Every year at work we have a big campaign and each department is pressured to have 100% participation although it's "voluntary". We spend 20 minutes watching a cheesey video and listening to the campaign manager. Some poor secretary gets stuck distributing and collecting these pledge cards, including the convenient monthly payroll deduction option. Even if we don't want to participate we're supposed to sign these cards and return them.
A few years ago our department chair "reminded" me that I hadn't turned my card back in. I told him it's in the recycling bin if he wants to go get it and then went into a 5-minute rant about why I don't want any of my money going to that organization and was not too happy that so many employees were spending time on this instead of doing the actual work the state taxpayers pay us to do.
They don't bother me about this anymore.
Similar experience here Myelo. When I was 19, we were gathered together in one large room while the Bosses (all relatives of the Owner) gave us the Speech. They had us go to the front of the room, one by one, and sign the papers to deduct from our paycheck. I resented the HELL out of that tactic plus the fact that United Way had tried to coerce the Boy Scouts, much like the Gub'mint threatens states highway funding unless they roll over. When my name was called, I told them that I would not sign. They asked me why not. I told them that I'd rather donate directly to the charities I prefer instead of leaving it up to UW to dole the money out the way they see fit. They glared at me. The next day I was fired.
Fast forward a few years. I began working at the Bell Data Center in Birmingham, Alabama. As a programmer, I was in Management as opposed to Union. We were gathered into one large room, given the Speech, and told that as Management, it was
mandatory to donate a minimum of 2% of our yearly income to the UW. I managed to put off having to sign it temporarily by asking for clarification of one point after the other, until such time as I finally quit that job. I
did not fit in with those butt-kissing, knee-walking, lickspittle lackeys anyway (most of them had never had a single day of employment in their lives that was not some indoor, airconditioned clerical thing! Freaks!). Anyway, thats how I came to despise what many businesses do in the name of the United Way. And I still give to the Scouts and other charities that I want to.
