Furniture Talk: Considering Reupholstering?

Black Salon Chair Upholstery by AFH Decorations and Upholstery, North Augusta, SC USA.

When to consider reupholstering?

1) If your furniture has solid wood construction and/or was made for longevity, then reupholstering would deliver you a new solid piece for less than buying a new, cheaper made replacement.

2) If your furniture is antique or vintage or has sentimental value, then reupholstering may give you a peace of mind as you continue to proudly display the piece.

3) If you believe in "going green, " then reupholstering is a way to recycle and save the planet from excess waste.

Wondering if the furniture is salvageable?

1) You can text or email pictures for an initial consultation and feedback.

2) You may also find comfort in knowing that the wooden framework can be repaired and springs can be retied before reupholstering. 

How about customizing?

1) Headboards can be reupholstered for decoration and self expression.

2) Vinyl swatch books can give you plenty of choices for changing up a room.

3) A visit to a fabric store may also give you other ideas.

What other furniture categories should consider reupholstering?

1) Marine/boat seating requires marine quality construction, UV protection, and stainless steel components. 

2) Restaurant booth seating may need the cushioning system replaced.

3) Barber shops and beauty salons owners can remove their shop chair seating from their hydraulic bases to have the seating reupholstered and then re-attached to their bases when finished.  This procedure will save on shipping costs because most of the weight is in the metal base.

Worried about shipping costs for reupholstering? Depending on the total job, only one item may need to be shipped to get a pattern made and then the upholstery company may be able to complete the rest of the work onsite at your location.

You can start your professional consultation with AFH Decorations and Upholstery based out of North Augusta, SC.  They also offer custom window treatments and  "re-organizational ideas" that can be built into your custom furniture pieces.  The representatives at AFH Decorations and Upholstery have 40 years of experience in the upholstery field.  They are also timeline conscious which is very important for "one on one" service based businesses.

This article was based on my interview with Victoria Weaver Cooks of AFH Decorations and Upholstery.

 

Red chair upholstery work by AFH Decorations and Upholstery in North Augusta, SC USA.

Do It Yourself Dental Tips

Most people are on a budget these days and going to the dentist on a regular basis may be a luxury versus a necessity.  So here are a few tips that I have discovered and some that I have learned from my clients who are dentists.

Blood
If you see blood coming from your gums, then that is a sign that you need to get your gums back healthy!

1) Increase your flossing along with your brushing.  Even I am guilty of skipping the flossing step, but I also have paid the price.  So floss regularly to keep food from hanging around in-between your teeth.

2) The Crest Pro Health toothpaste as well as Colgate Complete toothpaste seem to be excellent in fighting the germs causing the bleeding gums.  You do not need to get the "Clinical" version.  If you are at "Clinical stage," then you probably should schedule a dental visit in my opinion.

3) The alcohol-free Multiprotection Dental Rinse is a nice extra step after flossing and brushing the teeth as well.  These "pro-health" products cost more than the regular toothpastes, but they are less than a dental visit.

If you use these three steps on a consistent regular basis, then your dental condition should drastically improve.  I have witnessed this for myself so I know it works.

Tooth Extraction
If you let your dental condition get too bad requiring a tooth extraction,  please remember that if you get a tooth extracted to save money, then your other teeth will shift positions to compensate for the gap which may cause you other problems cosmetically and functionally.

In a nutshell, 1) pay attention to your gums 2) pay extra for the more expensive dental care products and 3) stay consistent with your dental hygiene.  If these three steps are followed, you should not find yourself having to decide on tooth extraction nor a root canal.

Making a Vegan Lifestyle Magnificient!

Pictured above is the Citrus "Rib Tips" Entree with Collard greens and candied yams 

 from ZiZi's Vegan Take-out Restaurant in Charlotte, NC.  

Everything was perfectly seasoned and delicious!  I could not believe that there was NO Meat in it! 

The "rib tips" are made from pressed soy protein. The texture of this vegetable protein reminded me of real meat.  If no one told me that I was not eating meat, then I would have never known.  

It was unbelievable that eating healthy could taste that good!  Now, for those who are allergic to soy or gluten, there are other menu options.

Update:  I tried a vegan meal from a "raw" vegan restaurant.  It was a culture shock for my body.

