Let me start at the beginning....
My husband Lee is a cable guy. He finished a 2 yr porject for Comcast as their Project Coordinator for Rebuild back in July of 2002 and was laid off for 6 months in TN. In Decmeber of 2002 I found an ad on a cable jobsite online for temporary work in NC and since his parents live there we gave the company an email to check it out. Immediately we had a a response and a phone number to call. That night, over the phone the company's Manager hired Lee for Quality Control Manager in Virginia at the home office. Lee left the next day to go work in VA and look for a place for us to move if it worked out.
Now the first thing that felt odd about this job was the company name. It was called JWS Cable Contractors, gave me the shivers and I laughingly told Lee that. The second thing was that Lee wa shired by the number two guy, and things went unusually fast about getting him up there to work.Over the next couple of weeks Lee got to hear some stuff about the company itself. stuff like the company had gone bankrupt and out of business two years ago and was now re-established under the boss' wife's name and they had this 'Manager' now who was an outside guy. But this was the week before Christmas and we were desperate and the offer got sweeter by the day...now JWS was paying for our moving expenses, AND first and security to get us into a house! We would have to pay it back, but at the rate of $25-50 a week depending on Lee's paycheck. It cost JWS about $2000 to move us that we would pay back and another $500 or so that they put out to put Lee in a temporary apartment and feed him for a month. Only one problem, the job was not Quality Control Manager. It turned into piece-work subcontracting cable tech stuff that Lee had not done in atleast 4 years, and when he did do it last he was getting paid three times as much as he was making now. JWS and the boss, lets call him JJ, kept promising that as soon as the Winter was over, as soon as the weather lets up, as soon as the next contract comes thru, etc etc etc.... Lee ended up subcontracting for Charter, Comcast, Adelphia, Nesbe and Cox thru JWS. Lee got better offers from atleast three of those 'real' cable companies, but he kept giving JJ a chance.
May 15th marked 5 months and there was still no hope of the job turning into what was promised. In fact a new guy was hired for that exact job! Why on earth anyone would put the money that JWS put into our move for just another tech was puzzling. (still is!) Then guys started quitting. Good guys. The guys who made JWS work. 2 in one week, then 3 the next. Lee was offered a 'real' job with Nesbe. Lee was in charge of the contract for Nesbe and he knew everyone he needed to know while he was working for JWS. Lee had a little talk with JJ. JJ ended up giving Lee his blessing and getting our promise that we will continue to pay JWS back for the move--we asked for it in writing, so far nothing yet. Well Lee gave JWS two weeks notice. Then three weeks ago Lee was on apole working for JWS, workign for Nesbe, and the pole snapped under him. He fell 15 feet--no safety harness because in 6 months JWS still did not manage to get him one--he got 11 staples in his tricep, 3 deep stitches in his right hand and a nasty bruise and abrasion on his hip, with back pain and hip pain. Worker's Comp is coveringit, we have an attorney, and thank goodness the docs do not think there is any permanent damage. Lee did not work his last two weeks for JWS. He started his new job at Nesbe Monday and started with a safety harness, a company truck, and twice what JJ was paying him on an hourly wage with full benefits. I am not saying JJ was a bad boss...just that he did not or could not keep any promises he made and it is not hard to see why the company went under the first time.
On wednesday Lee was told that the Manager at JWS quit. In fact he did not just quit. He took the entire NC team with him. It was a regular mutiny! He took all the people who worked for JWS and the contracts! JWS really screwed up and now it looks like it will repeat history and go under again. Lee actually felt a twinge of regret, but only a passing twinge. We cant afford to stay on a sinking ship.
ok so now comes the point of my whole post. Guess what I found out today?????????????
JJ and his wife are JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES! Well now, I should have gone with that first warning bell when I heard the name of the comapny ---J W S !
well now that explains ALOT!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And I invited JJ and his wife over for dinner!
Ravyn