Bitter USAA Message Board

[Twisted_Dawg]

http://www.indeed.com/forum/cmp/USAA/05390c183c137e1e737942

A bitter friend of mine who worked at USAA for 23 years before she got kicked to the curb, sent me this link of current & former employees posting threads. Its about 10-1 in posts knocking USAA. It is not shocking or surprising as I know many people that have been "eliminated" there the last few years. They have a 20/40/60 unwritten rule: if you have worked there 20 years, are over 40 and make over 60K.......you are gone!!!! I do hear from current employees the pressure is unbearable.

It used to be one of the greatest companies in the world under Gen. McDermott...now it is a hellious place to exist. They should rename the place USSR Insurance Company.

[dimsah]

Sounds like my job or any other job for a greedy, soulless corporate monster.
Machiavellian executives, under staffing and brutal hours (salaried employees don't get overtime pay). Constant tension in the air and everyone is miserable. It's a shame because as little as 2 years ago it wasn't like that but they hired a new CIO (unbelievable temper) and he's making changes with a broad brush. It's not a pleasant environment to work in.

No incentive to go above and beyond anymore because most of us have been told that you'll be paid according to your title and not the results you produce.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Sadly, you are basically correct. Most of these corporations will grind you up and spit you out. There are some exceptions though. Valero employees seem happy and insurance giant State Farm has not fired all of its long time employed hard working "older" employees like USAA has. I work for one of the world's largest insurance companies in the world and they leave us alone and don't threaten us.

[scott]

I expecting to read a bunch of people complaining because they had been canned, but that is a pretty good read of people who appear to have taken a fairly objective look at it.

I didn't realize employees were not allowed/encouraged not to email outside of the company. That explains why I've had some go unanswered from friends there!

I passed on an offer from USAA that would have represented a 50% raise for me, and now I'm happier than ever that I did!

[01Snake]

I worked in that shithole right outta college. Best thing I ever did was leave that place. Way too structured with WAY too many managers. Constant monitoring of everything you did from time on the phone to how long you took for lunch.

As far as the 20/40/60 thing stated above, it sure seemed that way when I was there. Just before I left was about the time they started cutting those people loose. While it was a pretty shitty thing for the company to do, it made business sense. You could hire Joe straight out of college for $35K a year who can basically do the exact same job you are paying Steve $60K a year to do. What makes more sense?

Lastly, the place was filled with a ton of overweight people. Not sure how some of them managed to walk. I guess being chained to a desk all day could result in a lot of people gaining weight.

[exstatic]

You could hire Joe straight out of college for $35K a year who can basically do the exact same job you are paying Steve $60K a year to do. What makes more sense?
Except they won't do the same job. Not all are like this, but after the CIO of my firm blocked MySpace and Facebook, young'uns actually called the help desk to report it as a problem. :lol As a general rule (though not all inclusive) you just don't get the productivity out of the workers fresh out of college, not even close. They don't have the same mindset as the 20/40/60 crowd. They come in when they feel like it, talk endlessly on their phone or cell phone, and take long lunches on the regular. This is definitely a case where you get what you pay for, almost exactly. The youngster will be cheaper, but less productive, and will lack the corporate knowledge of that 20/40/60 that you kicked to the curb. They'll also leave when things don't go their way.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I have a good friend who works in the HR dept at USAA. She said it is brutal they way they fire people. They pull you from your desk unexpectedly and get you in a conference room and tell you your position is "eliminated". Then they escort you to the door with a guard. They used to let you go back to your desk with a guard and have one hour to clean out personal effects. Never mind the times you worked sick, or worked for free on a Saturday "catching up". Never mind you are just a few years from retirement.

Actually, you are the one that is eliminated....not the position. Many times it will show back up on the job postings 6 months later, or some independent contractor is hired to do it.

[ashbeeigh]

As a general rule (though not all inclusive) you just don't get the productivity out of the workers fresh out of college, not even close. They don't have the same mindset as the 20/40/60 crowd. They come in when they feel like it, talk endlessly on their phone or cell phone, and take long lunches on the regular.

Until I saw the although not all inclusive thing. I'm one of those fresh out of college kids who works 500% more then the people who aren't out of school. I've held back from telling everyone I work at West for the past few months and I know this started out as a USAA thread so I'm jumping the topic a little bit...but here it goes....

The rule is phone off. Mine is off. I make my phone calls during my 10 minute breaks or during my lunch. Which I'm back for on time. There's people that show up to work once or twice aweek and say "Oh my daughter was sic. "bullshit. You just didn't want to come to work. I can't stand that. If I were a manager you'd be fired before you even started working.

I went to lunch with two older ladies on Friday and I looked at my watch and said, "Hey we should go...": they said "they'll kiss my ass. I'll be there when i get there." But that also has to do with disillusionment of the management in such a huge corporation like snake01 said about USAA.


I worked in that shithole right outta college. Best thing I ever did was leave that place. Way too structured with WAY too many managers. Constant monitoring of everything you did from time on the phone to how long you took for lunch.


I work on an ATT project and we're selling business to business products to California. We have 5-7 managers out there for about 21 people on the the floor. 20 dials per hour, 5 hours of talk time, and you need to sell 5 DSLs a month. We're not on an automatic dialer and if you do the math with an 8 hour shift 8 hours of talk time is nonstop talking without getting up. Those goals are ridiculous.

And then, the managers, as a group came to consensus this past week that we had to have X number of sales last week or we would be fired. Good fucking thing I had those.

I'd almost rather be working at USAA. And how about those insurance rates? I'll take those over my $108 Progressive rates in a hearbeat.


I have a good friend who works in the HR dept at USAA. .

And don't even get me started with HR at a big corporation...I went into an interview for a senior sales associate position and the rep said ....to my face..."I don't know how you got the sales associate position... you're not qualified..." eat shit fat ass. Do you see some of the people working here?

[exstatic]

Lest it appear that I'm just picking on fresh graduates, I'll give you an example of a recent ex-co-worker. She's a 30-something. We had two software developer positions to fill early in 2006, and were having a hard time doing so. She applied, received an offer, and took it back to her other company, who matched it, and she stayed there. Like 4-5 months later, she was knocking on our door again, and my boss hired her. She stayed a grand total of like 15 months, and recently put in her notice and took another position. I couldn't stand to work like that. My job is SO much easier the more I know the system that I'm working on. I can spot trends, stuff I've seen before, stuff similar to stuff I've seen before.

Like I said, a different mindset.

[ashbeeigh]

Like I said, a different mindset.


I think I've heard people make 6-8 career changes in their life, that was just one of hers. Ya know? I can see your frustration, though. And I think my own personal dedication to my job is a little out of the norm for the age group as a whole. A lot of people I know work like I do, but then you get the people who move jobs, think they can get a better one down the street, have more 'experience,' or just want to do something different. Just like one of 5-7 managers says, " It is what it is."

[Twisted_Dawg]

It is a two way street.....many ( not all) of the younger crowd don't have a clue...BUT big employers (most of them) treat people like shit

USAA treats people like dog shit

[exstatic]

It is a two way street.....many ( not all) of the younger crowd don't have a clue...BUT big employers (most of them) treat people like shit

USAA treats people like dog shit
I won't argue that. My point is that they may not be getting over like they think they are. In addition to being heartless, laying off the 20/40/60s may just be stupid and bad business.

[USA Employee]

I do not understand the people of America they want to save money then they bitch when they lose their jobs to the people willing to work for less pay.

______________________________________

eat more curry!


http://emeagwali.com/speeches/brain-drain/to-brain-gain/offshore-outsourcing-to-india-1.jpg

[CharlieMac]

I remember they tried to hire me and offered me a well-paying position. I was in my last semester of college and it sounded like a great opportunity. Till they told it me it was under the condition that I start training the following week and I needed to postpone my graduation.

Fuck that.

[exstatic]

I do not understand the people of America they want to save money then they bitch when they lose their jobs to the people willing to work for less pay.

______________________________________

eat more curry!


http://emeagwali.com/speeches/brain-drain/to-brain-gain/offshore-outsourcing-to-india-1.jpg
:lmao
BEST

TROLL

EVER

[Twisted_Dawg]

[QUOTE=USAA Employee]I do not understand the people of America they want to save money then they bitch when they lose their jobs to the people willing to work for less pay.

You mean like those IT jobs that USAA gave to those workers form India that live across Fredericksburg Rd. from from the campus and are independent contrators?

p.s. Did you get permission form USAA to use their logo? This site will be shut down by the morning.

[Extra Stout]

I have a good friend who works in the HR dept at USAA. She said it is brutal they way they fire people. They pull you from your desk unexpectedly and get you in a conference room and tell you your position is "eliminated". Then they escort you to the door with a guard. They used to let you go back to your desk with a guard and have one hour to clean out personal effects. Never mind the times you worked sick, or worked for free on a Saturday "catching up". Never mind you are just a few years from retirement.

