Out of town jobs? Do you get a hotel?

[Martha R]

I am doing an out-of-town job in San Francisco for four days.   It's an arbitration.  No guarantee of a transcript but probably will be.   I am thinking of getting a hotel because it's about a 2 hour drive from my home.   Do any of you do that?   

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

I personally would not take work out of my comfort zone.  Too far and it's out of your own pocket.  If there is no guarantee on a copy, why on earth would you take the job?  Sounds like you're losing money instead of making it.

 

 

[Janiece Young]

Hey, Martha,

Sometimes I do get a hotel and pay my own expenses.  It's worth it to be closer especially when you are there for a series of days.  I guess you could go prepared to spend the night and see if they are going to order it typed up and then decide that day if you want to stay in a moderately priced hotel.

I just stayed in a La Quinta in Springfield, Missouri.  It was really nice.  I joined their frequent traveler club.

J

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

Aren't you clever, Randall!!

[Amanda Leigh]

Lol, Randall.  Exactly--the hotel room is there for the asking.

[Mary K. Corcoran]

I would only travel two hours away for many copies.  Paying for a hotel room knowing that you may not even be producing a transcript doesn't sound financially worth it to me.

[Martha R]

I am handling the job for my regular CR firm I have worked at for 25 years, and it's for her very good client.   I drive to San Francisco quite often, but it's tough to do a turnaround and do it four days in a row.   I was just wondering if any of you had similar circumstances.    Firm owners think we should be grateful for all-day arbitration but they forget you are spending 3 or 4 hours a day on the road. I have taken the train there a few times, but it can be hassle.   Well, on top of everything we are having a rapid transit strike, which will make it excruciating if not impossible to drive.  I hope they settle the strike or the governor forbids them to go on strike.    

[Mary K. Corcoran]

If it's for the firm owner's very good client, the firm owner should be paying for your hotel room, not you.

[Amanda Leigh]

I agree, Mary--even if it's not their very good client.  The reporter shouldn't be paying for travel expenses (including train fare and parking).  The agency is already taking a huge chunk out of the one way the reporter is making money: the pages.  There is plenty of money being made on production costs alone, of which the agency gets 100%.  So, yeah, when it comes to any out-of-pocket, agencies should be picking up the tab.

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

My husband says we should hire monkeys to run the BART stations so the operators could see that they're getting paid $100,000 a year to do the same work that monkeys (i.e. anyone) could do.  They make so much money with no education.  Pretty frustrating that the rest of us have to suffer. 

I'm telling my office I'm not working in San Francisco till this strike is over.  Too painful sitting in that traffic.

[Rosalie DeLeonardis]

• Unfortunately I have a family member and many, many, many friends who work for BART and hear a lot of negative things about how much the employees make, uneducated, et cetera.  What the public hears on TV is not the whole story.  It isn't the employees are money-hungry greedy employees, it's that BART management wants to take a lot of things away from the employees, many who have not had a raise in three or more years (kind of like reporters who do not get a pay increase at all or are asked to do things for free).  Look what happened yesterday with management trying to run the trains?  Pretty sad.

[Martha R]

Thanks for all your opinions.   The train fare and taxi fare is probably the same or less as the parking in San Francisco, which is 30 or 40 bucks.  I appreciate your thoughts.    I will probably take the train anyway.