Chapter 30: Union Rules?

Tuesday is a long day in the office for Kyle because he meets with several of his senior staff and he works hard at reviewing all the major policies within the company. One interesting meeting is with the Vice-president of Personnel, the only female in the senior staff. After arriving at Kyle’s office on time she’s seated in a chair in front of his desk. While she waits Kyle silently studies the files on her, both the one supplied by Personnel and the one provide by the security service Charlotte hired on Major Haywood’s recommendation.

Kyle looks up, saying, “First, I’m not going to play the Missus, Miz, Miss, and Mister game. Any policies we have that mention that garbage are to be removed by the end of the day. People can be called by their title, their first name, their family name, or a nickname, it’s up to them to let people know what they want used. So what do I call you?”

She looks up at him and says, “Claymore or VP Personnel, I only let my friends call me by my first name.”

“OK, Claymore, but don’t go exploding on me.” She grins at the joke. “Why do we have Vice-presidents of everything and no Presidents?”

She replies, “The job you’re currently doing used to be known as the President, but your predecessor changed it.”

“OK, then it’s no trouble for me to make a few title changes, is it?” When she nods agreement Kyle continues, “Drop the Vice President from every one of those titles and list them as the ’Director of’ with the name of their area of responsibility.” She nods while she notes it down. “I want to simplify the staff chart. A memo is going out to all senior staff to review all of their operations. If a manager has less than five of the next level reporting to them then they need to question why that manger’s position exists. Each manager should have five to ten people reporting directly to them. If they find they have to supervise one person too much that person isn’t a manager, and if they have more than ten areas reporting to them some areas may need reassignment or consolidation. I want no empire building going on here, is that clear?”

She nods yes while she answers, “Yes, Sir, very clear.”

Kyle adds, “Managers will attend two routine management meetings a week, one with their immediate subordinates and one with their immediate boss later that day or the next. With the managers reviewing their areas, I want you to have your staff do a review of all areas too. When the managers and directors report back I want you to personally review the two reports and give me recommendations. Got that?”

She gulps while she replies, “Yes, Sir, I’ve got it.”

Kyle then looks her straight in the eye, saying, “Now, the one task I want you to concentrate on today and tomorrow is a total review of all Personnel policies, especially employment policies. I want everything changed to show this company discriminates in favor of people who work. The only reason for giving someone a job is they can perform what’s required. If they can’t do the work they don’t get the job; it’s that simple. At the same time the reason for them being not considered fit for a job had better stand up to my scrutiny. I’ve worked with people of all ethnic groups, religions, sexual preferences, and genders. Anything that even hints at any bias for or against anyone for anything like that is to go. If the job does not require a level of physical fitness then the job description better not have one, understand?”

“I’m not sure if I do?”

“Most of the head office work is clerical, right?”

“Yes.”

“So it doesn’t matter if the person sitting down at the desk working the computer has two flesh and blood legs or two steel legs or no legs. It doesn’t matter if they have one arm or two or three. It doesn’t matter if their skin is white, red, brown, black, yellow, or purple. It doesn’t matter if they’re homosexual or heterosexual or into total abstinence. Their ability to do the job and do it well is all we care about. If I find anyone applying any sort of glass ceiling they’ll find they’re standing on a glass floor while I hit it with a sledgehammer. The company doesn’t care if anyone is a homosexual or not, or if they hide it or not. Anyone of any sexual persuasion better think twice before initiating any sexual harassment. Any cases are to be reported, investigated, and if validated, they will be acted on. No ifs, no buts, no nothings. They will be reported and investigated, fully. Ensure all Personnel policies are to make those points clear.”

“I’ll make sure the wording reflects your view on the issue and I’ll spread that around to certain secretaries and other staff.”

“Good, and if you suspect something that hasn’t been reported and it should’ve been, part of your job is to quietly check out any suspicions or rumors, but I don’t want to see any ’Witch Hunts.’ Is that clear?”

With a seriously determined look she answers, “Very clear.”