Pictured is a Classic vegan burger and kale salad from Luna's Living Kitchen.  Great presentation, but "too vegan" for me.  The dish did give me plenty of energy, but I would have to acquire a taste for this raw vegan cuisine!

McDonald's menu prices vary within a Five Mile Radius

 So I purchased a Daily Double Meal from McDonald's at Exit 18 and Interstate 77 as well as Exit 23 and Interstate 77.  These two McDonald's have two different ownerships.  Their operating hours are different as well, but what was mind-blowing for me was the difference in the prices.   You can save dollars at a time depending on the McDonald's restaurant you patronize.

As you can see, my meal was $3.79 plus tax at one McDonald's compared to $4.79 plus tax at a different McDonald's which was only five miles away.

For someone buying only one meal, driving five minutes farther to save a dollar plus tax may not be worth it, but let me assure you that if you are buying for four people or a family, it would be well worth the extra five minutes drive to save three or four dollars.

Obviously, McDonald's is fast food and some people do not eat fast food, but for those of us who have hectic lifestyles, McDonald's is an occassional hunger fix.

Update:  

Pictured is a receipt from the McDonald's in Matthews, NC area.  Even they are cheaper than the Huntersville, NC location.

Carolinas Healthcare System and Media Relations

Politics require everyone to do a little dancing especially when the media is involved.  So at the March 2014 CHS Board of Commissioners media breakout session the "Business Journal" representative wanted to take a "selfie" with the "Charlotte Observer" representative. Then one of the CHS Corporate Communications staff kindly volunteers to take the picture of the two news reporters as a nice gesture.  My thoughts about this mini-photo shoot were "cute but inappropriate."

I left the  "Business Journal" and the "Charlotte Observer" representatives in the media conference room.  The meeting was completely over.  The executives had exited the room.  I really did not see the need to linger any longer.  Now, my curiosity gets the best of me.  Why did the other news reporters hang around?

Also,  between June 2006 and  August 2006, I was able to find quite a few announcements that Carolinas Healthcare System began managing the Union Hospital District.  This Union, SC area includes Wallace Thomson Hospital, Ellen Sagar Nursing Home, and Union County Emergency Services.   Again, this is Union County, South Carolina, not North Carolina. References include 6/1/2006 article by Amanda Ridley, Staff Writer for the Herald-Journal Spartanburg, SC and  August 2006 Facebook posting by the Union County EMS website.

I also found references where the CEO of the Union County District was appointed to President of  CMC-University Hospital in Charlotte, NC in June 2010. (Modern Healthcare 6/18/2010 article by Vince Gallaro)

Within months after this "executive transfer," CHS seemed to discontinue its management of the Union Hospital District.  The Administrator/Executive Director of Ellen Sagar Nursing Home was also relocated into the Charlotte, NC area. This Administrator eventually was assigned to the Huntersville Oaks nursing home. I could not find any detailed media coverage of why CHS ended management within a four year period where the previous management company Quorum Health Resources (QHR) managed the district for twenty years.  There was plenty of media coverage for the CHS start of management, but CHS made a quiet exit.  No media coverage that I could find except that the Union Hospital District went back to self management.

It is interesting how much some Carolinas Healthcare System news gets media coverage, and other news is never mentioned.  Maybe much of what is reported is generated from press releases?

Carolinas Healthcare System Attorney Caution Against Whistleblowing

 Pictured above is a portion of my email to Carolinas Healthcare System attorney from August 2012.

Re: ERISA Investigation- "I would be happy to see other CHS employees get some benefits from my story." -Laid off CHS employee

Pictured below is a portion of the email response from the Carolinas Healthcare System attorney from August 2012.

"I would also caution you against making threats about initiating legal action or investigations in which you have no personal stake." - CHS Attorney

In order to remedy my position of vulnerability, I paid into CHS' MedCost through their COBRA department for a year and a half.  My COBRA coverage was for On-site Care health center visits and for their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).  These two programs are free to active employees, but there was a dollar value assigned to them for COBRA purposes.

Interestingly enough, upon calling into MedCost's main number a few times with various questions, the representatives told me repeatedly that there was no record of me in their system.  Then finally, a representative checked into their COBRA department under MedCost.  They found my records there.  So my checks were made out to MedCost, but the MedCost COBRA records are separate from the regular MedCost records.  So if any legal investigations yield a settlement, I should now be a part of the class action.

