4 - The Lamont Leader (Lamont, Alberta), Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Opinion Remember Remember, Remember Lest we forget Our loved ones Our dear ones Who fought in the wars They fought for our freedom They fought for our land The fought for our peace They fought for all man In Flanders Fields The poppies blow Between the crosses Row on row That mark our place And in the sky The larks still bravely singing fly Scarce heard amidst the guns below Remember, Remember Lest we forget Our loved ones Our dear ones Who fought in the wars They fought for our freedom They fought for our land The fought for our peace They fought for all man We are the dead Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow Loved and were loved And now we lie In Flanders Fields
Letter to the Editor
Does it pay to give it all? I worked for the local Co-op just shy of 39 years, managing the operation for the past 16 years. During that time, I ran a very tight ship while doing my best to provide top notch customer service and satisfaction. During this time dividends were paid back to the members, matched by no other Northern Alberta operation. Member rebates of up to 14 cents/litre on all fuel was unheard of. Since 2001 nearly $30 million was given to member equity and nearly $25 million was paid back in cash to the members. One could say that is fair performance with sales doubling within five years. Managers of other stores in the Federated Co-op system would receive yearly bonuses
depending on their performance. I did NOT. When one of our employees got sick and I did not know if he could return, being kind and compassionate, I wanted to make sure there was a position to return to, thus not hiring anyone for over a year. I took on their role solely, thus thousands of dollars in wages were not paid by the operation. I spent many nights working till 11 p.m. in the store with quite a few nights past midnight. When I retired I asked for a long term service and performance award but of what was granted, nothing. At least bonuses for the past year would have been something. I spoke with the director from a nearby operation and asked if their manager received bonuses, he said “Yes Absolutely!”
They paid their manager a performance bonus every single year. He was very surprised I received nothing knowing the monumental success of our operation. The director also went on to say when their manager retires that he would be getting additional bonuses and suggested I ask the board again. I followed the advice and asked again and was told “You left voluntarily”, and that no compensation would be paid. I wasn’t asking for severance pay but rather at least some kind of performance award. In the past three years I had three days off, two in 2014, one in 2015 and ZERO days off in 2016. Being a dedicated, honest, loyal and hard-working manager asking for some appreciation and gratitude, didn’t seem
unreasonable. I worked well past the age of 65 and provided ample notice of retirement for a smooth transition. I poured my heart and soul into the business for nearly 40 Years and was burnt out, so retiring seemed logical. I guess if I would have screwed up like many of these big corporate CEOs; like Target for example, and been fired at least I would have gotten severance. Unimaginable that qualities of character, unparalleled work ethic and monumental success don’t count for anything these days! What type of society have we become when literally Giving It Your All Doesn’t Pay? Ken Patrie
Remember, Remember Lest we forget Our loved ones Our dear ones Who fought in the wars They fought for our freedom They fought for our land The fought for our peace They fought for all man Take up your quarrel with the foe To you, from failing hands, we throw The torch be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders Fields Oh God in whom we trust Guide all the men and women who serve And so will you bless And keep them from Flanders Fields Song written and composed by Dave Stahl
MICHELLE PINON PHOTO
Members of the 3rd Battalion of the Princess Patriciaʼs Canadian Light Infantry placed their poppies on the wreaths following the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the community hall in Lamont.
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