My kiddies had another birthday.

Coral is going to audition for her school talent show. She is going to use her "sonjee bongs" (foam nunchuks) to some asian-themed techno-muzak. Should be cool. She's becoming quite the spunky little "tween" there.

Colin is painfully learning to EAT what is put in front of him. This has meant a couple of nights going hungry. He's just so pitiful...but there doesn't seem to be any other way to convince him that he's gotta eat what Mommy makes for him.

My Mom came thru with presents for the kids: Gift Certificates to the other gaming store in our neighborhood. We'll see...if I can ever find the store.

***NEWS FLASH***

I am now a card carrying member of the Teamsters Local 31.

To anyone who actually READS this 'blog (besides me...): So Sorry...had to keep the whole "union drive at work" thing under wraps until the vote went thru. So now HBC Distribution Centre 507 is a Union Shop. The proverbial straw was a new compensation package with which we were informed that top-of-scale wage earners would no longer be getting COLA increases...instead we would be recieving a once-a-year "lump sum".

Ummm...sorry, but a once-a-year payment does NOT work the magic of Compound Interest.

It does not help my monthly Pension Contributions, nor does it increase the matching funds the company also contributes to my Pension.

It does not at all increase the extra monies I make from working overtime. At 507, we work lots of overtime.

Finally, the unionised associates at our unionised facilities in Ontairio and Quebec are still getting their COLA increases...and our management here has already pointed out that it is unalterable, set-in-stone policy to pay wages and compensation to our unionised and non-union associates exactly the same. Except for now, that is.

Irony: the new compensation package came about (I presume) as a result of a directive from HBC corporate in Toronto to come up with some way of decreasing the Payroll costs for this facility. For the "once a year payment" is certainly a good thing...for the Company. Now that we are unionised, the first demand from our bargaining unit is likely to be a pay increase to compensate for the deduction of union dues...AND our COLA increases back. Payroll is gonna get more expensive 'round here...