I did not accept the separation agreement that was offered for around $1000.00 to never apply to CHS, its affiliates, nor its managed entities.  They are the largest employer in the region right now.  No employee in the healthcare industry would be in their right mind to agree to this employment restriction at only a thousand dollar value. 

As a public, not for profit, multi-billion dollar organization in the healthcare industry, my healing from my traumatizing ordeal in their CHS workplace seems not to be a part of Carolinas Healthcare System's concern.

High Employee Turnover Never Leads to an End

I was taught that everyone can complain.  Leaders come up with solutions.  So let's talk about a problem:

HIGH Employee Turnover!

New management has no idea whether employees have 15 months seniority or 15 years seniority.  New management can not see the history behind the staff.  They just see the present, here and now.  New management will always need sound guidance from Senior Human Resources staff.  Otherwise, the employee morale across the company goes down with messy hiring practices.  Then it gets more messy when the company terminates new management as corrective action, then the newly hired team members feel abandoned because their manager that hired them is no longer with the company.  Everyone tries to cope until more new management comes in and the same mistakes keep happening.  It is a vicious never ending cycle.

Your senior level staff are usually at a premium salary, and therefore, they are often targeted for elimination to cut payroll expenses.  However, their operational knowledge of the facilities came from decades of trial and error.  New management may be cheaper to pay, but I guarantee you that they will repeat every last mistake that was made in the past which moves the company as a whole backwards not forward.

Human Resources may have "job descriptions," but senior employees know how to get the job done without the job description.  Sometimes you can not have success with something new until you past the torch down from the old in a proper timeframe with proper training.

Training is so important. New Managers need training on inclusion and people management.  The cost of living is too high now to treat employment matters like a "social club."  Employees need balance, opportunity, and inspiration.  Appreciation goes a long way.  Getting passed over for promotion is not acceptable when there is no sound  reason behind it.  Politics will never go away, but there is a way to manage it effectively.

We all have opinions, and we all know that "doing the right thing" always reaps a greater harvest in the end.

Carolinas Healthcare System is NOT an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

"They (Carolinas Healthcare System) were not going to give the (budgeted hairdresser) position to just anyone. (You see) I have a mortgage." -   From The White hairdresser to the Black hairdresser.

I am never going to forget this statement that the White CHS employee told me when I revealed to her that CHS gave her the hairdresser position that I had waited on for five years.

The truth be told - it should not matter if I rent or if I have one mortgage, two mortgages, or three mortgages, Title Vii says that employers should provide Equal Employment Opportunity.

I did not respond to this new White hairdresser, because for her to make such an ignorant statement, meant that me debating with her would be a lost cause.

Well, in the picture above, you will find our 2011 CHS Phonebook listings.  In regards to the listing on the right, I made a copy of the original and scratched out the White hairdresser's real name and business phone number to protect her identity.  My fight is not with her.

As you can see, if you compare my listing to her listing, she was never committed to the Hairdresser position. We have the same department information, but her title, work phone number, and CHS physical address always remained associated with her desk job(s). Within a month of working the hairdresser position, she reduced her work hours and went back to working her Registrar's position part-time at a different Carolinas Healthcare System facility.

Her part-time registrar's position did not carry benefits nor paid time off (PTO).  However, the budgeted hairdresser position DID carry benefits and paid time off.  Between the two part-time CHS positions, hairdresser and registrar, the White employee was getting full-time work hours with full benefits and accruing paid time-off from the work hours of both positions.  Carolinas Healthcare System was giving her a "sweet deal."

I had more seniority with Carolinas Healthcare System than this new White hairdresser, and I had been working as a hairdresser in a PRN status in a non-budgeted capacity for five years.  So Carolinas Healthcare System grants this White woman two part-time positions equalling full benefits, and I can not even get the opportunity to get one budgeted part-time position?

So if you are Black and/or if they assume that you do not have a mortgage, then you may not want to count on getting equal employment opportunity with Carolinas Healthcare System.

Yes, I know, the Chief Human Resource Officer at CHS is a Black woman, and she has been in that position the whole time that I have been discriminated and retaliated against. You can draw your own conclusion on this matter.

