Hello, I am (or was) a census enumerator and wrote a letter to Dr. Groves, The chief director of the 2010 Census, however I am unable to find his address or e-mail address, so I wanted to share my thoughts with others. It”s about my recent experience with working for the census bureau.
If I could reach Dr. Groves I would tell him the following: Hello, Dr. Groves, this is enumerator No. 3749397 coming to you out of area No. 2714. CL No. 0504.
I have been searching for someone who could address my concerns regarding the way the completion of NRFU was handled; the employment status of most of us enumerators.
It would seam a majority of us were told we would be participating in the completion of what my crew leader called “phase two” and would not be out of a job come July 22. I myself even received an extension of said temporary employment in my mailbox just a few days thereafter, and therefore remained unconcerned with procuring another job, career or any such form of income, assuming I would be continuing onto the next phase of the census and would be rather busy in the following months.
Now, personally, I have not received any further communication from office No. 2714 in regards to my continued or discontinued employment, and have made several attempts to contact them, in which case they have simply told me to ask my crew leader, who did not have any information at all.
It is now Sunday, July 11. My wife is in early labor preparing for the delivery of our first-born daughter. She was laid off at her last job because of California”s economy. We are receiving health care, food-stamps, a very small amount of unemployment and, it appears, sooner rather than later, we will be collecting cash aid, God willing, to pay our rent.
I have just called my crew leader worried, as my last check will be coming in the mail this Wednesday and it will simply not be enough to get us through the month, and she informed me that if I was not called on Friday I would not be working Monday. It appears the bureau had called and selected workers completely at random, much like some sort of sick lottery and I was simply unlucky. Despite receiving an extension and the assurance of my crew leader, and others, despite being a hard and dependable worker most unlike the rest of my team and despite pushing and waiting for some form of contact from the Census Bureau, I am now unemployed and yet, technically employed until Aug. 22 thanks to your worthless extension.
I can now tell my daughter it was plain, simple luck when we are evicted from our apartment and forced into the streets. Or perhaps the Census Bureau could have been a little more open with us about the status of our employment. Maybe if I had known, I could have made prior arrangements, started school, opened a business, cleaned toilets!
But no, without warning I am now unemployed with a wife, child and bills to pay and not even a two-week notice.
Thank you, Dr. Groves. It”s been a pleasure working for you, it really has, But perhaps next time you can be a little more organized and a bit more honest with your employees.
But enough talk, I have to go tell my wife we won”t have next month”s rent, much less diapers and a crib.
I”ll try and look her in the eyes when I tell her, but no promises.
Brandon Costner
Clearlake
