Rant #1,844: Working in the Coal Mine

“In our society ... those who are in reality superior in intelligence can be accepted by their fellows only if they pretend they are not.”

— Marya Mannes, writer and broadcast commentator

As many of you know, the company I have worked for for the past nearly 21 years is teetering on oblivion. A few months back, they canceled our 401K plan, and we had to fill out a ton of paperwork so that the money would eventually be sent our way, to respective IRA plans or other financial plans each of us have set up to handle the money.

Evidently, my company had some type of agreement with the company overseeing our 401K—not the company where are accounts were, but a third-party facilitator—that after an undetermined period of time—at least to us workers—the money would be transferred over to our respective accounts.

From what I understand, Tuesday was the day the money was transferred over, but there was a problem with my account. The IRA that I had set up for just this purpose—and had been putting money into over the past several weeks—would not accept an ACH money transfer, so my money could not be sent to the account.

I was told by my employer that I would have to set up the account so that it could accept a transfer of this sort, and at lunchtime yesterday, I went to the bank to have this done.

Little did I know what I was in for.

I was told by my bank that they could not accept ACH money transfers, and that either a check would have to be mailed directly to me or to the bank in order for the money transfer to be made.

I called my work via my cell phone about this, and they told me in no uncertain terms that the money had to be transferred electronically, and there was no further discussion on this, case closed.

However, it says right on the paperwork that I filled out that the money owed us could be transferred either electronically or via paper check.

I brought this up to them, they would not listen, told me to find another bank, and the CEO of our company hung up on me.

I went from bank to bank, and many banks only accept paper bank transfers, and will not accept any other type of transfer into a personal IRA.

Finally, I found a bank that accepted electronic transfers, and I was basically forced to set up an IRA there, even though I have no other accounts with this bank.

I came back to work, and had to fill out more paperwork related to my new IRA at the bank, and I again brought up that the original paperwork stated that paper checks could be cut for such transfers.

I was told the subject was non-negotiable, and our accountant actually walked away from me when I brought this up to her.

I was not nasty, I was not yelling at them, but they put me through the ringer, once again—you might remember my health insurance problem with them—and they forced me to go to a bank that I have no business with and create an account that up until today, I had no idea that I needed.

They have lied to me constantly about matters that they feel do not involve them—yes, the health insurance problem again (which only took a modification to change, finally put in place after 21 years of asking them to drop me from the plan), put off when they would talk about my vacation (I put in for my vacation a month ago, and I am still waiting for an answer), and now this—and really, I do not feel comfortable working in this place at all.

They are completely impossible to work for and with, and I know that I deserve better … and I am working toward that goal, but it is not easy.

I have been yelled at, been treated like I should be happy that they didn’t fire me as we have downsized to next to nothing, and they really feel so big about it. They are little fishes in an even smaller pond, one that is nearly barren of water.

Right now, I just have to dog paddle in that small pond until I find something else. What else can I do?