Major work related rant here...be forewarned.

[Mr.MouseFan]

This is officially my first rant, but I need to get this out of my system, ask a few questions and maybe get some answers.

First, a little background. I work at the Atlantic City Hilton Casino and Resort which is run by Park Place Entertainment in Atlantic City. I've been working there for just about four years. At the current time, my job title is "Master Cashier". Basically, I work in one of four different areas in the Casino Cage. On any given night, I can be responsible for over $60,000,000 in cash. I don't know about you, but to me, that is a whoooooole lotta money and a whoooooole lotta trips to Walt Disney World. Anyway, every night I am responsible for accounting for every last penny of whatever bank I have that night. On to the rant......

The past June, I became really sick and landed in the hospital for six days. After my stay in the hospital, I was sent home with an IV tube sticking out of my arm so I could take antibiotics. I was out of work for 3 months and 12 days. Upon my arrival back at work, I was made aware of the fact that, due to my being on medical leave of absence, I was automatically paid any sick time that I was entitled to, which was true. I was also automatically paid for any VACATION time that I had available, which was also true. I also found out that I was automatically paid for any vacation time I had available for 2003, which was also true! What this basically means is that because I got sick and had to unwillingly be out of work for 3 months I lost all my sick time (which is completely understandable) as well as all of my VACATION time for the next YEAR!!!!! How on God's green earth can this be legal?! I will be going out on another leave next week because I need to have an operation. Any vacation time that I have accrued in the last three weeks will also automatically be paid to me. Therefore, I won't be able to take any vacation until a year after I return from this upcomming leave. How can any corporation knowingly punish it's employees for getting sick by stripping them of any vacation time for a full year after their return to work is beyond me and I think it is completely and totally reprehensible!

In other unrelated news, our casino was recently chosen as the "Best of" in many categories by a reader's choice survey by the Atlantic City Press. "Best Casino", "Best Cashback", "Best Restaurants", best this, best that, including "Best Service"! How does Park Place Entertainment thank its employees at the Hilton for making it the best property in town? They drop the maximum raise from 5% to 4%!! Now obviously, nobody has ever gotten the maximum 5%, but I have gotten 4% (one of the highest in my department, not to brag..lol) which equates to about a $.41 raise if I were to get the same this year...however, with this new decrease, let's assume the best I can possible do is 3%...that equates to about a $.31 raise. Heaven for bid I should get a 2.7% raise...that would work out to about $.28. So basically, unless I am able to score a raise equal in proportion to last year's, I'll be getting a raise of just a little over HALF of what I got last year. All this and STILL on any given day, I am responsible for accounting for over $60,000,000 of their money.

The moral of this rant? Don't ever work for a casino in Atlantic City.....they expect you to never be sick and to be accountable for millions upon millions of dollars while at the same time they screw you over royally any time the oppurtunity presents itself.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is my first ever rant....sorry if it was too long and too boring, but now I feel a smidge better.

 

[Cindy B]

Sorry to hear that. As for vacation, sick time, why didn't you go on Short Tem Disability?

Or used the Family Medical Leave act?

Some places do use vacation/sick time. I have seen it as well.

As for the raise, many places haven't got any raises, or much smaller...


I know the casinos are a booming business. People still go even in hard times.

I hope you feel better, and you recover quickly.

 

[gina2000]

I feel for you. Everyone needs to have a vacation and to take it away for the following year seems quite unfair.

Sometimes you have to wonder if unions were really all that wrong....

 

[wovenwonder]

Sorry but I don't have any words of wisdom. But sending some {{{{HUGS}}}}}} hoping it all will work out for you!

 

[coqui]

That sucks.

Like Cindy B said, they don't have short term disability?

 

[Mskanga]

Mr MouseFan;
Back in 1992 when I was also working in NJ in a resort I needed surgery on both feet , one at a time and when I spoke to the doctor about that he told me that if I was going to be out more than 30 days , he could put me out on disability until I recovered which was not expected to be until 6 months later because it was major surgery.
Two weeks after I was operated on, my employer laid me off using the reason that I would be absent for too long when the real truth was that the company was being sold and everyone was getting laid off , they all went within a month after I was laid off too. By that time I started getting state disability and when that ran out ( just about the time I was supposed to go back to work ) unemployment kicked in, so I had some more time with pay while I looked for another job.
I know that NJ still has state disability ( dh works in NJ and it's taken out of his paycheck every week ) so talk to your doctor and look into that, the doctor should have done that the first time too unless the law has changed there since but I don't think so , my MIL did the same thing almost five years ago when she got really sick.
Look into it, trust me!!

 

[bumcat]

If we use short term disability they force us to use all sick pay and vacation pay first. What a joke, I cancelled. After my sick pay and vacation was used up, short term was going to kick in and I would have gotten paid for 1 1/2 days.

4% really isn't so bad, where I work 3% is the most you can get and that is if your perfect! I was lucky enough to get a 3% raise in august.

It is rough coming back to work knowing you do not have any sick pay or vacation for a year.

 

[jx3smom]

Did you check with the state wage and labor board about vacation time? I know if you are on disability they make you use current sick and vac. time but not future.

DH is a Casino Cage Supervisor at the Plaza. The most anyone could get in any department was 3%.

I worked for Playboy/Atlantis and HATED it.

 

[Mskanga]

They made me use all of the sick and vacation time I had accumulated for that year but they never made me use the one for the following year, they didn't know if I would still be working for them and even with that I may have accumulated 2-3 days by then....but there's still state disability in NJ.

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

Thanks for all your responses and well wishes folks, I definitely appreciate them!

As for state disability, I was collecting disability but could only do so after I was paid my vacation and sick time. Before I went out on leave, I had 40 hours of vacation available for this year and had already accrued time for next year. According to my pay stub as of last week, I had zero hours available for this year and only 8 for next so they definitely paid me for next year's vacation time as well. (It's a good thing we decided to go to WDW in April instead of October...LOL) I just can't see how it's legal to do such a thing and make people work a full year after a leave of absence.

As for the raise, in hindsight, I guess 3% is better than nothing at all. I'd be very upset if that were the case.

jx3smom- I worked at Atlantis when it was "World's Fair"...I also worked at Trump Plaza as a slot cashier....I hated every winking moment of that job..LOL. I should check with the state wage and labor board but the casinos have New Jersey wrapped around their pinky fingers.

Again, thanks for all the well wishes!