It’s been an interesting couple of weeks.

Two weeks ago, my co-workers and I were given an “offer” by our employer. The company is apparently broke, and we were given the “opportunity” to go to work as “freelancers” for about half our previous compensation, with no health insurance or other benefits, and with the company not even handling tax or FICA withholding. In other words, each of us would be an independent contractor — except that the company also said that we needed to work a 30-hour week, and be in the office all five days from 9 AM to 5 PM. There’s apparently some deficiency in someone’s math skills.

One of my co-workers accepted the deal. She and her husband are insured through his employer and he does quite well. Another co-worker is trying unsuccessfully to re-negotiate the deal. Neither of them really saw this for what it was. The employer wants us to sign that deal because it amounts to a de facto resignation from full-time employment. They don’t have to terminate us, and don’t have to worry about unemployment liabilities.

I declined the offer in writing.

Two weeks later I had heard absolutely nothing from anyone. Then, this past Friday, I received a diminutive paycheck in the amount that would be expected under the new agreement, which I did not accept. On top of that, I got a call saying that one boss thought the other boss was handling things, so no one did. I was told that the company didn’t want to lose me, and was asked what would make the deal acceptable.

I think my response was reasonable. I said that there were two issues here, not one. My full-time employment situation needed to be dealt with first, and that if they were terminating that because I wouldn’t voluntarily do so, they needed to put it in writing. Once that was done and all liabilities associated with the full-time job (like the missing half of my paycheck this week, and my remaining vacation time) were resolved, I would happily entertain offers of part-time or contract employment.

Today, I got an e-mail from the owner of the company that didn’t answer any of my questions at all, and also told me that our working hours were being reduced by 50%. That’s a 20-hour week, not 30. If I couldn’t accept that, I was told, then I should submit my resignation.

So now I’m waiting another 24 hours for an answer to four questions:

1) What is my current pay rate?
2) What do you plan to do about salary owed me to date?
3) What do you plan to do about unused vacation time owed me?
4) Am I an employee or an independent contractor?

I guess we’ll see how that goes. If I get written confirmation that they’re cutting my salary in half as well as my working hours, then that’ll be a valid reason for resigning and will not disqualify me for unemployment, should I find myself in need of it. There’s also a hostile work environment right now, since the one co-worker who took the deal is already acting as if I am the one raining on her parade.

Meanwhile, the Georgia Renaissance Festival opened this past weekend. Allison and I are managing the “Parrots of the Caribbean” aviary for Earthquest, and our first weekend went very well! Saturday’s crowd was huge, and Sunday’s was somewhat smaller due to rainy conditions, but everyone had a great time.

There’s one bad apple in every bushel, of course. Another volunteer, someone who’d been helping with landscaping inside the aviary, reacted badly to a clerical error that left him off the volunteer list. Of course, he had a ticket and got in anyway with no difficulty at all, but he was sufficiently miffed that he made the mistake of cursing, berating, and abusing Allison in front of a crowd of onlookers when she merely greeted him at the end of the day on Saturday. I was not around when this happened, and I think that’s probably a good thing, because we would have ended up in a hospital and/or a jail. He had the good sense not to turn up on Sunday, and he will find that he’s somehow been left off the volunteer list for all the remaining weekends through June 7. Unless he plans to apologize, and that seems unlikely, it’s probably better I don’t see him again. I can still see Allison on the edge of tears, and I’m damned angry.

Finally, last night after we got home from the Renaissance Festival, tired, hungry, and wiped out, Allison got a call from an irate relative. Back on Easter Sunday, I shot some portraits of family members at the request of Allison’s mother, who was aware this was for the purpose of building my portfolio also. After the photos were done, tweaked, and posted on Flickr, someone apparently became unhappy that his first and last name were on the photo and demanded immediate satisfaction.

This, of course, simply reminded me of how stupid I’d been. It’s absolutely essential to have signed model releases for all photographs — even of family members — if you’re going to put them on the Internet. I was quite proud of the entire set, but since I didn’t get releases in writing, I’ll not be able to use them beyond the purpose that Allison’s mom had in mind, which is inclusion in her photo album. She now has prints for that, though, and is apparently pleased with them. I left my setup shot on Flickr, and may eventually put Allison’s or Chelsea’s photo back up.

I am really tired, really stressed, and now I think I’ll go find something de-stressing to do. Thanks for listening to me as I vent.