You’re not going to believe this. Then again, maybe you will.
Remember the job I was telling you about? Nine days of unpaid training and the need to pass a bunch of proficiency tests, after which we were to start a part-time, no-benefits contract job for $9.50 an hour? Today I received a notice congratulating me on passing the final test. Unfortunately, the notice then went on to inform me that the project has been canceled. Just like that. There will be no jobs for anyone. No reason was given.
I’m still reeling from the news. While it may not sound like much, in our current situation, this job was like a lifeline. True, it was a contract job, but the contract period was to be extended indefinitely, and we’re desperate for any kind of steady income. Also, while the pay was low and the hours limited, there was a clear path to advancement, which would have meant better pay and more hours in the future. Most of all, we have no other source of income right now. None. Which is why I worked my ass off during the training period, even spending precious time away from my critically ill Balou because I really, really needed this job to work out.
The job was scheduled to start today. When I didn’t hear from my supervisor yesterday, I was a bit worried that maybe I hadn’t done as well as I thought on the final test, but it never occurred to me that the whole project had been canceled. That there might not be any work at the end of the training period even after passing all the proficiency tests with flying colors (which, it turns out, I did) was never even mentioned as a possibility.
Why did this happen? Clearly they feel we’re not entitled to an explanation. Or an apology. Just a “thank you for your time and effort.” The complete and utter contempt these corporations have for working people is beyond words. What they did to us is so incredibly wrong and unfair, but clearly they don’t see it that way at all. I guess since we were desperate enough to agree to an unpaid training period, our time and effort have no value and we deserve no respect.
Meanwhile my partner spent hours creating a custom-tailored resume and killer cover letter to apply for a job that turned out to be a fake. Because being unemployed in this economy isn’t tough enough already, some pieces of human excrement post fake Help Wanted ads on sites like Craigslist. In order to sound legit, they’ll ask for a resume and cover letter, sometimes even references or work samples, but their only purpose is to trick job seekers into signing up for some offer or website, so the scammers can earn affiliate income. So, after you’ve gone to the trouble of applying for the job, they’ll send you an email expressing great interest in hiring you, but first, they’ll say, you need to click on a link that will take you to a site where you can get a copy of your credit report to “verify your identity” or some other BS. These people are scum.
It is so incredibly difficult not to give up when, no matter what you do and how hard you work, you’re hit with one setback after another and nothing ever works out. What exactly are people supposed to do when they can’t find work and aren’t eligible for government assistance? Evaporate into thin air? Are we just supposed to cease to exist because the economy has no use for us?
Sasha Said 
I used to think that unions were obsolete. Stories like yours have helped convince me I was wrong. Corporations and workers will always have conflicting interests. As you have found out, one employee has zero chance against a large corporation – especially when jobs are scarce. The only hope workers have for better wages and working conditions is if they band together.
Hang in there, the economy will get better. I just dropped a few coins in the tip jar, hope it helps.
P.S. If you want to start a boycott of the company that jerked you around, you can count me in!
I’m so sorry for what’s happened to you. You’re absolutely right that corporations have no end of contempt for applicants and employees. I’m in a $10.00/hr job at a call center that is an “outsourced solution” for a Federal government program. The Federal employees, who shun all inquiries and don’t want any calls transferred to them, are paid a starting salary of $80,000, Federal benefits, Federal holidays…all the rest. We outsourced @$$holes get only corporate holidays, high-cost benefits, and oh yeah…did I mention The Federal Government – Mister Ultra Liberal “I feel your pain” administration – contracted AGAINST ANY RAISES for the call center staff – for all seven years of the contract? And that’s not all! For this oh-so-princely pay of $10.00 (for however long we’re financially forced to stay with this loser call center), we also have to go through the infamous 7-year Federal Background Check. Which apparently includes snotty, condescending letters to the call center staff if there’s ANYTHING they don’t like about you. My coworkers have been called “frivolous, reckless, irresponsible” and many other highly professional adjectives as part of the “investigation” process. Contempt? Hell Yeah. It’s coming from the highest levels in this nation, and it will ONLY get worse!