“Now, another area. Yesterday when I went through the new hire system and did all of the paperwork I wondered how much of that do we really need and how much is required by law. I also suspect a lot of it is stuff done with everyone so people don’t have to think or use common sense. Have someone review the process to cut the crap we no longer need, then limit the paperwork to what’s legally required plus what we need to have for the position they’re doing. If they change work areas that needs new paperwork get it done at that time. Some of the forms I had to fill in are only relevant if I work on an oil rig and aren’t needed for office staff. Am I making sense?”

“Yes, Sir. This will mean more check lists while we fine-tune them for each work group, but it should reduce the overall work load a lot.”

“My thinking, exactly. Oh, my name is not Sir, it’s Kyle, Alexander, or Boss, whichever you prefer.”

With a grin she replies, “OK, Boss.” Kyle smiles when she almost skips out of the office.

Stel looks up and says, “I’m sure you just made her day. Much of that is what she’s been on Robert’s back to do for years.” Kyle just nods and goes on to read the next file.

Not all the senior staff meetings are that good. The Vice-president of Supply isn’t happy when he arrives after lunch. He sits down and says, “What’s this bullshit about a total review of operations. I’ve got a perfect set up as it is?”

Kyle leans back in his chair and responds with, “That’s total crap and you know it. There are four areas where you’ve staff idle half the time and a third of the paperwork in your department is make-work garbage.”

“I’m the logistics expert, not you.”

Kyle leans over and taps a report on his desk, “What I just said came direct from this report written by a person who used to be the senior NCO of the First Marine Corps Logistics Group. You’ve nowhere near the level of activity and locations they had to deal with. When they tell me your operation is way overstaffed, underutilized, and employs a lot of people to do nothing, I believe them and not you - because they’ve been out and had a look at the daily work, something you’ve not done in years. I want a full report and restructure on my desk by next week, or your resignation. If neither is here on Monday morning I’ll start the paperwork to have you terminated for cause. Now get out and go do the work you’re paid to do, for a change.”

The man is still fuming when he leaves. Once the door closes Stel says, “I know he’s been looking round, want to bet his resignation is here in the morning?”

Kyle grins, “No bet. I just hope it gets here before we leave today. I’ve got just the person to take over, thanks to you and Barbara.” Stel smiles back as she thinks of the woman who did the report and is now beached on medical grounds. She’s not fit enough for the military, but more than fit enough for this post and the report she did last week.

That afternoon two other senior staff are told to shape up or ship out while three are happy to be told to do what they were really hired for.

Late in the afternoon Stanley calls to say, “Kyle, I’ve managed to buy up the fifteen percent of Texas State Energy you want. Monday it didn’t quite reach the point you set so I waited until this afternoon. When it hit twenty-five percent of Monday’s opening value I started buying and it held steady. Interestingly, after I stopped buying the price started to go up for a little while and is steady at about half of Monday morning’s price now. I also got twenty percent of Texas Gulf when it dropped to around twenty percent of Monday’s opening price. The total portfolio cost you twenty point four million. I also got five percent of both for myself too, since it was so low.”

Kyle laughs, “Keep hold of the TSE stock because the prices will go back to above Monday’s opening price by the end of the year when they see how Mom and I turn this place around. We’re already burning a lot of deadwood at the executive level.”

Kyle goes in to tell Charlotte, and finds her on the phone, saying, “OK if all you can get without causing any notice is fifteen percent of TG, then that’s all you can get. The extra fifteen percent of ours is good, but do see if you can find out why it’s suddenly started to rise again so fast.” Kyle laughs out loud and Charlotte looks up, “Just a moment, Harry, I think the reason may have just walk in my door.” She looks at Kyle, “How much did you get?”

With a huge grin he replies, “Stanley got KK and I some stock for our LLP. He got fifteen percent of here and twenty percent of TG. He also got five percent of each for himself. What do you have now?”