The Truth about Discrimination Lawsuits

After researching various court cases and scenarios, I have concluded that as far as any "at will" employment state, discrimination lawsuits are hard to win.  The following is not legal advice, but it may assist you in your next steps.

About the Time constraints:
1) You only have to around 180 days to file an EEOC complaint. You also still need to be an employee when you file an EEOC charge unless its a final retaliation complaint. The state department of Labor may be able to get your job back if you are terminated. The state department of Labor has a separate complaint process from the EEOC.

2) Once you receive a "right to sue" letter, you have 90 days to file the lawsuit in District court.  Unfortunately, many people are so emotionally traumatized by the workplace aggression that they can barely keep a family and work life balanced.   So adding a lawsuit to their list of things to do, is often overbearing. In addition, they are confused as to why the Human Resource department is allowing the mistreatment to go on.

About Human Resources:
1) Some human resource departments are solely in existence to protect the company.  So if your manager is a "jerk," human resource departments will do everything they can to prevent the company from paying for the mistakes of your manager.  The HR dept and the company attorneys will distort the truth, exaggerate the truth, and possibly outright "lie" if they need to avoid costing the company a lawsuit.

2) Sometimes the company's Human Resources department has high turnover itself.  Therefore it may have more employee "placeholders" than they have actual competent staff members.

About Employment Law Attorneys:
1) If you are a single employee making less than $25,000 per year (25K USD per year), then even if you win your discrimination case, the damages awarded may not be sufficient enough for the attorney to put their time into the case.

2) Class action discrimination lawsuits are more attractive to the attorney because there are more plaintiffs and more money on the table against one employer defendant.

About hiring and promotions in "at-will" employment state:
1)  Preferential treatment is NOT illegal.

2) Even if you are significantly more qualified than the person hired for the position, the hiring manager can still give a subjective opinion such as "the personality was a better fit for the position."  This may be a reasonable excuse for placing someone less qualified in a position from a legal standpoint.  No, it does not sound fair, but the employment law in an at-will state is not designed to help the employee. The employers know that the "ball" is in their court.


About Equal Employment Opportunity:  Don't count on it.

Especially not at Carolinas Healthcare System, one of the largest employers in the North Carolina Western region.

If you are considering working for Carolinas Healthcare System, you should find out the answers to the following questions:

1) What is their CHS employee turnover rate?
2) What is the average seniority of their employees? five years?
3) What is the employee retention rate?  (a duplicate way of asking the previous questions)
4)  How many EEOC complaints have been filed against CHS over the last ten years?
5)  How many CHS employees completed their internal Grievance Resolution Process and how successful is the program to the employee?
6) What is the percentage of part-time (< 24 hours a week) employees versus full-time employees?
7) Will your opinion really matter? Since they are a multi-billion dollar company where employees are considered disposable.

I have posted several articles describing inconsistencies and unfair treatment.  As a former CHS employee who was laid off after seven years of service, my opinion did not matter. Sure, part of the CHS corrective action has been to separate individuals from the company.  This action solves their immediate problem, but their real source of employment problems are still on the CHS payroll.

I am hoping to land a screenplay or movie deal.  It has been one amazing ride . . .

Carolinas Healthcare System Accused of Failure to Promote

In a race discrimination claim involving the failure to promote, an employee plaintiff must show the following.
1) Employee is in a protected class.
2) Employee applied for the position.
3) Employee was qualified for the position.
4) Employee was rejected for the position.
5) The position was filled by similarly qualified applicant outside of a protected class.

Supporting evidence is as follows.

1) About the employee:
My race is Black which is a protected class.  I had five years seniority with Carolinas Healthcare System as a hairdresser when the budgeted hairdresser position became available.

2) Position posting and application for position:
I questioned Carolinas Healthcare System Human Resources why the hairdresser position had to be posted.  Their response was that they prefer that all vacanies be posted.  So I applied for the hairdresser position.  The position description was so vague that the number of online applications had to be closed within a week because of the overwhelming response of applicants. 

3) Employee qualification:
I was already successfully working some of the hours of the position in the interim while they conducted interviews.  I even interviewed the candidate that got hired because I was filling in for my co-worker on the day of the candidate's interview.  Of course, I had no idea that the woman was applying for the hairdresser position that I was inline for until the middle of the interview.  This was a total conflict of interest, but it shows that the staff felt confident enough for me to interview the candidate, but my manager who is no longer with the company did not want to grant me the position.