Actually, you are the one that is eliminated....not the position. Many times it will show back up on the job postings 6 months later, or some independent contractor is hired to do it.
GE under Jack Welch epitomized that business strategy. GE would scoop up a company, rape its work force, squeeze every bit of life out of the business for short-term profit, then throw out the emaciated carcass in a fire sale to some other company, who would have to rebuild it.

The strategy actually destroys billions of dollars in capital, but individual executives and short-term investors can make a killing.

In a privately-owned company like USAA, what this means is that Bob Davis and select other executives are just going to rape and pillage USAA for their own personal enrichment, until the company is near collapse, at which point they will sell it.

This sort of thing is perfectly legal in the USA; business schools actually encourage it. Jack Welch is hailed as a visionary, when he really should be given the Mussolini treatment.

[Nbadan]

The HB-1 Visas that these contractors use to work in the U.S. should be put up for bid so that their true value to corporations can be realized....right now, companies complain that they can't make a profit without them and want even more, yeah right...more like another corporate subsidy that goes untaxed....

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Except they won't do the same job. Not all are like this, but after the CIO of my firm blocked MySpace and Facebook, young'uns actually called the help desk to report it as a problem. :lol As a general rule (though not all inclusive) you just don't get the productivity out of the workers fresh out of college, not even close. They don't have the same mindset as the 20/40/60 crowd. They come in when they feel like it, talk endlessly on their phone or cell phone, and take long lunches on the regular. This is definitely a case where you get what you pay for, almost exactly. The youngster will be cheaper, but less productive, and will lack the corporate knowledge of that 20/40/60 that you kicked to the curb. They'll also leave when things don't go their way.

This is the biggest pile of unmitigated horseshit that i have ever seen. Those 20/40/60 people are all baby boomers which are easily the worst generation of failure in the last century.

Post 1976 with the end of the Vietnam Era and what was essentially a fiat for them, they took all that momentum and took a proverbial shit. It is no coincidence that generations legacy is mountains of unprecedented debt from the national level all the way down to almost every household in the country. Combine that with consistently shortsighted policies on energy and the like and quite frankly the baby boomer generation fucked EVERYTHING up for the rest of us. The fact that i have to pay Social Security for that generation just pisses me off.

Its so typical of a baby boomer to sit their and rail about someone from generation X being 5 minutes late but then gloss over how their own production absolutely blows. Having worked someplace for 20 years is immaterial when youre MUCH more expensive to retrain and are more resistant to it and when youre replacements production is negligibly different.

As far as Im concerened that generation has been screwing things up for the rest of us for long enough and now its time someone else got a turn.

[Nbadan]

Geezz...If he's that pissed off now, just wait for a few years when Fuzzy has to pay 50% of his income in taxes so that baby boomers can afford to cool their McMansions....

[2centsworth]

USAA has been a huge plus for the City of San Antonio. We just need more large corporations to produce increased competition for the labor pool. Right now USAA and others have it made.

IMO, more times than not, the employees that get canned got fat and stopped trying to add value to their companies. In general, people feel so entitled.

I wish everyone would take a shot at owning their own business for a little perspecitve.

Is USAA perfect? Hell NO, but to now consider them an "EVIL Corportation" is ridiculously stupid.

[ashbeeigh]

Is USAA perfect? Hell NO, but to now consider them an "EVIL Corportation" is ridiculously stupid.

I don't think anyone was calling them perfect, it was just a discussion about their general habits.

[2centsworth]

I don't think anyone was calling them perfect, it was just a discussion about their general habits.
Well they have generally good habits. Of course, it's the bad that garners all the attention.

[Nbadan]

...by that standard alone in just a few short years, all our jobs would be offered to someone who is likely more qualified, more hungry and would work for far less....remember that China and India are putting out college degrees, with candidates who are far more qualified, than those put out by the average American university....

[ashbeeigh]

Well they have generally good habits. Of course, it's the bad that garners all the attention.

Of course. When people have good experiences do they run and tel ltheir friends..." I had the best cashier at Wal-Mart today!!" or do they run and tell their friends, "I had the worst cashier today at Wal-Mart...they packed the bread, eggs, and fucking canned meat all in one bag!!" They remember the latter. How many threads do we have here about good experiences? 1 or 2... on bad a bazillion.

[2centsworth]

...by that standard alone in just a few short years, all our jobs would be offered to someone who is likely more qualified, more hungry and would work for far less....remember that China and India are putting out college degrees, with candidates who are far more qualified, than those put out by the average American university....
what a joke and something straight out of the marxist propaganda book. Provide some proof and don't copy and paste some BS blog.

anyways, if you want to debate capitalism vs communism I'll do it in the political forum or a battle blog if you would like.

For now, I'm defending USAA.

[2centsworth]

Of course. When people have good experiences do they run and tel ltheir friends..." I had the best cashier at Wal-Mart today!!" or do they run and tell their friends, "I had the worst cashier today at Wal-Mart...they packed the bread, eggs, and fucking canned meat all in one bag!!" They remember the latter. How many threads do we have here about good experiences? 1 or 2... on bad a bazillion.
correct. And I know of a whole lot more good than bad at USAA.

[Nbadan]

There's no need for a battle blog, all you have to do is compare the average increase in pay of your average CEO in the last decade versus that of your typical corporate employee, like USAA...compare this years average gain in hedge funds, retirement accounts, and even fixed asset performance versus the average bonus of a Wall street broker....compare the bonuses that shady lenders and mortgage brokers will receive this year, last year, and all the years before for making loans that never should have been made in the first place, and will sooner or later, have to be bailed out with your and mine tax dollars...

[FuzzyLumpkins]

USAA has been a huge plus for the City of San Antonio. We just need more large corporations to produce increased competition for the labor pool. Right now USAA and others have it made.

IMO, more times than not, the employees that get canned got fat and stopped trying to add value to their companies. In general, people feel so entitled.

I wish everyone would take a shot at owning their own business for a little perspecitve.

Is USAA perfect? Hell NO, but to now consider them an "EVIL Corportation" is ridiculously stupid.

You realize that BoB Davis has been lobbying to move corporate HQ to the Phoenix office for several years now.

The reason why USAA is considered now an EVIL corporation is because they hired Davis. You know where Davis came from? Citicorp. That would be the same Citicorp who lobbied and won the deregulation that has resulted in the current mortgage market crisis.

I have not worked there for a couple of years now but what was once a not for profit corporation to benefit military officers and their families was slowly twisted into a bottomline fanatical corporation that is disenfranchising member after member.

USAA has been good for San Antonio, there is no question about that but that was when men like McDermott were running the show. When the WW2 generation left the picture and a baby boomer was his replacement it has quickly gone into the toilet.

[Nbadan]

I remember just a few short years ago, the thought of USAA even thinking of abandoning its NW office would have seem disastrous for SA...now....not so much.....there's always another corporation, probably with better average pay and benefits, that would readily move into that zip-code sized corporate headquarters....

[2centsworth]

You realize that BoB Davis has been lobbying to move corporate HQ to the Phoenix office for several years now.
rumor started since the Phoenix branch was opened. It's not happening, and if you know otherwise please tell me which meeting Bob Davis stated such.


The reason why USAA is considered now an EVIL corporation is because they hired Davis. You know where Davis came from? Citicorp. That would be the same Citicorp who lobbied and won the deregulation that has resulted in the current mortgage market crisis.

huh? So citicorp was at the middle of all that? I thought it had more to do with the demand for CMOs.



I have not worked there for a couple of years now but what was once a not for profit corporation to benefit military officers and their families was slowly twisted into a bottomline fanatical corporation that is disenfranchising member after member. When was USAA non-profit?


USAA has been good for San Antonio, there is no question about that but that was when men like McDermott were running the show. When the WW2 generation left the picture and a baby boomer was his replacement it has quickly gone into the toilet.

not at all. I have found USAA to be a very honest company and have many family and friends who have been treated more than fair there. Again, is everything perfect, no.

[Nbadan]

...well, this thread has devolved into a micro-coism of what's most really wrong with corporate America... it's really about what's wrong with us, forget about how its wronged other people...for me and mine, it's done fine...

[FuzzyLumpkins]

rumor started since the Phoenix branch was opened. It's not happening, and if you know otherwise please tell me which meeting Bob Davis stated such.

I worked for USAA for over two years. I sat in on management meetings and essentially it broke down to Phoenix was willing to give them a better tax break than San Antonio and thus the pressure to move. i dont exactly have transcripts available.


huh? So citicorp was at the middle of all that? I thought it had more to do with the demand for CMOs.

You are aware that Citicorp lobbied very had to have lending restrictions as well as reserve restirction repealed, i hope. These laws had been on the books since the 30s because a familiar situation involving financial institutions of that time.



