Early Risers.

[Ian Abel]

2 hours ago, Tim Dubya said:

 

This is why I never reuse old HDDs and always do a clean install.  Life's too short...

 

If I had to re-install ALL the applications I have it'd take much more time and too much energy...

I don't think I'd survive it 😀

[Coombe Barton]

... Today was driving in fog avoiding BMW drivers. Just a thought, if they own the road why aren’t they paying to repair the potholes? ...

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2023/08/08/postcards-from-the-periphery-2023-20-up-again-the-2023-winter-vaccination-regime-and-rain/

[polybear]

HOW MUCH?? 😲

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66445496

[polybear]

Bear here.....

Well I pondered doing some more scanning.....and eventually decided "Oh Buggerritt, it'll feel good when I've done it" so cracked on and finished it, so that's a definite Tick.  And yes, it did feel good....

At some point in the not-too-distant future I can bung 'em on Ebay and see what happens - I'm not expecting miracles but I live in hope; I'll probably list them as something like Bundles of 12 issues or so, which should enable posting via Courier at not-too-silly prices.

If all else fails then I'll save any that are of particular interest (including Issue 1) and the rest can go to the Local Hospice as it seems they are happy to take them.

 

Bear gone.

[Dave Hunt]

Since first seeking the doctor's help with sciatica last year and asking to be referred to a consultant on March 17, all that has happened is that just over three weeks ago I had an MRI scan at a few days notice. I hadn't heard anything since and the sciatic pain has been getting worse and more extensive, being so bad this morning that I decided to wait no longer and rang the GP practice. Much to my amazement spoke to a receptionist within a few minutes and got an appointment to see what they call an urgent case practitioner within the hour. He told me that my MRI scan showed what I suspected, i.e., degradation of the lower spine leading to irritation of the nerves and that as a result the practice wrote last week to the spinal unit of the hospital I had given as my choice. I did say that it would have been nice to be told about this but he made no comment. He then said that all they (the GP practice) could now do was to help me with pain control, which is fair enough, and gave me a prescription for a cocktail of analgaesics that I picked up from the pharmacy later. It has taken me nearly five months to get this far but at least things do seem to be happening.

 

Worst of all, of course, is that I haven't been able recently to get down to the shed for over a week now and do some modelling!

 

Dave

 

[PhilJ W]

Evening all from Estuary-Land. A bit late on parade this evening as I've been watching a program about the container ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal a couple of years ago. It was well worth watching and went through the various complex reasons that caused the accident. FYI it was on BBC1 at eight and you can catch up on I-player.

[PhilJ W]

1 minute ago, Dave Hunt said:

Since first seeking the doctor's help with sciatica last year and asking to be referred to a consultant on March 17, all that has happened is that just over three weeks ago I had an MRI scan at a few days notice. I hadn't heard anything since and the sciatic pain has been getting worse and more extensive, being so bad this morning that I decided to wait no longer and rang the GP practice. Much to my amazement spoke to a receptionist within a few minutes and got an appointment to see what they call an urgent case practitioner within the hour. He told me that my MRI scan showed what I suspected, i.e., degradation of the lower spine leading to irritation of the nerves and that as a result the practice wrote last week to the spinal unit of the hospital I had given as my choice. I did say that it would have been nice to be told about this but he made no comment. He then said that all they (the GP practice) could now do was to help me with pain control, which is fair enough, and gave me a prescription for a cocktail of analgaesics that I picked up from the pharmacy later. It has taken me nearly five months to get this far but at least things do seem to be happening.

 

Worst of all, of course, is that I haven't been able recently to get down to the shed for over a week now and do some modelling!

 

Dave

 

My BiL had similar spinal problems and the treatment involved gluing about three vertebra at the base of the spine together.

[Winslow Boy]

5 hours ago, polybear said:

 

Well actually, Bear doesn't know......😢

 

 

Er, that was sixty years ago.....

 

Bear here....

Probably about 3/4 of the way thru' scanning the pile - hopefully another session later today will finish it off.

 

In other news.....

On the subject of scams, I received this from my Neighbourhood Watch group today:

 

"Two people have been arrested on suspicion of fraud relating to work carried out on a victim’s property.

On Friday 28 July, two tradesmen visited a home in Bishop’s Stortford offering to clean the victim’s driveway and roof. They offered to complete the work at an agreed cost per metre, however before fully completing the work the men demanded the victim pay more than £4,000 in cash. 