4) Employee rejection:
I was interviewed briefly by my manager for the position.  There was no one else in the room, but she and I.  The "faux" interview lasted about three minutes.  I do not even remember what we even talked about.  I did not bring a resume because I was already an employee performing the work for the last five years.  She was probably my fourth manager within five years.  I naturally assumed that the extra hours that I was putting in showed my commitment to the position.

5) The position was filled.
So the White woman that I had interviewed got the position. She was one of the first people interviewed.  She had a "desk job" at a different CHS facility.  She could not begin the hairdresser position immediately because of her committment to the other CHS position.  Of course, I discontinued working the extra hours which was overbearing on my other co-worker who had to take up the slack.  I told my manager if she wanted me to work the extra hours, then all she had to do was just ask and I would help out again.  Of course, she never asked.  Why have me work extra hours when I was not good enough in her opinion to be granted the position.

Most HR professionals have advised me that Carolinas Healthcare System should have granted both me and the newly hired hairdresser budgeted positions.  The positions were part-time positions.  The salary range was around $9 per hour to $15 per hour max.  Of course, why would a multi-billion dollar public organization create an extra part-time job position to keep the peace within the organization?

Makeup Artistry by Benita Blocker

Makeup Artistry by Benita Blocker, May 2014

 Makeup Artistry by Benita Blocker, May 2014

As a makeup artist, I prefer to deliver lightweight and natural finishes.  I do not offer the lash extensions; therefore stage/performance makeup is not my specialty. 

I enjoyed the opportunity to serve as Makeup Artist for the Star Power Charity Mothers Day Makeover 2014.  I teamed up with other warmhearted hair stylists to deliver an uplifting day for both the mothers receiving the makeovers as well as for all the volunteers involved.  It just felt good to give back to the community!

CHS Personnel Files Reflect Inconsistencies

As stated in my previous article, I made an appointment a week in advance to see my Carolinas Healthcare System personnel file.   I was taken care of by a courteous CHS staff.  They allowed me to take notes, but no photocopying was allowed.

My personnel file stated the following:

My last date worked: 8/6/2012
My Termination Date:  8/7/2012
Action Date: 9/5/2012
Termination Reason: Staff Reduction
Eligible for Rehire? Yes

In actuality, my last date worked was 8/1/2012 as confirmed by my unsigned separation agreement.

And my termination date was August 6, 2012 which represents the end of the pay period.  This date was also stated on my unsigned separation agreement.

So why did my CHS Personnel record reflect August 6th as my last date worked?  I was not even in Charlotte, NC on August 6, 2012.  They took my badge on August 1, 2012.  They did not even allow me to clock myself out on the time clock.  They even had a CHS security officer present.

Also, why would my termination date be stretched out to August 7, 2012 with an action date of September 5, 2012?

From my research, the action date and the termination date are usually the same.  So why was my action date over a month later?

So here's my thoughts:  My White co-worker was out on medical leave.  CHS decided to lay me off before I flew out for my Sisterlocks training course.  Of course, this was prior to my White co-worker's return to work.  I was assured by the CHS attorney that my White co-worker was also going to be laid off when she returned to work from medical leave .

I believe that my White co-worker returned to work around September 5, 2012, and at that point, CHS laid off both she and I at the same time for record keeping purposes.  EXCEPT my work status was just sitting on the books in limbo from August 6, 2012 to September 2012.  Why?

I believe that CHS Human Resources did not want the situation to look like they laid off the Black woman (being me) a month before laying off my White co-worker.  But actually, Carolinas Healthcare System did lay me off a month before my White co-worker.  I filed an EEOC complaint when this all happened so it is documented as racial discrimination as well as retaliation.

So in a nutshell, Carolinas Healthcare System personnel records may reflect inconsistencies in dates.

These inconsistencies are disappointing.  The integrity of the CHS Human Resources is quite questionable.  I have a phone call out to the CHS Human Resources representative about these inconsistencies.  I have not heard back from them as of the time of writing this article.

CHS grants Favorable Eligibility for Rehire

So I made an appointment to view my Carolinas Healthcare System's personnel file.  The friendly CHS staff escorted me to a workroom. There were several document icons on the computer desktop available for me to click and read upon arrival.  These icons included my years of successful performance appraisals, and my termination summary.