When was USAA non-profit?

Since its inception. Its quite obvious that you have no idea about what USAA is. It was started after WW1 because officers were having issues obtaining insurance due to an anti military sentiment. In essence they agreed to insure each other and became a mutual. Technically speaking the members own USAA and that is why at the end of every year they mail out dispersement checks. Thus it is nonprofit as there are no independent owners or shareholders.

USAA is still a mutual unfortunately under the leadership of Davis it is being run like profit motivated institutions like State Farm and Allstate. Customer service has literally taken a back seat to sales. On employee evaluations it is more critical to have good sales numbers than a good customer service record.


not at all. I have found USAA to be a very honest company and have many family and friends who have been treated more than fair there. Again, is everything perfect, no.

Well thats funny because the number of complaints filed against and lost by USAA to the TIC is higher than it ihas been ever before. I also happen to know people that work in the claims department and I know for a fact that the systemic shenanigans that go on with them didnt go on 10 to 15 years ago. They lowball members as a matter of course.

[Soul_Patch]

I have had USAA as my insurance now for 15 years. My family has had it for longer than that. I recently had to make a claim when i was rear ended in traffic a few months ago.


I can tell you it was a night and day difference from this time, since the last time i used them probably 6 years ago.

The customer service now is absolutely horrible. I had to make numerous calls to my adjuster, could never even get her on the phone...and when i did, she had no clue what was going on, thought the other driver was uninsured, i had to basically do her job for her...it was a nightmare...

I finally had to speak to a manager, and informed him that this service was horrendous...i had always praised USAA for their tremendous customer service, but it has taken a severe turn for the worse...

[BacktoBasics]

USAA was the very first bank I noticed that would charge their customers the full interest even if they payed the loan off early. I was shocked to see on numerous occasions my customers sending in double and triple payments only to find out that they split the extra monies between interest and principal vs. applying the extra amounts strictly to principal. So if you pay the loan off early you're simply paying the full amount off early not avoiding interest.

[Extra Stout]

rumor started since the Phoenix branch was opened. It's not happening, and if you know otherwise please tell me which meeting Bob Davis stated such.

huh? So citicorp was at the middle of all that? I thought it had more to do with the demand for CMOs.

When was USAA non-profit?

not at all. I have found USAA to be a very honest company and have many family and friends who have been treated more than fair there. Again, is everything perfect, no.
I don't think the discussion here is about whether USAA is an honest company, or is good or bad for San Antonio. The discussion is about the current management and its business plan. This is only relevant since January 2006.

Obviously, even in a capitalist system, companies can have inept or malevolent management.

Now, many of the comments about USAA are just typical for business. If one is the kind of person who is just looking to punch the clock on a 40-hour week without doing much of anything, such a person isn't going to last long at most companies that pay attention. A salaried employee who endlessly complains because sometimes he has to work an extra 5-10 hours a week isn't worth keeping around.

People who think management should listen to all their ideas and sulk when they don't don't last long. People who think submitting to authority is being a "yes man" don't last long. There is a lot of inertia and bureaucracy in a large company; you have to deal with it.

I'm aware of some, er, "contrasts" between the typical employee in San Antonio versus Houston or Dallas. San Antonians on average are less motivated, less productive, with a greater sense of entitlement than in the two larger Texas cities. Work is just not taken as seriously there. This is part of the reason they are paid less.

However, some of the things USAA is doing I've seen before in other industries. I've seen companies that figure an engineer fresh out of college is just as good as one with 30 years' experience, so they lay off all their senior technical people. Sure, they save on health care for a few years, but before long the loss of experience and know-how is so immense that their technology falls behind their competitors', they can't execute projects to save their life, the condition of their assets declines, and they end up selling the business because they can't make the business profitable anymore. This happened to our largest competitor.

I've seen companies that treat their people like garbage, and get away with it for a few years as long as the job market is soft, but then as soon as people are in demand, their workforce collapses.

I've seen companies outsource technical jobs to India, only to learn that some guy half a world away can do basic technical work, but as soon as there is a problem that requires putting eyes on it, or requires some complex managerial skills, the whole scheme collapses.

I take a very low view of the teachings of American MBA schools. They teach short-term slash-and-burn thinking, which, bad as it is for public companies despite the short-term investor benefit, is absolutely insane for a private non-profit like USAA.

Davis' management ideas are starting to have a noticeable effect on USAA's customer service. Take that away from USAA, and all they have to compete on is price. And they are not exactly the price leader in the industry.

So, not all this is about leftie pinkos railing on big, bad capitalism with an agenda of preference for the state running things. This is about some inklings of concern for a major employer in San Antonio perhaps being run into the ground by bad management.

[ShoogarBear]

I'm aware of some, er, "contrasts" between the typical employee in San Antonio versus Houston or Dallas. San Antonians on average are less motivated, less productive, with a greater sense of entitlement than in the two larger Texas cities. Work is just not taken as seriously there. This is part of the reason they are paid less.
Paging Buddy Holly!

:corn:

[SpursWoman]

I'm aware of some, er, "contrasts" between the typical employee in San Antonio versus Houston or Dallas. San Antonians on average are less motivated, less productive, with a greater sense of entitlement than in the two larger Texas cities. Work is just not taken as seriously there. This is part of the reason they are paid less.

I'm not even sure I want to know where you pulled this from. :lol

[CubanMustGo]

[...]

However, some of the things USAA is doing I've seen before in other industries. I've seen companies that figure an engineer fresh out of college is just as good as one with 30 years' experience, so they lay off all their senior technical people. Sure, they save on health care for a few years, but before long the loss of experience and know-how is so immense that their technology falls behind their competitors', they can't execute projects to save their life, the condition of their assets declines, and they end up selling the business because they can't make the business profitable anymore. This happened to our largest competitor.

I've seen companies that treat their people like garbage, and get away with it for a few years as long as the job market is soft, but then as soon as people are in demand, their workforce collapses.

I've seen companies outsource technical jobs to India, only to learn that some guy half a world away can do basic technical work, but as soon as there is a problem that requires putting eyes on it, or requires some complex managerial skills, the whole scheme collapses.

I take a very low view of the teachings of American MBA schools. They teach short-term slash-and-burn thinking, which, bad as it is for public companies despite the short-term investor benefit, is absolutely insane for a private non-profit like USAA.

Davis' management ideas are starting to have a noticeable effect on USAA's customer service. Take that away from USAA, and all they have to compete on is price. And they are not exactly the price leader in the industry.

So, not all this is about leftie pinkos railing on big, bad capitalism with an agenda of preference for the state running things. This is about some inklings of concern for a major employer in San Antonio perhaps being run into the ground by bad management.

As a 20-year employee of a tech company (who started out as an employee of a small firm that was bought out by a larger one only to be bought out again a few years later) Extra Stout's observations are spot on. We are right in the middle of the "reduce costs by reducing employees, especially the old farts, reducing benefits, sending jobs overseas and getting rid of all that retirement crap" phase. The bottom line looks great right now, but now that we have sent just about everything offshore that can be sent there and found all the easy money, what's next? No doubt it will be getting rid of the medical benefits b/c that's about all that's left. Joy.

BTW the "old fart" line seems to be about 45 which means I'm on the wrong side of it. And yeah, I know the younger folks don't have too much sympathy, and I understand it because I was there 20 years ago. Thank goodness I did start saving for my own retirement back then because the paradigm was totally different in 1980 than it is today and lots of people did not. We won't be rich or well off but we shouldn't have to worry about when the next social security check, if any, comes in. If you're not saving for your retirement, do it because there isn't going to be any sugar daddy bailing you out when your time comes.

[Sunshine]

I've held back from telling everyone I work at West for the past few months and I know this started out as a USAA thread so I'm jumping the topic a little bit...but here it goes....

I work on an ATT project and we're selling business to business products to California. We have 5-7 managers out there for about 21 people on the the floor. 20 dials per hour, 5 hours of talk time, and you need to sell 5 DSLs a month. We're not on an automatic dialer and if you do the math with an 8 hour shift 8 hours of talk time is nonstop talking without getting up. Those goals are ridiculous.

And don't even get me started with HR at a big corporation...I went into an interview for a senior sales associate position and the rep said ....to my face..."I don't know how you got the sales associate position... you're not qualified..." eat shit fat ass. Do you see some of the people working here?

PM sent.

What a small world! I work at West, too, but in a staff position, so thank God I don't have to hit goals and make dials. Knowing the project you work on, I'm pretty sure we've ridden the elevator together at one time or another :p:

[Extra Stout]

I'm not even sure I want to know where you pulled this from. :lol
There are a lot of businesses that operate in multiple Texas cities, you know, and people talk. It is the conventional wisdom about your fair city. You can spin it as "San Antonians enjoy life more" if you like.

