for me. And they are only open 1 morning and 1 evening per week.

Now I know some might say in the end they don't separate and it ends up in the landfill, but I feel better about it.

Hoya, I hear you. Except for our time in Vegas, we have been well & septic for 20+ years. Back in the 90s we had satellite internet and that sucked. It snowed and we had to go out and brush the dish off. No other options available at the time except for dial up.

 

That is a complete misconception. I do not live in a city, ours is a farming town with many, many farmers around but in canada it is pretty much the same all across the board for holidays. Many people on this board are from canada as well, federal rules here applies to all provinces and even privately run garbage/recycling is still run on city/town time and holidays are observed.

 

Well, that's not the case in the US and why I specifically mentioned US federal holidays and the fact that, as an example, MY private trash company in the boonies in NC, does not observe them

I still think it's true that many people in the US who have never had to contract with private companies for trash pickup (or dig a well or dig a septic) don't have a clue. I do not have data to support my belief. But I have lots of anecdotes. My husband and his parents own ~40 rental properties, many of them with septics and not connected to city sewer. Oh, the stories.....