Update I have received email from people who have been in the employ of Crunchtime and concur with my attitudes. So if you have been "Crunched" or are about to be "Crunched" let me know.

Solidarity,

Carl

PS Crunchtime is basically a take off on the old Ponzi scheme where the executives (or actually THE executive) at the company promises huge rewards in the future if people can just wait. There are people there who have been waiting for years!

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CC: Tim Callahan, Crunchtime Information Systems
[Name Removed], ESQ, Attorney-at-Law

Scott,

I write this e-mail to inform you of my concerns about my continued employment at Crunchtime Information Systems. I have 4 areas of concern that need to be fully addresses before I would feel comfortable in returning to work. If these concerns are not fully addressed to my satisfaction I wish to discontinue my employment with Crunchtime Information Systems.

These concerns are:

1. Working Hours
There should be a average work week and all employees should be informed of it. Be that, 35 hours or 60 hours the staff should be aware of what is expected of them. When I was hired I was told that 50 hours per week was the standard, but it is quite clear that the average work week is probably closer to 60 hours. I have, in the past worked 80+ hour weeks but this should NOT be a standard.

So, I feel it is fair for me and all other employees to work a 50 hour week sometimes more sometimes less but the AVERAGE should be 50.

2. Corporate Stability
My check bounced 10 days after I started at Crunchtime. I am still owed monies for that check bouncing at my bank I certainly expect those funds to be remitted to me (I will assuredly follow up on this). This is terribly disconcerting. What is far more disconcerting is that no one on the staff was surprised by this. I overheard people talking about "running to the bank" to make sure the funds were there.

This along with the very apparent lack of very basic supplies is quite worrisome. And displays a basic lack ofrespect for the staff and management.

**I need to see a inherent change in the financial stability of Crunchtime Information Systems to feel safe in coming back to work.

3. Pressure
It is entirely unacceptable in any situation, social or economic, for someone to tell people that they will be punished for certain behaviors or lack of behavior. This is certainly no way to supervise or manage a company. Your e-mail from last week that contained a Post Script which contained the word "punishment" was nebulous at best, threatening at worse, and improper in any case.

Also the pressure is work longer hours and 'harder' hours in general is unacceptable. A work place should not be looked upon by the employees as a sweatshop where people are afraid of one another, but it should be a place where a team comes together to tackle a common task. Teammates don't threaten and punish one another.

This 'punishment' mentality must be apologized for and staff should be assured that it will never happen again.

Further, supervisory staff should be trained in how to support, facilitate and encourage staff not how to force them.

4. Educational Opportunities
When I accepted the employment opportunity at Crunchtime Information Systems one of the key reasons was to be in a learning environment. I has become patently obvious that this is not the case. I feel there is no chance for me to be exposed to Java, Perl, or even the most basic HTML.

I my expectations a permanent job MUST enrich the employee and not only in the pecuniary manner, but also with a knowledge transfer of new technologies, new ideas, and new techniques.

I will not continue unless this is the case.

Please contact me, once you have properly addressed all of the above points in full, at your earliest convenience .

Thank you for your time and consideration in these matters. And thank you for the work you do at Crunchtime Information Systems.

Carlton E. Williams

The response? 
Here is it from William Bellisimo, 
Mr. CrunchTime, himself:

From: "Bill Bellissimo" <wbellissimo@crunchtime.com>
To: Carlton Williams
CC: rct@tommasino.com,
Tim Callaghan <tcallaghan@crunchtime.com>
Subject:

Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 15:43:51 -0400

Carlton-

The link on your website is in violation of your Confidentiality Agreement with the company. This agreement prohibits you from making defamatory statements about the company or releasing any confidential information. It is unfortunate that you were unhappy with the environment here and I am sorry that things did not work out for each of us. At the end of the day, you left because you were unhappy here and you were paid everything you were owed. Beyond this, I do not understand the point you are trying to make.

Bill Bellissimo