[SpursWoman]

Nah, it's no big secret how much you dislike everything San Antonio and it's residents so I wouldn't even waste my time. I'm just surprised you left "because they are all fat" out of that brilliant generalization. :)

[Sunshine]

Nah, it's no big secret how much you dislike everything San Antonio and it's residents so I wouldn't even waste my time. I'm just surprised you left "because they are all fat" out of that brilliant generalization. :)

We're all fat because we enjoy life so much!

[Extra Stout]

Nah, it's no big secret how much you dislike everything San Antonio and it's residents so I wouldn't even waste my time. I'm just surprised you left "because they are all fat" out of that brilliant generalization. :)
I actually like San Antonians. They are much friendlier than people in Houston or Dallas. They are not obsessed as much with status. They are less phony than people in Dallas, especially. They are much more laid back and prefer to live life at a slower pace.

That slower pace, on the other hand, also applies to the workplace.

If one were to point this out to, say, a Spaniard, he would just sneer and reply, "Well, unlike you Americans, we work to live; we do not live to work." A San Antonian replies, "WAAHHH!!! YOU HATE ME!!!"

Another thing I've noticed about San Antonians is that they have a huge insecurity complex about the city, so just about any criticism about any aspect of the city or its people is guaranteed to be viewed as "hatred."

With regard to the obesity and diabetes problems, I guess objective reality just dislikes everything San Antonio and its residents. But it's not as if Houston and Dallas are rivaling Denver for fitness, you know.

I guess it is much easier to pretend problems don't exist and just shoot the messenger, than it is to deal with them honestly and consider how to solve them. Maybe USAA's current management culture fits in with the city more than I thought.

[spurster]

However, some of the things USAA is doing I've seen before in other industries. I've seen companies that figure an engineer fresh out of college is just as good as one with 30 years' experience, so they lay off all their senior technical people. Sure, they save on health care for a few years, but before long the loss of experience and know-how is so immense that their technology falls behind their competitors', they can't execute projects to save their life, the condition of their assets declines, and they end up selling the business because they can't make the business profitable anymore. This happened to our largest competitor.

I've seen companies that treat their people like garbage, and get away with it for a few years as long as the job market is soft, but then as soon as people are in demand, their workforce collapses.

I've seen companies outsource technical jobs to India, only to learn that some guy half a world away can do basic technical work, but as soon as there is a problem that requires putting eyes on it, or requires some complex managerial skills, the whole scheme collapses.

I take a very low view of the teachings of American MBA schools. They teach short-term slash-and-burn thinking, which, bad as it is for public companies despite the short-term investor benefit, is absolutely insane for a private non-profit like USAA.

These all sound like surefire methods for making Democrats.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Per capita income in San Antonio has nothing to do with work ethic but rather the lack of industry and a veritable brain drain that has been going on for decades now.

Places like the brewery and the shoe factory closed and Tobin, Intl were bought out by firms in other cities and transported. In short there is no industry here beyond USAA and now Toyota. Essentially, if you want to make a stable living in most fields then you need to move to another city with most math and science degrees.

For example once i complete my engineering degree it is a veritable certainty that I will be moving to Houston or Dallas to find decent employment.

[jman3000]

veritable ftw.

[Shelly]

Another thing I've noticed about San Antonians is that they have a huge insecurity complex about the city, so just about any criticism about any aspect of the city or its people is guaranteed to be viewed as "hatred."



Nah...that's just Buddy Holly

[2centsworth]

I worked for USAA for over two years. I sat in on management meetings and essentially it broke down to Phoenix was willing to give them a better tax break than San Antonio and thus the pressure to move. i dont exactly have transcripts available.
should be in the corporate minutes.




You are aware that Citicorp lobbied very had to have lending restrictions as well as reserve restirction repealed, i hope. These laws had been on the books since the 30s because a familiar situation involving financial institutions of that time.

The thirst for CMOs is what created all the liquidity. No more thirst, no more liquidity.





Since its inception. Its quite obvious that you have no idea about what USAA is. It was started after WW1 because officers were having issues obtaining insurance due to an anti military sentiment. In essence they agreed to insure each other and became a mutual. Technically speaking the members own USAA and that is why at the end of every year they mail out dispersement checks. Thus it is nonprofit as there are no independent owners or shareholders.

USAA is still a mutual unfortunately under the leadership of Davis it is being run like profit motivated institutions like State Farm and Allstate. Customer service has literally taken a back seat to sales. On employee evaluations it is more critical to have good sales numbers than a good customer service record.[quote]

Your understanding of a mutually owned insurance company and a 501(c) are way off. USAA is a FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION!



[quote]Well thats funny because the number of complaints filed against and lost by USAA to the TIC is higher than it ihas been ever before. I also happen to know people that work in the claims department and I know for a fact that the systemic shenanigans that go on with them didnt go on 10 to 15 years ago. They lowball members as a matter of course.
proof? Nevertheless, I'm not arguing that they are not as good as they once were.

[2centsworth]

I don't think the discussion here is about whether USAA is an honest company, or is good or bad for San Antonio. The discussion is about the current management and its business plan. This is only relevant since January 2006.
I'm not a fan of Bob Davis.

[Soul_Patch]

My Brother in Law works for USAA. I never really ask him about his job, but i do know he is one of the most stressed out and just generally "debbie downer" sort of people ive ever met.


he does make decent money though. He started at the bottom there, worked his way up with no degree or anything...and now his has a respectable salary, with bonuses and what not.

[exstatic]

This is the biggest pile of unmitigated horseshit that i have ever seen. Those 20/40/60 people are all baby boomers which are easily the worst generation of failure in the last century.

Post 1976 with the end of the Vietnam Era and what was essentially a fiat for them, they took all that momentum and took a proverbial shit. It is no coincidence that generations legacy is mountains of unprecedented debt from the national level all the way down to almost every household in the country. Combine that with consistently shortsighted policies on energy and the like and quite frankly the baby boomer generation fucked EVERYTHING up for the rest of us. The fact that i have to pay Social Security for that generation just pisses me off.

Its so typical of a baby boomer to sit their and rail about someone from generation X being 5 minutes late but then gloss over how their own production absolutely blows. Having worked someplace for 20 years is immaterial when youre MUCH more expensive to retrain and are more resistant to it and when youre replacements production is negligibly different.

As far as Im concerened that generation has been screwing things up for the rest of us for long enough and now its time someone else got a turn.
I can't take anyone seriously who doesn't understand that Baby Boomers are basically retired or retiring at this point, and that people in their 40s and even early 50s now aren't members of that group. The "Baby Boom" happened in 1945 when the GIs came home from the war. Even though I am not a member of that generation, they have my utmost respect. They took us to the Moon, and invented ARPAnet, which became that Internet that you slack on all day.

Don't worry. Your turn to be kicked to the curb is only decades away, and some little shit will no doubt tell you what a crappy generation you are. :lol

[davi78239]

I work for The Hartford Insurance and so far for the past year, it all seems good. I applied for USAA but didn't past the test to be able to get an interview for the job.

[Spurfect]

my big sister has worked at USAA for several years, we often make fun of her calling her "rich" (although I wouldn't consider that making fun!) because she gets paid really well and gets crazy bonuses. I think she loves her job.. I have applied there recently and am just kind of waiting around to see if I hear from them. I do have a job now but I don't like it very much, it's just so boring and I feel I should be doing more. I'm 26 but I have a very good work ethic. I get really (probably too much) dedicated to any job I have that I like. anyway reading some of this is kind of discouraging but, we'll see how it all turns out

[marini martini]

Just FYI, I've been a satisfied customer with USAA for about 18 years.

[USA Employee]

I work for The Hartford Insurance and so far for the past year, it all seems good. I applied for USAA but didn't past the test to be able to get an interview for the job.


Maybe you should eat more curry!






_______________________________________________

Thank you, come again!

http://emeagwali.com/speeches/brain-drain/to-brain-gain/offshore-outsourcing-to-india-2.jpg

[travis2]

I can't take anyone seriously who doesn't understand that Baby Boomers are basically retired or retiring at this point, and that people in their 40s and even early 50s now aren't members of that group. The "Baby Boom" happened in 1945 when the GIs came home from the war. Even though I am not a member of that generation, they have my utmost respect. They took us to the Moon, and invented ARPAnet, which became that Internet that you slack on all day.

Don't worry. Your turn to be kicked to the curb is only decades away, and some little shit will no doubt tell you what a crappy generation you are. :lol


ummmm...the "baby boom" generation refers to anyone born between 1945 and 1964. Your assertion that 40s and 50s are not members of this group is incorrect.

[Danny Trejo]

You white people stole our land, now the pinche towel heads steal your jobs that is life

S A

[Abraham Quintanilla]

If Selena worked at usaa she would still be alive today!

