00:21 - 11.11.05
Blow me down
Made it in to work today. Yee haw. One of the things the two supervisors told me in that Friday meeting was that I would no longer be able to go in to the warehouse before 8 in the am. The reason I was doing that was so that I could leave before traffic on the one highway was too heavy to try to cross as a pedestrian at rush hour. As it is, the long haul trucks are often backed up through the intersections going both ways now. That doesn't account for the ice that is inevitable when the snow flies or the fact that soon dark will arrive about the time that bus picks me up. I was told it was a security issue, but it sure feels like punishment to me. Decided I would just skip my lunch break so that I can still provide myself with some safety by leaving at the time I believe is safe. When I was escorted to the back this morning, it was to find that my work area had been moved. I am now right by the admin area with a security camera right above my computer. No telephone and no garbage bin either, but I guess that isn't a big deal. The second in command asked that I call her in an email around lunch. so I used the federal cell phone briefly even though we aren't really supposed to. I didn't really have a choice since there are no phone booths that I can see in that industrial area. Means the second in command now (officially) has that cell phone number, because she has call display. Not much I can do about that, but I did email her to explain about the usage policy I am required to respect and I hope she chooses to respect what I've said.
Work itself was pretty routine until I started getting calls from Elections Canada. The one about the one assignment I wasn't able to do because the hard drive crashed was especially galling. I've been trying to get the problem resolved for two weeks without anything but "no" for responses to proposed solutions. I pointed out that the reaction I had received was very close to obstruction under the Elections Act and that I wanted to speak with whoever was heading up that exercise. The trigger was when the caller stated that all those electors whose streets had been removed from my database without my knowledge or consent sometime in the summer could just reregister to vote come polling day. Yes that works - the two largest and fastest growing areas with a thousand or two electors all having to sign up before getting their ballot. Most wanting to be processed between 3:30 and 7 pm. I was trying to visualize how many staff it would take to just do the paperwork quickly enough that day and the next, when it should all be entered in the database. Only taxpayer dollars after all - dollars that should not have to be spent in the first place. At that point the young woman got really flustered and said she would have to call me back.
Shortly after, one of the division heads called to talk about said computer. She acknowledged that there had been no progress because there had been no involvement from any of the certified technical staff. None of the people who had taken the information and sent it up the queue had made a dint in the wall of silence from that group. She would get on it - when could I stay home from work? Did I work full time? She acknowledged too, that the hours the certified techs were available were so restricted that there was no way they could talk with me unless I agreed to sit at my home during the week waiting on their pleasure. It was finally agreed that I would be by said computer by 5:30 am Monday morning when one of those techs agreed to arrive early for his shift. She had been able to find one who was willing to draw overtime tomorrow on Remembrance Day. At that point in time though, I had been told by the second in command that I had to go into work on Remebrance Day so that wasn't optional either. The second in command emailed later in the afternoon to say that her directive had changed. I think because no one else was going to be there - a bit discriminatory to be the only person who wasn't given a choice. There are a couple of people who do come in at odd times of the day, but that is a different arrangement again and is voluntary for them.
Anyway I still don't understand why I can't just be issued another hard drive that works so that I can get my assignment completed. How hard is that to accomplish in a large urban center? That's been my solution of choice now for two weeks, but what would I know. So now I get my first visit from a tech on the phone the day of the deadline. Uh huh. Obstruction that is. At some point in the several short conversations I was having (my coffee break, thank you very much) I glanced up and saw a ring of the warehouse supervisors standing nearby. It was obvious that they were listening and that is fine. Security of data means monitoring phone conversations too. There was a lot of sympathy shown after that. Western alienation being fed by what they heard then. That cavalier attitude toward their equal rights to have timely access to to voting didn't sit too well.
Next call was from the head of the revision project. He finally allowed that about half the streets I had sent in twice in the spring and once in August had been entered in to the database. He couldn't account for why the two key polling divisions, where the balance of the streets should be added, had been voided either. But providing there is no election call before the end of January they will find a way to add them. Well yes - did anyone check the news today? They removed the information obviously without too much trouble, so I don't understand why they can't put it back. The repercussions from those phone discussions fell out when I arrived home. Voicemail left on my home phone just after the three calls to my cell phone - clearly marked in the database as my contact number during the day - stating that another part of the assignment wasn't acceptable because the form I was using was not the most recent one. That person had to have read all the trouble tickets to get to my home phone number and yet still didn't connect the dots with respect to the availability of those tools to me. No hard drive, no LAN connection, no forms. I admit to hysterics. Sometimes it just feels as though there is no other options. My youngest said he didn't mind, because it wasn't aimed at him but that wasn't the point. I called back to the EC office knowing that they wouldn't be open if I waited to calm down enough to talk about it. Fortunately, I reached the one male who was talking with me when all the security problems at the warehouse arose. He had also included that information on my record so that his colleagues wouldn't cause me any more stress. Seems to me that the taunting/undermining has gotten worse since then - doesn't it to you dear diary? He seemed to make that connection too and asked that I document the treatment I was receiving at work, as well as that I have had throughout this assignment to send to one of the head honchos there. Guess that's my task for first thing tomorrow now that I don't need to go into work downtown. Does it ever stop?
Anyway I am going to be calm by tomorrow and I apologize for venting at you dear diary. The cats are about the only solace I have right now and they don't do venting. My youngest, I think, is a bit worn out too. He threatened to call EC to let them know what he thought, but I think that would just egg whoever is causing the problems on - don't you? Anyway good night - time to go read the Hobbit and remember that even a twig, if it is in the right position at the right time, can turn an avalanche. Here's hoping I'm in the right position this time.
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