The reason for my termination was "staff reduction." (This means layoff.)

Eligible for Rehire? YES! 

Of course, I caught myself from rolling out my chair in laughter.

There was nothing else in my "public" personnel file.  It took me hours to process this information considering my unsigned separation agreement which was not a part of this personnel record stated:

"In exchange for the Severance payments and other consideration provided hereunder by CHS, Employee agrees not to re-apply for employment with CHS or any of its affiliates, successors, or managed entities."

So for under $1,500.00 - CHS, being the largest employer in this region, wanted me to never apply at any of their facilities ever again.  But since, I did not take the thousand dollar offer, I continued to be eligible to work for them?  Yet, they refused to offer me an opportunity to be an independent contractor with their attorneys stating that it was futile to seek such an opportunity.

I find that the messages delivered over the years have been contradictory in nature. It has been reported that the Chief Human Resources Officer's salary is over one million a year, but I am assuming from my limited correspondence with her years ago up until present that she is not micro-managing the Human Resources department.

My grievance is centered around failure to be promoted to a budgeted part-time hairdresser position.  If I encountered this kind of drama at this lower level position, it would be safe to say that the organization has much larger problems unless you are at the executive level.

The US Department of Labor supposedly have investigated Carolinas Healthcare System because CHS co-owns their MedCost employee benefits management company.  This relationship can be considered a conflict of interest.

Between the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the US Department of Labor, I find both government agencies tread lightly regarding Carolinas Healthcare System.

My surprisingly favorable eligibility for rehire may stem from me not having any write-ups  nor poor evaluations.  I only begged for fair treatment and equal employment opportunity. I was subjected to repeated failures to promote while watching them bring in one White hairdresser after the next by the end of my seven years of service.

I have repeatedly asked Carolinas Healthcare System to resolve this wrong, and their past response has been that I have no legal right to anything except to apply for other CHS jobs since I did not accept the separation agreement.

I understand that many of the people associated with all the workplace drama  that I encountered are no longer with the company, but how does that compensate me for the mental anguish, the emotional distress, the failure to be promoted based on employee discrimination, and periodic retaliation?

My Church of Christ Experience

I was repeatedly invited by one of my retail clients to attend her church: Sugar Creek Church of Christ.  She was so excited about her faith and her church, and she met a wonderful God fearing man at this church who is now her husband.  Well, I felt compelled to check this church out!

It was an amazing church.  It was much larger in size than I imagined.  The members were very welcoming.  I even got a visitor gift bag with a Faith based book and church information.  I was also told that this church was the largest Church of Christ in Charlotte.

Well, I was born Southern Baptist, and I have been a member of quite of few mega Baptist churches so I know what I am used to for church services.  Surprisingly, the Church of Christ does not have choirs.  The Church of Christ congregation has a song leader, but the church as a whole is the choir.  Sometimes the men carry a verse and the women layer their voices and then the song leader/conductor adds another layer to the song.  There's no fighting for the solo spot like some church choirs have challenges with.

Many of the songs are hymns.  I liked this simple traditional approach to worshiping in song.

Also, communion is served every Sunday!  There's no more excuses like "missing the 2nd Sunday communion."  You can break the bread and sip the "juice" on any Sunday that you attend.

In addition, baptism is a no wait decision.  I was almost in shock because after the pastor's sermon, a man came forward for baptism.  In my own "Baptist thinking" mind,  I assumed that he will be assigned a later date for baptism, but oh no, at the Church of Christ, you are prepped for baptism immediately and before the church service is over, you are submerged into the Baptism pool and welcomed into the church.

This church is no joke.  If you want to be closer to God or Christ, they are a "right now" type of church.

I truly value my Church of Christ experience, and I enjoyed the message from their pastor there.  I look forward to my next visit.  I am not committed to fellowshipping at any church on a regular basis at this time, but the Sugar Creek Christ of Christ is at the top of my list of churches to worship.  If you are in the Charlotte area, then you should check it out too!

Vehicle Accidents Picture Collection

This is an on-going collection of photos similar to my movie ratings article on this blog.  I will update this article as I get new photos.  Stay tuned!

Center City Charlotte, NC Accident, August 2013

Huntersville, NC - April 2014

December 2014, Huntersville, NC