[Ignignokt]

I actually like San Antonians. They are much friendlier than people in Houston or Dallas. They are not obsessed as much with status. They are less phony than people in Dallas, especially. They are much more laid back and prefer to live life at a slower pace.

That slower pace, on the other hand, also applies to the workplace.

If one were to point this out to, say, a Spaniard, he would just sneer and reply, "Well, unlike you Americans, we work to live; we do not live to work." A San Antonian replies, "WAAHHH!!! YOU HATE ME!!!"

Another thing I've noticed about San Antonians is that they have a huge insecurity complex about the city, so just about any criticism about any aspect of the city or its people is guaranteed to be viewed as "hatred."

With regard to the obesity and diabetes problems, I guess objective reality just dislikes everything San Antonio and its residents. But it's not as if Houston and Dallas are rivaling Denver for fitness, you know.

I guess it is much easier to pretend problems don't exist and just shoot the messenger, than it is to deal with them honestly and consider how to solve them. Maybe USAA's current management culture fits in with the city more than I thought.




This is puro San Antone ese! If you don't like it you can go back to the big city lise with your caviar and your fancy drink ese! AAAaaaaaaaaaaah Hiy Hiy hiyyyyyyyE!!

[SpursWoman]

Sorry, but I'm a cracker ... my Spanish isn't even that good. :drunk


And I really don't care what people say about San Antonio, I just find it amusing that the same couple of people take digs at San Antonio every chance they get.

Anyway ... I'm in the 20/40/60 crowd, there's no way in hell I'd ever pursue a position there if I were unfortunate enough to be having to look for a new job. From the experiences of several people close to me, I couldn't stand that kind of job insecurity.

[traitoravery]

My mom just got fired on Tuesday....Shes 54 made well over 60k and and put her heart and soul in the company for 25 years.... Her jackass boss said he lost confidence in her. WTF? No warning or feedback or anything USAA is fucked up.....

[Twisted_Dawg]

My mom just got fired on Tuesday....Shes 54 made well over 60k and and put her heart and soul in the company for 25 years.... Her jackass boss said he lost confidence in her. WTF? No warning or feedback or anything USAA is fucked up.....

The wicked 20/40/60+ got her.

[JoeChalupa]

I guess I should be glad I never got hired there. When I moved down here all I heard was that was THE place to work and all the perks etc.
I feel bad for people who are used to that level of income.

[01Snake]

I guess I should be glad I never got hired there. When I moved down here all I heard was that was THE place to work and all the perks etc.
I feel bad for people who are used to that level of income.

I started working there straight outta college in 99' just as Bob Davis took over. It was great for about a year but then I realized its a friggin' deadend job. Left after two years and was the best thing I ever did.

Like you said, I'd feel pretty bad working somewhere for 20 years and making 60K a year.

[CubanMustGo]

Well, maybe now that ol' Carpetbagger Bob has been shown the door himself and replaced by leaders who are retired general officers this kind of crap will happen less often.

[JoeChalupa]

I started working there straight outta college in 99' just as Bob Davis took over. It was great for about a year but then I realized its a friggin' deadend job. Left after two years and was the best thing I ever did.

Like you said, I'd feel pretty bad working somewhere for 20 years and making 60K a year.

My father worked for GM for 25 years and was making over that with a 6 grade education. Thank God for the Union. To me 60K is a very good salary.

[ShoogarBear]

Holy crap. Unbelievable timing on this thread:

Robert Davis retires (https://www.usaa.com/inet/ent_utils/McStaticPages?key=2007_12_CEO_Retires)

EDIT: I see it got it's own thread.

[ShoogarBear]

FWIW, one of my best friends from HS works for Farmer's Insurance and he's been bitching about these same things with them for as long as I can remember.

[mikeanthony21]

USAA has been a huge plus for the City of San Antonio. We just need more large corporations to produce increased competition for the labor pool. Right now USAA and others have it made.

IMO, more times than not, the employees that get canned got fat and stopped trying to add value to their companies. In general, people feel so entitled.

I wish everyone would take a shot at owning their own business for a little perspecitve.

Is USAA perfect? Hell NO, but to now consider them an "EVIL Corportation" is ridiculously stupid.

You want EVIL? Try working for EASILY the worst company in San Antonio. SANTIKOS THEATRES.

Here's a company owned by an 82 year old millionaire who has a revolving door with management, can't hold onto corporate staff, thinks the minimum wage is too high, thinks $8.50 an hour for theatre managers will bring in top management talent from out of town, has a management anarchy monthly at the Rialto, hires 18 year old managers without any kind of background check or experience with a broom, and who cancelled the property insurance at the Mission Drive-In a month before it was destroyed by vandals.

Sorry, but USAA pales in comparison to THAT hellhole.

[Spurfect]

I was just at my sister's house and she confirmed it. she said they announced a surprise meeting and they pretty much NEVER have those there so everyone was wondering wtf was going on. no body knew about this even the bosses. so when they get to the meeting four men walk out on stage w/o Bob Davis so everyone was like :wtf and they announced his retirement as of today. Apparently the new CEO (forgot his name already but he was second in line) got a standing O

apparently the new guy is a little bit softer than Bob Davis

[Twisted_Dawg]

I was just at my sister's house and she confirmed it. she said they announced a surprise meeting and they pretty much NEVER have those there so everyone was wondering wtf was going on. no body knew about this even the bosses. so when they get to the meeting four men walk out on stage w/o Bob Davis so everyone was like :wtf and they announced his retirement as of today. Apparently the new CEO (forgot his name already but he was second in line) got a standing O

apparently the new guy is a little bit softer than Bob Davis

Although the party line is that Davis retired, it looks like he was forced out. He was only 61, and for a power crazed man like him to give up all that power, control and money is not realistic. Hey maybe this thread is what got him fired! He was the first civilain to be CEO, now USAA is bringing back some former military officers to right the ship.

"The Board of Directors is filling his shoes with Major General Josue "Joe" Robles, Jr. as the association's new President and Chief Executive Officer, and Lt. General John H. Moellering as Chairman."

[Twisted_Dawg]

FWIW, one of my best friends from HS works for Farmer's Insurance and he's been bitching about these same things with them for as long as I can remember.

I worked for Farmers right our of college years ago. It was a horrible company to work for and it still is.

[ShoogarBear]

Hey maybe this thread is what got him fired! One of us has a lot more power than s/he is letting on . . .

[easjer]

You want EVIL? Try working for EASILY the worst company in San Antonio. SANTIKOS THEATRES.

Here's a company owned by an 82 year old millionaire who has a revolving door with management, can't hold onto corporate staff, thinks the minimum wage is too high, thinks $8.50 an hour for theatre managers will bring in top management talent from out of town, has a management anarchy monthly at the Rialto, hires 18 year old managers without any kind of background check or experience with a broom, and who cancelled the property insurance at the Mission Drive-In a month before it was destroyed by vandals.

Sorry, but USAA pales in comparison to THAT hellhole.


:lmao

That's really funny. SFIE worked at the Rialto (during the crossover from the Galaxy to the Rialto), and they really wanted him to be a manager, but he turned them down because a) he was moving back to Houston to return to school and b) the salary compared to what was expected was shit.

I just read this to him and he agreed with it and wanted me to mention that the owner also had a really bad toupee. He also just reminded me that there were a lot of people who didn't last a full shift at the Rialto. :lol

[Spurfect]

Although the party line is that Davis retired, it looks like he was forced out. He was only 61, and for a power crazed man like him to give up all that power, control and money is not realistic. Hey maybe this thread is what got him fired! He was the first civilain to be CEO, now USAA is bringing back some former military officers to right the ship.

"The Board of Directors is filling his shoes with Major General Josue "Joe" Robles, Jr. as the association's new President and Chief Executive Officer, and Lt. General John H. Moellering as Chairman."

my sister told me that the speech they gave was a bit suspicious. they kept emphasizing how "moral" and "ethical" Joe Robles is, i forgot what other words she used but they certainly made sure to make those points... so did Davis get caught doing something wrong? makes you think!

[mikeanthony21]

:lmao

That's really funny. SFIE worked at the Rialto (during the crossover from the Galaxy to the Rialto), and they really wanted him to be a manager, but he turned them down because a) he was moving back to Houston to return to school and b) the salary compared to what was expected was shit.

I just read this to him and he agreed with it and wanted me to mention that the owner also had a really bad toupee. He also just reminded me that there were a lot of people who didn't last a full shift at the Rialto. :lol

Just outta curiousity... were SFIE's initials be "J.P?" Oh, yeah, how could I forget about Santikos' bad toupee' and purple Mercedes? I knew about people not lasting a full shift at the Galaxy/Rialto but WHY in GAWD'S NAME did a guy named "Slava" last more than a week with that temper of his? Not surprising that the kitchen staff walked out on him! :madrun

[mikeanthony21]

my sister told me that the speech they gave was a bit suspicious. they kept emphasizing how "moral" and "ethical" Joe Robles is, i forgot what other words she used but they certainly made sure to make those points... so did Davis get caught doing something wrong? makes you think!

