Tuesday, August 14, 2007


Another incident of non-harmonic convergence at the Mt. Express





Earlier this summer, Jean Levy, a dedicated newspaper employee of 14 years, was fired from her job as a receptionist / typesetter. When Jean first filed for unemployment, she was denied benefits, reportedly for two reasons. First, about a year before her firing, the President of a soon-to-open bank came into the paper, to run an ad commemorating their grand opening. In her sometimes cantankerous manner, Jean blurted out to the man something like, “That’s about all we need in this town, is another bank!” Needless to say, the bank President was taken aback. And when the publisher got wind of this, Jean was taken into the office for a general chewing out.





The second reason the Mt. Express gave for her termination was that they said Jean swore while working at the front desk. Although that may have been the case, evidently Jean was never given fair warning, and rather than this part of her character being embraced by upper management as it was by some of the mid-level employees; it affected her job. Moreover, there wasn’t anything in the employee handbook alluding to this cursed guideline. In fact, a decade before, when another employee, Gayle Kerr, complained about foul language, she was told in no uncertain terms that she just had better get used to it. Later on, Gayle said, “And you know what? I got f&$#*%g! used to it!”





Reportedly, when Jean signed up for unemployment benefits, she was told that her case was being challenged - in part because they said the incident with the banker caused the newspaper “undue financial distress”. Therefore Jean was ineligible for any money, and with rent soon due. When current and former colleagues heard Jean’s unfortunate news, they surreptitiously rallied to find her a good attorney –Jan Wygle.



Not only that, but also several former employees wrote letters and signed legal statements to the effect that during their years of working alongside Jean, that they not heard her curse.





The Goliath Express management was unprepared for what they thought was a slam –dunk case of discarding a poor defenseless lady onto the mean streets of Ketchum. During their cold calculations they never figured that so many former employees would step up to the plate for Jean and help her rebound from this pickle. The streets of Ketchum were actually kind ones, filled with empathetic friends that Jean could count on.



Ironically, during Jean’s 14 years of employment, upper management sometimes referred to her as a “charity case.” Well, if the facts presented here are true, then the Express’s charity took a quick turn for the worse in Jean’s case.



Rather than being admonished and likely verbally abused, Jean should have been commended with a ceremonious badge of courage, for seizing the opportunity to speak up for the rest of us by telling the Banker man off to his face on that fine summer day.



Jean, in that resounding brave minute was repeating the same sentiments about banks that other people had expressed, through letters to the editor and even editorials published by the Express staff and approved by it’s Publisher.



At last report, it sounded like the Express management had finally come to it’s senses on this issue and after a fortnight fight, Jean will be receiving some type of unemployment compensation. In the meantime, the current and former employees are asked to honor this certificate of commendation recently presented to Jean at the Casino bar:

1 comment:

  1. Anonymous6:05 PM

    Well, you answered my wonderings now, Jim. I remember noticing the sudden absence of Jean Levy in the IME masthead. Originally, I worried about health for her. Now I know what really went down.

    In my years of working within earshot of Jean (1999 - 2003) never did I notice any kind of "troubling" trend of swear words, let alone anything that would normally ever reach the hallowed ears of visitors/advertisers. Did I figure she could swear up a storm? (Yeah, of course). But I knew and enjoyed her crusty sense of humor, which I kind of linked to an accumulation of her years of experience living in the Valley (at first with a difficult husband, then raising kids) divorce, and then just her just "surviving" as the Valley went through its yuppie phase and later as it got just more and more expensive to cling on to Ketchum rentals and fill the fridge. So with Jean, I figured she earned her right of free expression long ago.

    AND THERE ARE TOO MANY BANKS IN THE UPPER VALLEY, THEIR FOOTPRINTS ARE NOW FAR TOO LARGE, AND THEIR MASSIVE DEPOSITS ARE CLOGGING OUR VISTAS WITH CANYONS OF DEPRECIATED ASSETS!!!! (damnitall....)

    (I think that the little dog in the classic IME cartoons should be Pavovlicly lifting its rear leg and wetting on ALL future bank cornerstones by now....)

    Anyway, I know that many people like Jean, relate to her, and she gave the front desk a sense of continuity. I thought she added good balance to the jittery laugh of Rebecca and the somber quietude of the other ex-classified girl in that period.

    Thirdly, you know you have to be a little tough up at the front line of the IME, dealing with the first angry words of the disgruntled walk-in visitor, ready to spew over an ad that displayed badly, a classified misclassified, the misreporting reporter, or the next pissy editorial.

    (Basically, up at the front desk, you never know what nasty chocolate box mutation you might get). Jean could handle the "situation" with aplomb, and seemed to be able to diffuse some of the bombastic energy, before it inevitably blasted back deeper into the office. With Jean, you could at least count on: no tears, high drama or quivering breakdowns.

    So, to conclude, it's all because of Jean's one magnified incident of possible verbal misjudgement, (of which Jean still might not want to take back, because it was Mr. Banker's ruffled plumage that accelerated the blowout). To me, this not weighty enough to slice her off at the knees, and then go for the second strike of choking off her temporary unemployment compensation.

    Does the banker realize what he started, and furthermore, should the IME's response yield banker bob this much leverage???? I seem to remember Pam herself pulling all her Mountain Express payroll and account money out of Mountain States Bank over some other plumage-ruffling tiff.

    It all comes across mean-spirited, which has a hidden karma kick-back penalty that can slowly erode general employee morale and loyalty. Was the management ice storm worth it? Would they make a TAKE 2 if they could on hindsight? Are more "Expressos" leaving the roost with bitter tastes in the new century? Are words much more powerful than the IBM Selectric pitched in anger? I don't know....

    Once again, the "pride monster" stumbles upon the piddly pebbles of the dwindling Wood River, till it takes out yet another fishing bridge. No more crossing back over. Treat the new sensitive breed of banker with uncommon reverence. I hear Johnny Cochrane echoing: "if the credit is offered, the IME must discredit!" Everything must have gotten VERY serious amid the neuvo canyons of Ole Sheeptown these days.

    Good luck to Jean, may her friends rally on her behalf and help direct her to an acceptable job so she can enjoy her life.

    If there are any updates let me know. I think of her affectionately today. Jim, if you run into to her, let her know sometime that I'm thinking of her and wish her good luck on the next bridge worth crossing.

    Brad

    ReplyDelete

Popular posts