UP AND AWAY....WITH B OF A

I just saw George Clooney's new movie Up and Away. It was a very good movie for today's economical environment; definitely not a love story. I told my daughter she'd better not see it.

My daughter--actually two of them--has worked in the mortgage business for many years, with several large companies. She was with Countrywide which is now Bank of America. (Yes, I know the EVIL ones) But the stories you read about and what you see on TV are about the CEOs, the bigwigs, not the everyday people in the trenches doing the actual hard work, toting the company line, making the money for all those shareholders and those bonuses. It's a totally "whole nuther" world there.

She has always cared for her employees, remembered birthdays, had team events, encouraged them and scolded when needed. It is her job to give evaluations, set up and monitor new offices and their staff, hire and fire, and report to the Big Boss. She is a Regional Operations manager and goes to several states in the area to do her job. It was always challenging, exciting and rewarding for her. Now that has changed drastically. This is where the movie comes in......

She has to go to offices, evaluate, then go back to give out the "separation of employment" packets provided by BOA. She realigns regional branches, and lately, closes them. She has a "script" to follow, a time span in which to do it, and reports to file. The only problem is that unlike Up and Away where there is no personal connection: she KNOWS these people, she KNOWS their circumstances.
There's the single mom with two kids, one who needs medical attention. Or the woman in her mid-50's who'll probably not find another job soon. Or the gentleman who had a heart attack right after their discussion. Or even the people who can keep employment but at a branch 50 miles away for much less than their current salary. (My other daughter) While CEOs are getting huge salaries and ungodly bonuses, she and her employees are having their salaries "reevaluated" and their small bonuses dropped. We're not talking millions here, folks. She had to attend a meeting all last week in NC to find this out, and then received an e-mail while returning home that even those rules had changed again. Since she was a "new" BOA employee she's well aware that after doing all this, she could be dumped, too.

There is something inherently wrong with the big corporate structure we have let come into play today. We know whose side the government is on. The deck is stacked against any hard working person in this country today. Need more proof? Look at our Supreme court to see whose side they're on now. And seeing that movie would really dismay my daughter.