Bob Davis was the one who spearheaded the redesign of usaa.com, wanting ALL members to depend on the site for anything from filing a claim to checking status' on claims to checking account balances, etc. Davis was doing this, supposedly, to eventually eliminate Regional Services (the overnight claims people) and the eventual elimination of "I.R.U." (the claims reps who take the initial call from a customer) When the site was re-launched a couple of months ago, the site's hits actually DECREASED and the phone calls to I.R.U. more than doubled. Davis then still redefined I.R.U.'s job duties to very menial claims and shifted the rest of the workload up one level to the Associate Adjusters, which pissed off all of the adjusters who were overworked to begin with. Needless to say, this did start a small firestorm which MIGHT have ignited something on the Unit Director level then escalated up to the executive level. Just one theory. :bang

[Dude]

You want EVIL? Try working for EASILY the worst company in San Antonio. SANTIKOS THEATRES.

Here's a company owned by an 82 year old millionaire who has a revolving door with management, can't hold onto corporate staff, thinks the minimum wage is too high, thinks $8.50 an hour for theater managers will bring in top management talent from out of town, has a management anarchy monthly at the Rialto, hires 18 year old managers without any kind of background check or experience with a broom, and who canceled the property insurance at the Mission Drive-In a month before it was destroyed by vandals.

Sorry, but USAA pales in comparison to THAT hellhole.


My Dad worked for Santikos, he was a projectionist and was in the union, Santikos started to hire non union workers and made my dad go from working 6 projectors at Century south VI theaters to 10 projectors after it became century south 10 theaters. they only gave him 20.00 dollars extra for adding the 4 other projectors. So him and his Union buddies started to sabotage the movies forcing them to give out refunds.

It got to the point where my dad tried to get Mr Santiko's legs broken but made the mistake and hired an undercover cop.

It was in the papers.

:wakeup

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Just outta curiousity... were SFIE's initials be "J.P?" Oh, yeah, how could I forget about Santikos' bad toupee' and purple Mercedes? I knew about people not lasting a full shift at the Galaxy/Rialto but WHY in GAWD'S NAME did a guy named "Slava" last more than a week with that temper of his? Not surprising that the kitchen staff walked out on him! :madrun

Sorry, not my initials. The managers used to tell us horror stories about that old man's penny pinching. Two of the managers who had worked at the Embassy together told me about one of his signature surprise visits. He happened to hit them on a Saturday during a very brief down time before the evening rush and he was HORRIFIED to see that the managers were scheduling all of these extra employees. He was so horrified that he grabbed the GM and basically followed him around as he told half the crew to clock out and go home. Sure enough 20 minutes later the old man was gone, the evening rush arrived, and they were down to a skeleton crew.

Because he didn't want to pay a few people for the evening the managers estimated they lost at least $300 in people who saw the long concession lines and left hungry, as well as ticket refunds for people who left because so many shows got delayed when the undermanned staff couldn't clean out the theatres fast enough. And you can't really calculate how much that cost them in lost repeat business. The next time they saw that ridiculous purple car pull up they grabbed all the female employees that were working at the time and hid them in the ladies room until he left. :lol

[ShoogarBear]

My Dad worked for Santikos, he was a projectionist and was in the union, Santikos started to hire non union workers and made my dad go from working 6 projectors at Century south VI theaters to 10 projectors after it became century south 10 theaters. they only gave him 20.00 dollars extra for adding the 4 other projectors. So him and his Union buddies started to sabotage the movies forcing them to give out refunds.

It got to the point where my dad tried to get Mr Santiko's legs broken but made the mistake and hired an undercover cop.

It was in the papers.

:wakeup:lmao

[mikeanthony21]

My Dad worked for Santikos, he was a projectionist and was in the union, Santikos started to hire non union workers and made my dad go from working 6 projectors at Century south VI theaters to 10 projectors after it became century south 10 theaters. they only gave him 20.00 dollars extra for adding the 4 other projectors. So him and his Union buddies started to sabotage the movies forcing them to give out refunds.

It got to the point where my dad tried to get Mr Santiko's legs broken but made the mistake and hired an undercover cop.

It was in the papers.

:wakeup

It was also Chris Marrou's intro on Eyewitness News that night after your dad's slip-up. "Movie Theatre Projectionists... and Violence! Film at 10!"

That incident pretty much sealed the fate of the union. Santikos was already training replacement projectionists up in Austin who took $5.00 an hour for the jobs. He started training them at the old Ingram 6 until the union guy there smelled a rat so the trainees all "disappeared" and resurfaced in Austin at the Presidio Theatres which were later on acquired by Act III.

[mikeanthony21]

:lmao

Ok, the story I heard was that the union guy's own son was the one who tipped off the FBI... or was that someone else? The reason that it didn't become a federal case was because the money trail couldn't be linked back to the union itself. It was some guy with the initials "F.V." But, it was still enough for a racketeering charge. That was so long ago, I might be off on some details.

[violentkitten]

I actually like San Antonians. They are much friendlier than people in Houston or Dallas. They are not obsessed as much with status. They are less phony than people in Dallas, especially. They are much more laid back and prefer to live life at a slower pace.

dallas is old money in texas. banking center. capital. everyone has a platinum dildo stuck in their anus.

houston is new money. energy. port. rough. everyone is on the make. east texas meets wealth.

austin is new new money. trendy.

san antonio is that grand old aunt. everyone in texas loves her and loves to visit, but there's a difference between spending a few days there and living with her.



That slower pace, on the other hand, also applies to the workplace.


true. chicken or egg. are the young professionals not there because of the lack of the corporate base or vice versa? i say the latter.



If one were to point this out to, say, a Spaniard, he would just sneer and reply, "Well, unlike you Americans, we work to live; we do not live to work." A San Antonian replies, "WAAHHH!!! YOU HATE ME!!!"


pretty much.




Another thing I've noticed about San Antonians is that they have a huge insecurity complex about the city, so just about any criticism about any aspect of the city or its people is guaranteed to be viewed as "hatred."


entitlement. remember kelly?




With regard to the obesity and diabetes problems, I guess objective reality just dislikes everything San Antonio and its residents. But it's not as if Houston and Dallas are rivaling Denver for fitness, you know.


9 months out of the year in texas you want your ass on a couch with the a/c set below 70.

[mikeanthony21]

Sorry, not my initials. The managers used to tell us horror stories about that old man's penny pinching. Two of the managers who had worked at the Embassy together told me about one of his signature surprise visits. He happened to hit them on a Saturday during a very brief down time before the evening rush and he was HORRIFIED to see that the managers were scheduling all of these extra employees. He was so horrified that he grabbed the GM and basically followed him around as he told half the crew to clock out and go home. Sure enough 20 minutes later the old man was gone, the evening rush arrived, and they were down to a skeleton crew.

Because he didn't want to pay a few people for the evening the managers estimated they lost at least $300 in people who saw the long concession lines and left hungry, as well as ticket refunds for people who left because so many shows got delayed when the undermanned staff couldn't clean out the theatres fast enough. And you can't really calculate how much that cost them in lost repeat business. The next time they saw that ridiculous purple car pull up they grabbed all the female employees that were working at the time and hid them in the ladies room until he left. :lol

Oh yeah, I remember those surprise visits of his. He quit making those surprise visits to the Northwest when I was there when he found a used condom... IN THE PARTY ROOM. Strange thing was, there was a 6 year old's birthday party there just a couple of hours earlier. :wtf

[Dude]

Ok, the story I heard was that the union guy's own son was the one who tipped off the FBI... or was that someone else? The reason that it didn't become a federal case was because the money trail couldn't be linked back to the union itself. It was some guy with the initials "F.V." But, it was still enough for a racketeering charge. That was so long ago, I might be off on some details.

I was stationed at Ft Bragg when I heard the story. My mom told me my dad would be going to prison for 5 years. I remember he gave me this Projection tube that lights up the screen he said it cost over 1,500.00 dollars. I went to a place close to town where you can by projection parts to see if I could sell it. The man started to ask to many questions on how I got my hands on it.

I used to love going to the movies and to see Mandingo or Kentucky fried movie. up in the booth. I never did like the pop corn it was made weeks earlier and sat in a room upstairs in these yellow bags. Sometime you would see a rat or two

To bad you can't find any old San Antonio light newspaper articles on line

[mikeanthony21]

I was stationed at Ft Bragg when I heard the story. My mom told me my dad would be going to prison for 5 years. I remember he gave me this Projection tube that lights up the screen he said it cost over 1,500.00 dollars. I went to a place close to town where you can by projection parts to see if I could sell it. The man started to ask to many questions on how I got my hands on it.