The victim visited their bank to withdraw the cash, but due to the size of the cash withdrawal the bank activated the Banking Protocol and alerted the police. Officers attended the victim’s address and questioned the traders, finding that they had not provided paperwork for their quote, which is a legal requirement.

A 30-year-old man from St Albans and a 29-year-old man from Milton Keynes were arrested on suspicion of fraud. Both men have been released on bail whilst the investigation continues".

 

10/10 to the Bank, though surely it would've been better if the Police had attended the Bank rather than the victim's address - what would have happened if the scrotes had already cleared off?

It'd be rather nice to think they'll be (a) charged, and (b) sent down for a good stretch, though I'll not hold out too much hope on either happening.

 

Bear gone.

 

 

 

There is something which fellow ER's could help me with as I'm having one or two problems understanding when I read this article. They are ; the gentleman says he went to his bank. What's a bank? and secondary; the police were called and they went to the bank. So what are the police? 

To put this into context one of my banks has two branches in all of Manutopea and trying to get hold of the police is like picking the winning lottery numbers, while blindfolded, sitting on a spinning stool and singing cum bye r.

[Hroth]

47 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Evening all from Estuary-Land. A bit late on parade this evening as I've been watching a program about the container ship that got stuck in the Suez Canal a couple of years ago. It was well worth watching and went through the various complex reasons that caused the accident. FYI it was on BBC1 at eight and you can catch up on I-player.

 

I was going to watch but the tabloid style title put me off.  I'll give it a second chance on iPlayer tomorrow.

 

[TheQ]

Evening Awl 

 I suspect the only truckers getting that silly money are those on long haul 16 wheelers , your average white  brown van man won't get any where near that.

 

Just back from the MRC, nearly had a coming together with a black BMW, it swept into the lane I was on from the A road,  the lane I was on is only two cars wide at its entrance, it's one car wide a car length later. With me approaching from the lane and him coming round a blind corner on the wrong side of the road. I suspect he had a brown trouser moment seeing a large bull bar with 1.5 tons of Landrover behind it in front of him. He got through by scratching his paint on the hedge opposite .

 

I have a stack of magazines 4 ft high by 5 foot wide two mags deep that need sorting, I suspect most will go to the MRC, who have arrangements with The Bure Valley Railway . So someone will have them.

 

MRC went OK. Mostly painting nissen huts in war time camouflage.

 

They glued / reinforced Dad's lower back 60 years ago , it's long since needed doing again, but what they used then is incompatible with what they use now. In his late 80s they wouldn't bother anyway .

 

my local bank has long since gone, as has the next nearest one, the nearest after that closes in December.. so it will be a 50 mile round trip to the next one from then on..

 

muggachoccy gone,

goodnight Awl.

[PhilJ W]

Goodnight all.

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, polybear said:

HOW MUCH?? 😲

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66445496

 

 

At least $50,000 is listed as  "Benefits" such as paid Annual Leave, Sick Leave and Healthcare ,and contributions to a pension plan, things which many other countries  have legislated  to include as part of any employment package.

 

Actual pay in the deal is $44.50 an hour rising over the 5 year deal, still high and well above the US average but not quite what the headline was making it out to be. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[newbryford]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Since first seeking the doctor's help with sciatica last year and asking to be referred to a consultant on March 17, all that has happened is that just over three weeks ago I had an MRI scan at a few days notice. I hadn't heard anything since and the sciatic pain has been getting worse and more extensive, being so bad this morning that I decided to wait no longer and rang the GP practice. Much to my amazement spoke to a receptionist within a few minutes and got an appointment to see what they call an urgent case practitioner within the hour. He told me that my MRI scan showed what I suspected, i.e., degradation of the lower spine leading to irritation of the nerves and that as a result the practice wrote last week to the spinal unit of the hospital I had given as my choice. I did say that it would have been nice to be told about this but he made no comment. He then said that all they (the GP practice) could now do was to help me with pain control, which is fair enough, and gave me a prescription for a cocktail of analgaesics that I picked up from the pharmacy later. It has taken me nearly five months to get this far but at least things do seem to be happening.

 

 

 

 

IME, the process was accelerated when I mentioned that the sciatica was causing me to lose sleep and also making it a little bit more difficult to do a number 2.

In retrospect, I think it was the mention of number 2 that made things happen, as this is more likely to cause bigger issues than not sleeping.

