Size Matters

Seat yourself: Casey Logan’s Kansas City Strip about the new arena was right (December 12). If we are going to spend money to build an arena, let us build one. Let us build a 22,000-24,000-seat arena so we can attract the Final Four once in a while.

An 18,000-seat arena will only place us on par with the Miamis of the world. Miami has an arena that seats just over 19,000. Let us make a big splash and really build a nice arena. If the proposal is for a 22,000-seat arena, as opposed to an 18,000-seat arena, I will support it. I promise.

Rudolph Pieters

Kansas City, Missouri

Life of a Salesman

The Tom club: Regarding Allie Johnson’s “The Hard Sell” (December 12): What a great article! I felt like I was reliving my past. I worked for the Hames agency for six months back in ’92 and got to go on some calls with Tom Lipscomb. Johnson’s portrayal of the cult of Northwestern Mutual Life was dead-on. Lipscomb also made a lot of money from selling disability insurance, which they pushed on us pretty hard.

I always found it odd that they hired all of these kids straight out of college and had us selling retirement-based products to the rich — stuff that we had no business selling. At 22, did I know or even care about retirement? Did I ever think about the possibility of becoming disabled and not being able to work? Heck, no. Their strategy is to bring in as many fresh, young, energetic people as possible and to get them to sell as much as they can to their friends and family.

They made me go through eight interviews before hiring me, and made me take multiple personality tests. By the time I was hired, they had built up my ego to the point where I thought I could sell this stuff to anyone. I can’t tell you how many times I heard someone at the office say, “If you cut me, I would bleed NML.” I was brainwashed for six months. At the end I had sold, like, three policies. Of course, I had some free time and I calculated my salary; I earned six cents an hour. That was until I got a bill for $2,300 from the Hames agency.

Thanks for the good story.

Jason Starke

Coralville, Iowa

ION, Laid Off

Firing squad: Regarding Casey Logan’s “Screwed by Sprint” (November 21): I enjoyed the article immensely, and I can identify with everything he says. However, there are a lot far worse stories no one hears of.

I worked in the IT field of Sprint PCS for two years, and I fully enjoyed my job. Then last spring, Sprint began implementing its One Sprint initiative. The layoffs began, and those of us left got the shaft. Bill Esrey’s reward for laying off all those hard-working Sprint employees (most with families) was to get a nice, fat 5 percent raise plus other benefits. I watched all my former PCS management — most of whom were former techs who worked in my department before being promoted — being replaced by Sprint Corporate personnel who had no idea how to turn off their computer, let alone manage an IT department. In all fairness to Sprint, however, I can say I worked at AT&T for ten-plus years, and it was the same. Incompetent, unethical back-stabbers are promoted while the skilled, intelligent hard workers languish in entry-level positions.

I was recently terminated by Sprint after returning from family and medical leave because my paperwork “wasn’t in order.” Both my manager and an HR benefits rep pretended everything was fine and in order until my first day back, when they decided to ambush me with their October surprise. Of course, that didn’t matter to Sprint’s internal appeals process, nor did the fact that they had lied about contacting my doctor. Apparently Sprint’s code of conduct only applies to nonmanagement.

Name Withheld Upon Request

Brrring it on: What is Casey Logan’s point with this article? That life in Corporate America can be less than kind at times; that CEOs make a lot of money and get more than a fair share of perks; that the economy can be volatile; and that some people aren’t suited for the larger end of the corporate world? Yes, many people were laid off. Yes, ION failed. Yes, Esrey still gets paid a lot of money. Did Logan ever think while writing this story that Sprint (as well as Hallmark) has done a lot of amazing things for the KC community? NO!

Logan doesn’t have to like the atmosphere of this “other world” and complain about cubicles and bleak buildings. That’s why he works at the Pitch. There is a tradeoff. You can suffer this sterile environment and get 87 percent of your entire family’s insurance paid, oodles of stock options, stock purchase plans, a very decent salary with guaranteed increases per year, etc., etc.

Why would Logan use this guy [Anthony Young] as an example of people who were truly screwed? Logan said Young hopped from job to job until he found Sprint, never felt like he fit in, didn’t associate with coworkers, and has sent out over 2,000 résumés since this happened. Hello! Would he make your cut if given the choice of employees? I feel bad for the guy, but maybe someone did him a favor.

The moral of the story is to be cautious, no matter where you choose to work, and to watch for the writing on the wall. In the meantime, utilize every benefit, make sure you do the best job possible, and just maybe you’ll be spared when these decisions have to be made.

Melissa Trybom

Kansas City, Missouri