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7:15 p.m. - 2004-09-01 Bringing Larry DownToday, I had to have Larry sign some papers for the D.O.T. file I keep on truck accidents. He had a fender bender with a parked car yesterday before he came back all sweaty, shaking and sick. When he came near me, I swear I smelled a faint alcohol smell. He was backing way off from me and when being near me was unavoidable, he talked through his hand. He seemed fine and was not shaky or sweaty or sick in the least bit...this is how this old alcoholic knew Larry had had a drink to steady himself before work this morning. He went outside and I reaized that our other driver, Mike, had not come in again today, meaning that Larry would have to drive again. Larry left the office and I flew into the bosses office, closed the door and told him that I thought I smelled booze on him, that he was talking through his hands, and that he was in late stage alcoholism and was not fit to drive whether he was sober or drinking. I explained to Howard that a late stage alkie was a worse driver with out the booze than with it and that he needs it just to be normal. I explained the shaking and the feeling of his brain short circuiting. Howard just put his head in his hands and shook it back and forth..didn't say anything else....I left the office and Larry took off in the Semi. Larry is getting paid $800.00 per week to take over Dan's job and Dan will take over Howard's job next week when he retires. Now there is a lot of Howard's job that I have already taken over and I have not gotten a raise for it...Ok...I still have some free time...free time that I could be learning the front office part of the rest of Dan's job, while Dan's son can learn the warehouse part of his job....we can lose Larry. Chuck and I would love to split the 800.00 per week and add it to our own salary and then we would each make 800.00 per week....this would put me in line to achieve part of my dream. On $800.00 per week, I could support myself...very very well. Since I work 20 miles out from the O'Hare airport area....I could move another 20 miles west from work and actually be in the country that I love so much and buy a really nice house....I could ditch the Prince....I could remain at that nice job where I don't have to talk "corporatese" and wear pantyhose and dresses....In short....to quote Martha...It's a good thing. Now...I would never sabotage Larry just to get what I want and if Larry were capable of doing the job he is getting paid 800.00 per week for, I would leave it at that...but Larry is not capable of doing that job and right now he is not capable of driving either. He is getting paid 800.00 per week to pace back and forth and run off at the mouth about Darlene and dating super models while the rest of us pick up the slack. I have been putting a bug in Dan's ear for weeks now about how Chuck and I could do that job if Larry somehow had to be let go. Dan agrees that we could. Today, after everyone else went home,...Larry sat his fanny down across from me and went rattling on about how they expected too much from him here at Midtown Pallet. They expect him to drive and to learn that new job and that just ain't worth 800.00 per week to him. I wanted to slap him.....$800.00 per week is $20.00 per hour....who in dland would like to be earning $20.00 per hour? Ok...maybe some of you are...but I'll bet most of you would like to. I do all the order taking, all the paperwork, all the accounting...I even file the taxes...CPA work...I am half way trained to dispatch and it wouldn't take much more training to be completely trained for that....I basically handle all office functions and I only get 400.00 per week....and no health insurance....so when Larry mentioned that $800.00 per week was not enough to pace back and forth and bitch about Darlene and float through the day higher than a kite and walk around and talk some more and sit around bullshitting with everybody for...I said "listen, if you aint happy, you can do my job for 400.00 per week",...he promptly changed the subject. Then Larry confided in me....he told me to keep all the bitching he just did about Howard being on his case and the fact that his D.O.T. physical card had expired, "Under my hat".... I have never been a snitch before....but I am not keeping anything Larry does under my hat anymore. Howard and Dan will find out everything he said to me today...yet I know that Howard will continue to give him a pass...but 2 weeks from now is another story. I have been spending that last few weeks getting on the owner's good side.....once Howard is retired and I no longer owe him my allegience,....I will go directly to Chander and tell him about Larry....about how Larry drinks and drives....about how Larry isn't learning the job....about how Chuck and I can, and offer him a proposal that I double my work load and my salary.....I think Dan will back me up on this. It is sad....Larry has been our freind and co worker for many many years...but quite frankly...I can't sit by while he is a potential "killer on the road" and I will not sit by and support him while he makes twice my salary and does less than 1/2 my job....I need that money if he doesn't....So Ladies and Gentlemen.....meet Paula the office snitch....yeah that's me...out for myself. P. I. Yarnsmith
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