[BSW01]

Good evening everyone 

 

Another good day outside in the garden, much work completed on the workshop. The main window frame, the one that both opening windows sit in, has been sanded and had 1 coat of primer/undercoat applied. One of the 2 windows has had its frame sanded back to bare wood and a start has been made in the 6 small glass frames. I also managed to get a 2nd coat of primer/undercoat on the inside of the door too. 

 

Tomorrow, Ava is coming round, so I’ve set up  a fruit tea loaf, that well bake tomorrow after dinner. 

[BSW01]

Goodnight all 

[Barry O]

Long day.

 

When the NHS presses the big red "potential cancer " alert button things happen very quickly. The consultant was seen today.. CT scan now booked for next week,  ultrasound is tomorrow.. and a camera investigation is booked for Friday. Fingers crossed all will be well.

 

Night all !

 

Baz

[Ozexpatriate]

7 hours ago, polybear said:

HOW MUCH??

 

From the article:

Quote

UPS said the average full-time driver would earn about $170,000 (£135,000) annually, including healthcare and other benefits, by the end of the five-year contract.

My emphasis:

 

Full-time

It can take years of part-time employment to get on full-time. My next door neighbour in Chicago was desperate to get full time work with UPS. The part timers get irregular shifts and may not work much except during the Christmas rush. The workforce contains *many* part timers, EDIT: and they get paid 42% the rate of top, full-time drivers. Part-timers are guaranteed 3.5 hours per shift.

 

Healthcare and other benefits

These are part of the negotiated package, but not something the employee actually sees as income. Remember there is no NHS. Most employees in the US have to contribute out of their wages to cover their health insurance, and the company will also contribute separately and employees don't pay the entire premium out of pocket. The employees won't see anything like the figures quoted.

 

Having said that, they are paid well by the standards of hourly workers not requiring special training/skills.

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

well above the US average

"Average" for what exactly? I know the article references "average" pay. Does that include C-suite people? Some total of all salaried employees / number of employees sort of thing? Median wage ($57.2k) is usually more reliable.

 

A 'random' website Google hit suggests:

Quote

The average UPS driver salary in Oregon is $56,550 per year or $27.19 per hour.

Right around the median wage.

 

The Federal minimum wage* is well below the poverty line.

* $7.25 / hour ≈ $15k annually.

 

In Portland metro it is ≈ $32k annually, but you still can't live on that. Average apartment rental is $21k annually for 70 m^2.

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[Ozexpatriate]

One of the biggest issues the union was negotiating was for air-conditioning.

Quote

The agreement reached with the Teamsters last month raised starting pay for part-time staff to $21 an hour, recognised Martin Luther King Jr Day in January as a holiday for the first time, and secured improvement in working conditions, including promises to provide air conditioning in new delivery vehicles.

My emphasis.

 

None of the existing UPS delivery fleet has A/C. It is in excess of 110°F / 43°C across most of the southwest this week.

 

Search for  "UPS driver died of heatstroke". You'll get multiple hits for fatalities in 2021 and 2022.  In one of them there's a picture of someone with a thermometer in the cargo area reading 154°F / 68°C.

 

The company is only installing A/C in "new" vehicles.

 

Some of the pay increase is a negotiable relative to retroactive installation of A/C.

[Ozexpatriate]

The UPS agreement will be an interesting case study for people studying organized labour negotiations.

 

Here's a different perspective:

CBS: Some part-time UPS workers say "historic" contract falls short

 

If you look for alternative sources you'll find that part-time drivers are paid $21 per hour ≈ $44k* annually. The top full-time rate is $49 per hour ≈ $102k** annually.

 

* If you actually get 40 hours work (which you don't as a part-timer - they guarantee 3.5 hour days ≈ $19k annually ).

 

** A far cry from $170k - though with overtime (whether you want to work overtime or not) it is closer.

 

One of the working conditions workers wanted to get rid of was mandatory overtime. Drivers refusing Saturday/Sunday shifts could be "written up". Another aspect of delivery is that drivers have to finish their shift. If your route takes longer than your scheduled work day - due to extra loading, poor route planning, bad traffic, etc, then you end up working longer hours with no choice in the matter.

 

While they did negotiate MLK day as a paid holiday, they did not get Juneteenth as a paid holiday. (Both are Federal holidays.)

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Ozexpatriate

[pH]

1 hour ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Healthcare and other benefits

These are part of the negotiated package, but not something the employee actually sees as income. Remember there is no NHS. Most employees in the US have to contribute out of their wages to cover their health insurance, and the company will also contribute separately and employees don't pay the entire premium out of pocket. The employees won't see anything like the figures quoted.