Charlotte responds, “Harry got me fifteen percent of here and of TG. I also have control of ten percent of TG Robert had in his shell company, that’ll come here in the end. Between us we now have control of seventy percent of our stock and forty-five percent of TG. If Stanley will vote with us we have a block of seventy-five percent here and fifty percent of TG. Hell, Mike Kelly has to be selling off some of his stock because he had sixty percent as of Friday.” She thinks for a moment, then she goes back to the phone, “Harry, if you get a good deal on any more of our stock take it, but no more than thirty percent of Monday’s opening price. But get me five percent more of TG any way you can. Between Kyle, his lawyer, and I we currently control fifty percent, get me that controlling interest as low as you can.” She stops and listens for a moment, then laughs. Looking up she tells Kyle, “Harry said the board just went crazy. No more TG stock for sale at all, but he has six percent himself and our stock is now rising in price like a rocket because someone is busy buying up all they can. He doesn’t understand it.”

Kyle grins and says, “It fits what you’ve already stated. While we were buying up our stock at the depressed price Mike Kelly was selling some of his to also buy ours. His problem is he had to wait until we bought his stock before placing his buy orders. Now he’s busy buying our stock, or, at least, what’s left to be purchased.”

Charlotte sits back and thinks, “You could be right, but why?”

“The reports I have on TG say they’re asset rich but cash poor and so is Kelly. If we get a court to agree to give us any payment he’s going to be handing over assets. I think he wants to get enough of our stock to be able to put pressure on to stop the court case, or to generate enough profit to pay it when the price goes high with a court judgment in our favor. Since he now has enough cash for what he wants he’s stopped selling stock and is buying ours. That’s his third major mistake.” Kyle’s mother frowns at him. He grins and adds, “The first was making the deal with Robert. The second was thinking we wouldn’t strike back at him and TG. We now have the control of both companies. We should be able to do what the two of them wanted - combine the companies, because I’m fairly certain nearly all the shares of both our companies are between us, Stanley, Harry, and Kelly; and we have the controlling amounts for both.” Even Kyle can hear Harry laughing at his explanation.

Charlotte listens some more then hangs up. She says, “Harry says he’s sure you’re right, now that it’s been laid out for him. He thinks we did real good in appointing you. Now he and Stanley have to notify the various authorities of who owns what shares. It’s a good thing all the buy orders went in well after the news was announced.”

Kyle grins and responds, “We can simply say we bought our own shares since we had confidence where others didn’t and were worried that Kelly might try for a hostile takeover. Even better, his purchases shows our concerns were real. We can also explain our interest in TG is a prelude to our own attempt to take them over in response to Mike and Robert’s try to steal control of this company.”

They both decide it’s a good time to pack up and go home for the day. Kyle checks his emails, to find a couple giving him the details to set up meetings in Dallas to reassure the potential website staff there. All he has to do is call when in Dallas.

Wednesday is more of the same, and so is Thursday. But Friday is very different as there’s a personnel problem at the Dallas facility that’s suddenly gone ballistic. After reviewing the situation Kyle decides he has to go to Dallas to resolve the problem, one way or another. Thus Kyle, his personal support crew, two extra drivers, along with KK, and Nina load up in a company jet and fly to an executive airport in Dallas.

The group takes a rental out to the company protecting the cars as two more have been completed. They collect the cars then KK and Nina leave in one SUV to follow the rental back to the agency to drop off their car and with their driver at the wheel of their protected SUV the two women go shopping. Kyle and his people take the other SUV to the facility which is experimenting on new methods to recycle used oil.

Kyle arrives there in time for their 11:00 meeting with the union representatives. Peter stays with the car while Kyle, Jenny, and Stel go inside. They reach the conference room with a few minutes to spare, but the union people haven’t arrived. At 11:30 the union group are still absent. Kyle turns to the site manager and has him send for the senior union representative on-site.

The man arrives and Kyle says, “Since your union management can’t read a clock you can summarize what your issues are for me.”

The man looks smug and he says, “The union management are busy people, so they sometimes run late. We’re oilmen working with oil, so we should get the same allowances and benefits as all oilmen.”

Kyle looks at him for a moment, “Well, I’m also very busy so let’s get down to brass tacks. Those extra allowances are for oilmen working the rigs that have great dangers attached to their operation; dangers that do not apply here. Since you’re not entitled to the allowances we won’t be paying them; it’s as simple as that.” Kyle and the union rep argue back and forth for a few minutes, but finally Kyle turns to the manager and asks, “Did the workers here have a full staff meeting on this issue?”