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Interesting...
Oct. 14th, 2009 09:47 pmI received a mail order catalog this week from Jameco Electronics, a California-based supplier of computer parts and various electronic bits that are used by both computer and radio experimenters. I've used them for years because they accept small orders without tacking on a huge service fee, unlike many of the other companies who stock what I want. This catalog, however, looks very different on the outside. Instead of featuring some kind of parts display on the cover, it has a full page black and white photo taken by Dorothea Lange in 1933, showing a soup kitchen line on San Francisco's waterfront at the height of the Great Depression.
Sure enough, where there's usually a brief sales talk on page one pushing some new item, they credit the photo (title: "White Angel Breadline") and go on to say that like most of us, their company has felt the economic impact of this recession. The surprise, and something that seems unusual for many American corporations, is that they committed to avoiding lay offs among their employees if at all possible, and have so far succeeded. How? By cutting the salaries of top management, which certainly seems an appropriate first step to me. Those are the people who can best afford to take a major cut, and should be willing to do so to show their commitment to the company's goals and support for the employees who keep their operations going.
I have no reason to think they are just making this up. If true, then I have one more reason to continue to give them my business over others who may have slightly lower prices, but have shown less visible concern for the integrity of their operations and the security of their employees.
Alas, the opposite seems to be true of many libraries in our consortium. Most are trapped in a budget process that is controlled by their city government, and small towns are really feeling a pinch now as they lose tax revenues but still have to provide police, fire, and other services to the same size population. Unfortunately, many of them seem to be viewing their libraries as dispensible. So far, I can knock on wood for Harvard, which has not gone so far as to view the library tax funds as an unprotected source they can plunder at will.
Gloomy, drizzly weather. Supposed to be worse tomorrow, though we are still expecting a hay delivery in the morning. We hope to get it unloaded right away and send the empty wagon back. I expect about 150 bales. We will need three more loads that size before we feel secure for the winter.
Sure enough, where there's usually a brief sales talk on page one pushing some new item, they credit the photo (title: "White Angel Breadline") and go on to say that like most of us, their company has felt the economic impact of this recession. The surprise, and something that seems unusual for many American corporations, is that they committed to avoiding lay offs among their employees if at all possible, and have so far succeeded. How? By cutting the salaries of top management, which certainly seems an appropriate first step to me. Those are the people who can best afford to take a major cut, and should be willing to do so to show their commitment to the company's goals and support for the employees who keep their operations going.
I have no reason to think they are just making this up. If true, then I have one more reason to continue to give them my business over others who may have slightly lower prices, but have shown less visible concern for the integrity of their operations and the security of their employees.
Alas, the opposite seems to be true of many libraries in our consortium. Most are trapped in a budget process that is controlled by their city government, and small towns are really feeling a pinch now as they lose tax revenues but still have to provide police, fire, and other services to the same size population. Unfortunately, many of them seem to be viewing their libraries as dispensible. So far, I can knock on wood for Harvard, which has not gone so far as to view the library tax funds as an unprotected source they can plunder at will.
Gloomy, drizzly weather. Supposed to be worse tomorrow, though we are still expecting a hay delivery in the morning. We hope to get it unloaded right away and send the empty wagon back. I expect about 150 bales. We will need three more loads that size before we feel secure for the winter.