I used to love going to the movies and to see Mandingo or Kentucky fried movie. up in the booth. I never did like the pop corn it was made weeks earlier and sat in a room upstairs in these yellow bags. Sometime you would see a rat or two

To bad you can't find any old San Antonio light newspaper articles on line

Back in the day, those tubes (called "xenon lamps") did cost around $1500.00 (for the larger, higher wattage ones) I remember the days of making popcorn up in the booth (like at the Northwest) a week ahead of time. Little did the customer know! hehe

I didn't follow up on the projectionists story after the arrest was made. Did you ever know what happened to the union boss, J.B. Parnell?

[curtismedellin]

I remember the days of making popcorn up in the booth (like at the Northwest) a week ahead of time. Little did the customer know! hehe

this is standard practice at a lot of places...including the Alamodome and the AT&T, and you don't wanna know about the hot dogs!

[Twisted_Dawg]

Bob Davis was the one who spearheaded the redesign of usaa.com, wanting ALL members to depend on the site for anything from filing a claim to checking status' on claims to checking account balances, etc. Davis was doing this, supposedly, to eventually eliminate Regional Services (the overnight claims people) and the eventual elimination of "I.R.U." (the claims reps who take the initial call from a customer) When the site was re-launched a couple of months ago, the site's hits actually DECREASED and the phone calls to I.R.U. more than doubled. Davis then still redefined I.R.U.'s job duties to very menial claims and shifted the rest of the workload up one level to the Associate Adjusters, which pissed off all of the adjusters who were overworked to begin with. Needless to say, this did start a small firestorm which MIGHT have ignited something on the Unit Director level then escalated up to the executive level. Just one theory. :bang

Sounds like you might be a Type 08 Multi-lines? You know the code.

Based on what the paper said today it does appear Davis was fired. He was not there for the announcement and the company told the newspaper to contact him at home for comment. I heard from a USAA friend last night who said the Generals that lead this coup where pissed with the horrible employee moral, declining service surveys from the members and the fact that USAA has lost more members to other companies in the last 5 years than it had at any other time in its history.

[katyon6th]

I met with a man recently who also fell victim to the 20/40/60 program at USAA. He was well over 40, making close to 100K and approaching his retirement. Poor guy started crying in our interview.

[mikeanthony21]

Sounds like you might be a Type 08 Multi-lines? You know the code.

Based on what the paper said today it does appear Davis was fired. He was not there for the announcement and the company told the newspaper to contact him at home for comment. I heard from a USAA friend last night who said the Generals that lead this coup where pissed with the horrible employee moral, declining service surveys from the members and the fact that USAA has lost more members to other companies in the last 5 years than it had at any other time in its history.

Type 08 Multi-Lines is correct. I can say with first-hand knowledge that employee morale, from the now-depleted I.R.U. to the Associate Adjusters to the non-injury adjusters, up to the examiners, is at an all-time low. The reason? A workload that's been tripled recently, constant monitoring from management, threats of probation and termination on a weekly basis, and jeopardization of their bonuses resulting from being placed on "verbal warnings" for the smallest of infractions. In my department, every single adjuster is looking to get out. Some are even thinking of moving to the cafeteria vendor, Sodexho! I'm not surprised about the declining service surveys, I talk to pissed off members every hour of the day. The main complaint? "My adjuster hasn't called me." Well, that's because they are so overworked, some calls ARE going to be missed! As for members leaving USAA... it's sad, but true.

What's even sadder to me is that USAA USED to be held in ultra-high regard by all San Antonians. It used to be THE place to work. It used to be a place that people would've killed to work at. No more.

Hopefully, Gen. Robles can wave a magic wand and make USAA a better place to work at. He has a tall mountain to climb. I wish him luck because he will need it.

[Twisted_Dawg]

Type 08 Multi-Lines is correct. I can say with first-hand knowledge that employee morale, from the now-depleted I.R.U. to the Associate Adjusters to the non-injury adjusters, up to the examiners, is at an all-time low. The reason? A workload that's been tripled recently, constant monitoring from management, threats of probation and termination on a weekly basis, and jeopardization of their bonuses resulting from being placed on "verbal warnings" for the smallest of infractions. In my department, every single adjuster is looking to get out. Some are even thinking of moving to the cafeteria vendor, Sodexho! I'm not surprised about the declining service surveys, I talk to pissed off members every hour of the day. The main complaint? "My adjuster hasn't called me." Well, that's because they are so overworked, some calls ARE going to be missed! As for members leaving USAA... it's sad, but true.

What's even sadder to me is that USAA USED to be held in ultra-high regard by all San Antonians. It used to be THE place to work. It used to be a place that people would've killed to work at. No more.

Hopefully, Gen. Robles can wave a magic wand and make USAA a better place to work at. He has a tall mountain to climb. I wish him luck because he will need it.

I use to be an 08er......now I sell it. Mike get out of claims now while you can still walk and talk.

[Clandestino]

i have heard that morale has gone to shit, but seriously, the new online shit and all the stuff that allows me to not have to talk to someone at usaa is what i love. their features have got better and better every year.

i would just not be looking for a job there.

[ShoogarBear]

i have heard that morale has gone to shit, but seriously, the new online shit and all the stuff that allows me to not have to talk to someone at usaa is what i love. their features have got better and better every year.

i would just not be looking for a job there.I don't see why good online service and good personal service have to be mutually exclusive.

[mouse]

Has anyone here seen American Beauty? Why not get a compensation package with the boss even if you have to accuse him of touching your private parts!

or how about an old fashion "Slip n Fall" next time you see a wet floor?

this shit would not be going on if Hillary was President!



http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/WTC/the-truth-1.gif

http://i125.photobucket.com/albums/p55/RackTheMouse/WTC/wtc-squibs.gif

[Spurfect]

I don't see why good online service and good personal service have to be mutually exclusive.

I agree. Not everyone is computer savvy. what about all their older customers that don't do internet? or people that would just rather talk to a person. They should really balance it out

[exstatic]

ummmm...the "baby boom" generation refers to anyone born between 1945 and 1964. Your assertion that 40s and 50s are not members of this group is incorrect.
I've seen definitions that stop at 1960, which would rule out most 47 year olds and below. I'm 45, and have NEVER considered myself a Boomer. I'm not sure how two people born 20 years apart can be the same generation when one can easily be the parent of the other. My personal definition is if you were old enough to serve in 'Nam, you were pushing the broom at the end of the Boomer Gen parade. There was just definitely a cutoff there and a difference of experience and expectation. We had soldiers "in country" until the fall of Saigon in '75, so that puts my cutoff somewhere around 1957.

Regardless of when you think the Boomer gen ended, I think you can rule out 40 year olds. They were born in 1967, outside any definition of Boomer that I've ever heard, yet still vulnerable to USAA'a axe. That was my point. It's not all boomers. There's a large segment of non-boomers vulnerable.

[USA Employee]

I do not understand all the big deal America is the land of many jobs!

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Davis speaks:



http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA121607.01A.usaa.297e28b.html

For better or worse, Davis shook USAA up

Web Posted: 12/16/2007 12:12 AM CST

Travis E. Poling and Greg Jefferson
Express-News

In the seven years that Robert G. Davis ran USAA, the area around his executive office suite was off limits. Workers had to give it a wide berth. More recently, the doors could be accessed only with a key card.

On Tuesday, after Davis' sudden retirement, newly named CEO Josue Robles opened the doors to the suite and left them open.

To some, it was a sign that what they described as "a culture of fear" fostered under Davis finally was over.

But Davis, 61, who spoke about his departure for the first time Saturday, described the 22,000-employee company as having a culture of performance and not everybody fit in. "We had to change the whole culture of the company," Davis said.

When he came to USAA in 1996, it still was very much a civil service environment. "Nobody was challenged in performance and creativity," he said.

Those who thrived under the low-demand, decades-old business model were aghast at the changes Davis made.

"They hated it, hated me and couldn't get away fast enough from it," Davis said. "If I had worried about myself and my reputation, we wouldn't have gotten anything done."

Some longtime employees of the San Antonio-based company, having outlasted layoffs and firings over the past seven years, say Davis was turning the private company into a financial services and insurance powerhouse.

But many still yearned for the leadership of the late Brig. Gen. Robert McDermott, who served in executive positions from 1968 until his retirement as chairman in 1993. He was widely known for the way he treated his workers and his contributions to the community.

McDermott "always said we really need to take care of our people and they'll take care of our mission," said one former executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Davis had a much different leadership style. Several former executives and employees said that while the benefits at USAA remained great under Davis, the emphasis on selling more and more services to USAA's 6 million members became intense. Davis, they said, often berated them publicly in monthly employee meetings.

Davis also made it clear to employees that he was staying through 2010 and that nobody should think they could outlast him, current and former USAA insiders said.

