Thanksgiving now a 2-day city holiday?

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

Can anyone please explain why city workers now receive 2 paid holiday days for Thanksgiving? And why I and my family were unable to access our city services on Friday, November 27th? City Hall was closed as well as the public library. It's annoying enough that the building where you must go to access your city's services closes every Friday at noon, now they are closed the day after Thanksgiving as well? This is where the term 'hack holiday' comes from, I guess!

Comments

[velvet-tipping.livejournal.com]

I'm sure you could deal with waiting until Monday.

[in-parentheses.livejournal.com]

Because they want a vacation, too?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

probably for the same reason that they get paid holidays at all.

a great many private industry companies include the day after thanksgiving as a paid holiday, as well. and certainly some city services (eg trash pickup) were handled as normal on friday.

[smeetie.livejournal.com]

Actually, a lot of places are closing down the day after Thanksgiving and the week around Christmas to save money on energy costs. It may sound silly, but you can really save bucks doing this. My place of work does this also.

[qwrrty.livejournal.com]

Can anyone please explain why city workers now receive 2 paid holiday days for Thanksgiving?

Because making it an unpaid holiday would not have been in the spirit of brotherly love, of course.

[docorion.livejournal.com]

Well, there is the possibility that what you're looking at is an unpaid furlough. I know the state is requiring its employees to take a five day unpaid furlough between now and the end of the fiscal year (in June); it makes sense that cities and towns are doing the same.

Which, in case you weren't looking, basically represents a pay cut-they don't get paid for that day of furlough. For state employees, it's a 2% pay cut (possibly morphing into a 5% pay cut, because they're apparently looking to cut another week somewhere).

Just, you know, suggesting interpretations other than the worst possible one.

[gingicat]

I suspect this is one of the ways they are managing costs so as to not lay people off...

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Fun fact, most non-retail companies give the day after Thanksgiving as a holiday because otherwise the vast majority of their employees take the day as a vacation day anyway. Somebody ran the numbers once and it worked out to something like 91%.

Oddly people enjoy spending time with their families. Weird, I know.

[icecreamempress.livejournal.com]

The poster getting a day off to spend with family is apparently just and right.

City employees getting a day off to spend with family is AN OUTRAGEOUS WASTE OF TAX DOLLARS.

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

How dare they refuse to do exactly what you want and when you want it!? Don't they know the world revolves around your family and you?

[benndragon.livejournal.com]

Heaven forfend public servants be allowed to have time with their families when you want service. What were you supposed to do, wait three whole days to return your library books? How unfair is that? It's not even like there's a phone number, something like 311, that you could have called to see if they would have a day off when most other people do. No, there just ain't no justice in this city. Where's Batman when you need him?

[lizzielizzie.livejournal.com]

Seems to me Thanksgiving has always been a 2-day municipal holiday. I'm not sure why you are surprised at this.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Did YOU have a paid holiday that day?

[0bsessions.livejournal.com]

This remark is so much further down than I am comfortable with. How is it no one else noted that earlier? I'm scanning the comments and wondering "Why is no one asking this yutz why he was at City Hall trying to get shit done instead of working?"

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, I've been away from LJ for a while.

however, in the interest of full disclosure, I had Friday as a paid day off - but I don't work for the government.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Seemed to me that comments 2 and 3 said pretty much the same thing.

But maybe if it's said in enough different ways, the OP will eventually understand that "public servant" does not mean "servant like in the good old Victorian era and they ought to just be grateful they get any money at all, let alone holidays."

[talonvaki.livejournal.com]

Seriously, this. Both my husband and I have Thanksgiving Friday off as a paid holiday. So does pretty much everyone we know.

Except for retail, I wouldn't be surprised if places were closed that day at all.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I do work for the government (but not for the city) and I did not have the day off. I took it as a vacation day, as did most of the people in my office (although we were technically open.)

Many cities are forcing unpaid furloughs on staff (as mentioned above) and I would not be surprised if Somerville were one of them. Or it may have just closed due to the extremely low volume of people coming in that day. The fixed costs just aren't worth it, if you are thinking like a business.

Anyway, it is frustrating when you finally take the time to come to a government office to do your business and it is closed. On the other hand, why not just call first and save yourself a trip?

[thespian.livejournal.com]

you and your family were just clamouring for city services, huh?

was there a reason why you waited 2 days to complain? (and on a Sunday no less. when it's all closed *anyway* and certainly no one who actually *could* explain it would be around to do so).

Seriously, have you been upset about this for days?

[ron_newman]

The library is open this afternoon (Sunday) if you really need it. Was open yesterday, too.

Post offices were open on Friday...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Why don't they need a vacation too?

Re: Post offices were open on Friday...

[beezy515.livejournal.com]

They are run by the federal government, not the local government.

Re: Post offices were open on Friday...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

OKAY, so unlike city employees, federal employees don't need a vacation. Because...

Re: Post offices were open on Friday...

[zaarwin-devolve.livejournal.com]

A lot of federal employees are forced to take off time between Christmas and New Year's, though. At least affected employees know it and can save up vacation/credit time so that they get paid.

Re: Post offices were open on Friday...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad I'm beyond the typical holiday cycle. I take time off when I want to. Typically, when everybody else is working so the nice places are not mobbed.

[hr-macgirl.livejournal.com]

Cambridge was the same: city hall closed, libraries ditto. Was trash pickup delayed in Somerville? In Cambridge it took place as usual (with Thursday's pickup happening on Friday, and Friday's on Saturday).

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

It wasn't, so no biggie on that end.

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Because it would be stupid as shit to have city employees break up a decent 4-day holiday to come in for a half day when most businesses will be closed and things like Inspectional Services would be sitting around playing FreeCell all day?

Many Ciddya Summaville offices are open late on Thursday evening then close at noon on Friday. I don't know about you, but Thanksgiving is the *only* four-day weekend I reliably get all year 'round.

I'm tempted to take a pie over to Traffic and Parking just to thank them for putting up with all the people who come in grumpy on Monday.

[somertricky.livejournal.com]

I hope you're going to throw it at someone...

[etana.livejournal.com]

Because you cause indigestion. That's why.

[ron_newman]

<applauds>

[rumpleteasah.livejournal.com]

Now, I think this may be the best instance of trolling I've seen so far on this community. *nods* That is what I will choose to believe, and not that someone is ACTUALLY so inconsiderate as to whine about things being closed the day after thanksgiving.

[soft-shoulder.livejournal.com]

If it is a troll that would explain why their journal is almost exclusively lost cell phone posts.