When estimating labour costs for unionized employees on a project, we could add 107%  to base rates, depending on circumstances. That would be to cover things like pro-rated benefits, holiday allowance etc.

 

As Ozexpatriate says, an employee would not see anything like those estimate figures as direct income.

[Ozexpatriate]

Separately from UPS, one aspect of US salaries to consider is retirement planning.

 

For most salaried employees, a company sponsored "pension" is a thing of the long-ago past.

 

The US Federal Government manages "Social Security" which is a pay-as-you-go system. Money is automatically withheld from your paycheque and goes to the Federal Government every payday. The more you make, the more is taken out (up to a limit). Depending on the age at which you retire this produces a monthly payment - but often not much more than minimum wage in some places.

 

Most moderate-to-large companies offer employees optional participation in what is called a 401-K investment portfolio. The employer usually matches 3% of the first 6% of contributions (tax exempt) from employee salary. It is up to the employee to decide which allocation of funds (usually a collection of externally managed mutual funds) in which to invest.  This is intended as the primary retirement plan and can be carried over to a new employer if people change jobs.

 

Both of these are taken 'off the top' of every paycheque along with all the applicable, Federal, state and local taxes.

 

[monkeysarefun]

50 minutes ago, Ozexpatriate said:

Most moderate-to-large companies offer employees optional participation in what is called a 401-K investment portfolio. The employer usually matches 3% of the first 6% of contributions (tax exempt) from employee salary. It is up to the employee to decide which allocation of funds (usually a collection of externally managed mutual funds) in which to invest.  This is intended as the primary retirement plan and can be carried over to a new employer if people change jobs.

 

 

In comparison the government mandated rate that all employers have to contribute to employees superannuation (ie "pension"  increased by .5% to 11% last month.  This  amount is on top of an employees salary, not taken out of it  and  many employers offer up to 20% as an extra  enticement. Employees are able to contribute extra if they want which comes out of pre-taxable income, or contribute from post-tax income, which is tax deductible up to a ceiling (which is something like $27500).  

Edited August 9, 2023 by monkeysarefun

[polybear]

8 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

Since first seeking the doctor's help with sciatica last year and asking to be referred to a consultant on March 17, all that has happened is that just over three weeks ago I had an MRI scan at a few days notice. I hadn't heard anything since and the sciatic pain has been getting worse and more extensive, being so bad this morning that I decided to wait no longer and rang the GP practice. Much to my amazement spoke to a receptionist within a few minutes and got an appointment to see what they call an urgent case practitioner within the hour. He told me that my MRI scan showed what I suspected, i.e., degradation of the lower spine leading to irritation of the nerves and that as a result the practice wrote last week to the spinal unit of the hospital I had given as my choice. I did say that it would have been nice to be told about this but he made no comment. He then said that all they (the GP practice) could now do was to help me with pain control, which is fair enough, and gave me a prescription for a cocktail of analgaesics that I picked up from the pharmacy later. It has taken me nearly five months to get this far but at least things do seem to be happening.

 

Worst of all, of course, is that I haven't been able recently to get down to the shed for over a week now and do some modelling!

 

Dave

 

 

At times like this it'd really pay to have a R*ailway Muddlin' GP.....

 

"And how bad is the pain, Mr. Hunt?"

"I can't get to the shed......"

"NURSE....call an Ambulance......!!"

 

Bear here.....

Carpet day today.

YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.................

Once that's done all that remains is to fit the Handrail, buy & fit a Lampshade for the Hall and find & buy a mat for the Hall as well, to protect the carpet.

 

Oh yes, and I got a load of washing to do.  Poo.

The only other "fun" will be Postie Pat (or Patricia) coming to collect the recent Ebay sale - they're even bringing a label with them to stick onto it.

 

Bear gone

 

[jamie92208]

Good moaning from down ere.  The devil is always in the detail for pay and conditions and as mentioned above the true facts don't usually make for good headlines.  As a matter of interest I paid 11% gross of my salary for pension from 1985. It was 7% till then but they upped it for political reasons to help settle a dispute with NHS workers. The deed was done without negotiations.  However the resulting pension has more than made up for it. 21 years now. 

 

Anyway we went to a 66th birthday party last night but left early as Beth's shoulder was causing problems.  A good time was had.  A visit to a physio this morning to have the joint strapped up is booked.  Apart from that there isn't a lot of news. 

 

Jamie