"Tuesday was probably the best day at USAA in five years," the former executive said.

When Davis' retirement was announced, various online message boards began buzzing over the news, many espousing theories on why he left so suddenly, chief among them that he was having disagreements with the board of directors.

Employees described the mood as jubilant Tuesday and some reported cheers erupting from rows of cubicles and employees exchanging high-fives.

The announcement that Robles, a 62-year-old retired Army major general and 13-year executive of USAA, would become CEO was met with equal excitement.

On Saturday, Davis denied he was having any problems with the USAA board. He said the decision to leave was his and that he and the board of directors still saw eye to eye on the direction the company needed to take. He praised the board as "very strong."

"Basically, I've had my whole life scheduled for me," Davis said from his Shavano Park home after spending some time at his Hill Country ranch earlier in the week. "I think it's a good time to take a break and see what it's like not to be on a schedule."

Reinventing USAA to be competitive took its toll, he said.

In 2000, the U.S. economy came crashing down from a long bull-market run and the investments made by insurance and financial companies to provide profits when the market is good could no longer be counted on.

"I knew we had to make our money the old-fashioned way — through operations," Davis said.

In seven years, he said, he shrunk the amount of money it took to run the company from 40 percent to 24 percent, a factor that made USAA products competitively priced.

Some cost savings came through layoffs in 2000 and 2001 and other forms of downsizing in the years since. Before then, USAA took pride in not laying people off. But some inside the company say the harsh changes were necessary.

"Bob Davis was the right leader for USAA at the right time," said Wendi Strong, USAA spokeswoman and a senior executive brought on board by Davis. "He brought rigor and fiscal discipline."

Strong said some people, mostly those who didn't like the demands of "a performance-based culture where results matter," have been a vocal — if anonymous — minority.

Employees identified by name on USAA's internal message boards weighed in by the hundreds with praise for Davis' leadership and public speaking. Some chided those who wanted the so-called "good old days" to return.

Strong said Davis was the first to open monthly and quarterly meetings to all employees. He also made performance bonuses companywide instead of just for executives. Workers have received 12 percent or more of their annual income as a bonus in February.

An employee meeting Jan. 29 will lay out just how good a year it was for USAA in 2007, she said, and will show how large the bonuses will be from Davis' last year at the company.

Strong said the bottom line numbers have been good every year under Davis, despite five of the past seven years going into the books as the worst catastrophic insurance loss years in USAA history.

But some of those same employees lauding Davis internally also expressed dismay that Davis never addressed the employees and let them bid him farewell.

The sudden nature of his departure with only a single quote in a company statement Tuesday has raised eyebrows, especially because Davis publicly told employees he had no intention of leaving.

The new chairman of the board of directors didn't return a phone call earlier in the week to discuss the board's role in the decision.

Davis said Saturday that once he decided to leave, the board and management preferred to do it quickly because it is so close to the end of the year. "It was better to change and not dwell on it," he said. "It was just time to go."

Not so visible

Some community leaders interviewed about his departure seemed to agree that it was time for Davis to step down. While Davis was known for his intense focus on USAA's business, he didn't fit the mold of his predecessors or of what most San Antonio civic leaders expect from the heads of major companies.

County Judge Nelson Wolff, who worked closely with McDermott nearly two decades ago when Wolff was mayor, said he rarely crossed paths with Davis during his tenure at USAA.

That was a letdown after McDermott's extensive civic involvement — and to a lesser extent, that of Robert Herres, his successor. Wolff credited McDermott with helping broker an Alamodome deal that he says kept the Spurs in San Antonio.

"A corporate CEO can choose to have a major impact in the community, and McDermott, probably more than anybody else, did that," Wolff said. "Obviously, Davis decided not to do that. He did contribute some, but it was very minimal."

Wolff shrugged off the suggestion that Davis spent his time strengthening USAA during a turbulent period in the financial services industry.

"Certainly AT&T is in a competitive industry, but, still, Ed Whitacre found time to help out in the community," he said of the recently retired chairman and CEO of San Antonio-based AT&T Inc.

Mayor Phil Hardberger recalled Davis' reluctance to lead fundraising efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

When Hardberger first asked Davis to head the fundraising drive, Davis' answer was no.

"But he called back the next morning, and said, 'If you still want me to do it, I'll do it,'" Hardberger recalled.

Hardberger said his performance as head of the effort — lining up commitments and dispensing aid — was impressive.

Under Davis' watch, USAA also contributed $250,000 to help pay for the redevelopment of Main Plaza, one of Hardberger's signature projects.

Nevertheless, Hardberger said: "He does not have a good bedside manner. He can be brusque."

Certainly, Davis did not fit the community powerbroker mold, but Strong said he made "a quiet, but significant commitment to San Antonio." She described his leadership of the weekly meeting of Katrina relief groups in San Antonio and recalled the many Saturdays that Davis boxed up food at the San Antonio Food Bank. "He was absolutely anti-photo op," she said.

USAA employees are known for their generosity, ranking as the top San Antonio company for donations to United Way, raising $5.9 million this year. Davis headed the campaign citywide last year, and he and wife were among the top individual donors, according to the United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County.

Still, his management style, while it got results at USAA, left some cold as far back as the 1980s.

As Wolff described it, his first exposure to Davis in the early 1980s wasn't promising. The county judge said he served as a director of the now defunct Alamo National Bank when the board hired Davis as president, and that his curt management style soon created turmoil within the bank.

"That was very difficult, the way he treated people," Wolff said. "A lot of people left."

Ed Lette, president of Austin-based Business Bank of Texas, likewise came away with a bad early impression of Davis.

In 1980, Lette said he served as chief financial officer of M Bank in Brownsville, and Davis oversaw commercial lending as an executive vice president.

"He and I never got along," Lette said. "He wouldn't listen to anyone's advice."

When it came time to craft the bank's annual budget, he said, Davis' projections for commercial loan activity were unbelievably high.

Lette urged Davis to scale back his forecast, he said, to no avail. The following year, "we didn't grow the loan area at all," Lette said. "In fact, it shrank."

But many have praised Davis' financial savvy, saying he made bold moves in his positions as head of the USAA Capital Corp., president of USAA and later CEO, a position he assumed in 2000. He added chairman to his list of titles in 2002.

"He is one of the brightest, most organized business executives that I've had the pleasure to work with," said Ed Kelly, who retired from the company two years ago as president of USAA Real Estate.

USAA doubled its assets to $125 billion and doubled its net worth to $14 billion while Davis ran the company.

Some wonder, however, at what cost to the company and its workers. Another former employee, who asked not to be named, said that at first the idea of having six to seven USAA insurance and financial products and services in every member household was not unreasonably aggressive. But in recent years the pressure for USAA workers to sell even more products with every contact with a member became unbearable for some.

Even a few members of the company — primarily military, retired military and their family members — felt like they were always being sold something.

Davis defends the aggressive tactics. He said changing the company to get the right products and services to members and educating them about everything offered was one of the most difficult parts of the job.

"We have to be more advisers than order takers," he said.

Although there were no formal goodbyes or parties celebrating his departure, Davis passed on this farewell to USAA employees through the San Antonio Express-News:

"I've absolutely enjoyed working with all of them and I know they have the USAA members at heart. I encourage them to be innovative and creative."

[Nbadan]

by 'innovative' and 'creative' Davis means slash-and-burn management and job outsourcing....what a loser...

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I can't take anyone seriously who doesn't understand that Baby Boomers are basically retired or retiring at this point, and that people in their 40s and even early 50s now aren't members of that group. The "Baby Boom" happened in 1945 when the GIs came home from the war. Even though I am not a member of that generation, they have my utmost respect. They took us to the Moon, and invented ARPAnet, which became that Internet that you slack on all day.

Don't worry. Your turn to be kicked to the curb is only decades away, and some little shit will no doubt tell you what a crappy generation you are. :lol

Thats the entire point, chachi. The fact of the matter is that the generation has been in the power structure and fucked everything up in that time. i wold also posit that the average age of CEOs according to Forbes is 51, congressman go in at 55 years. that would put the true ruling elite right at those bastards for the last 20 years.

Also I am studying engineering and that would be a discipline with lesser and lesser enrollment rates. The fact that he baby boomers are leaving that labor market is a trememndous boon and unless there is a windfall of engineering degrees it will remain a profession with a sellers market to work with.

And this has nothing to do about me being younger and completely about the fact that the baby boomer generation has literally screwed everything up for the rest of us. Fiscal irresponsibility and questionable ethics are their trademarks.

If youre on the cusp right there then its your generation that is next up to bat but realistically anyone in the current power structure that wants to question the integrity and work ethic in the younger generations should perhaps use some introspection.

We havent shit the bed liek they have. We may but it would only be following in their footsteps if that is the case.