Getting What’s Coming To You

I enjoyed Mark Skaer’s column in the Nov. 5 issue (“Having The Right Attitude Today Is Important — Period”) about having the right attitude. I did work for a consolidator company that fit the bill in your story — put a service man in the field with four days’ training in a truck. When the company takes that position, it deserves what happens to it. Having started in this business in 1954 but only having two weeks’ experience, I feel I have a right to express myself. My hvac contractor’s license was used without my permission to take permits for their jobs. Have a bad attitude? You bet.

Why are there no articles about things like this? You know as well as I, this goes on every day.

Feel sorry for them? No way. They should be put away — way away.

Robert L. Wing, Littleton, CO

A Little Common Sense Is All It Takes

It’s interesting how things have come around with regard to employer/employee relations. It wasn’t all that long ago when “The New Managers” were focused on improving the bottom line through the ruthless use of intimidation and termination. Yep, what better way to gain an employee’s trust, respect, and loyalty. So, why should it be a big surprise that high employee turnover is costing businesses a lot of money?

Sounds to me like business forgot they were dealing with (real) people, and are learning that a “use ’em, abuse ’em, lose ’em” attitude will come back to bite them in the butt.

American workers are inferior. Not. Apparently, the people who were polled didn’t take into account that the rest of the world is scrambling to catch up with us, and will often steal or copy our technology — and everything else that’s American. American workers aren’t inferior to workers in other countries, but there is a difference. American workers have the advantage of choice, and they will choose to leave a bad employment situation.

Ted Garrison makes some accurate points [“Attracting and Keeping Managers Can Be A Pain,” Nov. 19], but it was interesting to note that he was really expressing what was once known as common sense: “Treat people like you want to be treated.” “You’ll attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.” “Don’t spit into the wind.” “Never step on Superman’s cape.” “Treat someone poorly and they will perform poorly.” “No one is more important than someone who performs a service and performs it well.”

“There are plenty of experts who can reinvent the sneaker, but it still takes common sense to tie the laces.”

Sal Sciandra, Temperature Engineering Corp., Sterling Heights, MI

Keep Government Out Of Business

John R. Hall’s column on accountability [“Accountability: TDLR Sets A Good Example”] in the Nov. 26 issue of The News disturbs me.

I am the owner of an hvac business in St. Louis, MO. I have been in business for 18 years and have run a very successful and honest company.

I do agree that anyone less than honest or unqualified should be run out of our business.

However, I don’t want to see any more government control. I am licensed in all of the fields necessary to do the residential and commercial work our company performs. We have, however, just completed a three-year battle with the county because of unfair licensing which favored certain labor unions. If you don’t think the labor unions are in tight with the municipalities, you have a lot to learn.

The penalties that Hall spoke of were all ridiculous. My challenge to him is, how do we police our industry, but keep the government and politics out of it?

Mark Menos, Kirkwood Heating & Air Conditioning, St. Louis, MO

Publication date: 12/24/2001