CACI upper management really needs to be fired. The complete disregard for their staff is obvious at this point. We’ve went from mandatory LWOP, forced use of vacation time, having to collect unemployment, the ridiculous Tier 1-4 punishment system, no more annual raises and no more bonuses, to all of a sudden forced overtime and caseloads unsustainable for any seasoned investigator. We’ve been told the sudden surge in work is from DCSA. I say bull. It’s because a lot of investigators have left the company due to their terrible business practices and now they have a shortage of investigators. If there was ever a time to have a protest against management this is it folks as they are going to always continue to take advantage of us.
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Agreed…but how to go about a “protest”? Call HR? That does nothing. Unionize? Takes a lot of time, and we’ll be onto the next cycle of BS by the time that could complete. I’d love to join and protest, I’m just not sure how to go about doing so…
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I say we all pick a day to call in sick and they can get a feel for what it would be like to have zero investigators.
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I dont think a single sick day will do anything. Because then the work is still there that needs to be completed. Even if we dont do it, some other investigator will do it. There are many other investigators who will not participate in this “strike”. Some are older folks who cant really afford to make a change in employment and so they have to do this job. And some folks just like being used and abused and they wear it like a badge of honor, so they will never go against their masters.
Like you said, a solution is to fire the upper management, but CACI will fire us investigators way before they even think about firing their management team. I hate to say it, but I do not see any changes in this field any time soon or in the future. If we stay, we are stuck in this until we decide to leave. It wont get any better…unless another vendor picks up the majority of the contracts. But then that leaves CACI with little to no work which then brings us back to 2019 when people are being let go/having to use pto/going on LWOP/etc. Its a vicious cycle with no end.
All I can say is best of luck my friends.
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I feel for you but your job with CACI has zero chance of improving for you as long as you work there.
Big government contractors have no real accountability and don’t operate by normal business practices.
CACI in particular is in a bad way. A month after they lost a billion-dollar contract with the Afghanistan pullout the U.S. Supreme Court allowed lawsuits to go forward against them for their role in the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal (U.S. Supreme Court rejects defense contractor's Abu Ghraib torture appeal | Reuters). Yikes.
But forget about CACI. As Jim Rohn said, “Work harder on yourself than on your job.” I.e., develop yourself, develop skills, and move on to a better job or a pathway to a better job and life. If you’re gonna be doing a dead-end, low-end wage-slave job— as you are with the BI job— at least be doing something which allows you to use your down time productively rather than be constantly stressed and anxious about the job.
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I don’t think there are many investigators left that do this job for the mission….for national security. Real investigations went out the door a long time ago. Now, we just ask questions from a form and check boxes. It is what it is….but we do it for the schedule, the flexibility, the decent job in a rural community. I keep telling myself I have had enough and I am done….but then I start looking for jobs and I don’t want to report to an office. I want to get my kids off the bus. I don’t knock anyone that does this job as we all do it for different yet similar reasons. I only wish that all investigators could just turn it off when the day is over. Stop giving into the working off the clock, forced overtime, it is just nonsense. Like many have said before me, it ruins it for everyone. When one person works off the clock, setting unrealistic expectations, we are all held that unattainable standard. And management feeds off the investigators who give in to all this crap.
So, how do we fight back?? Stop transmitting work. Do the work - interview sources, type up everything - but don’t hit transmit. We can’t get in trouble because we are working….I think it would take a week of zero transmissions for management to lose their minds. We might actually get change in favor of investigators….but everyone would have to be onboard and that won’t happen.
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I am not sure how to protest either - I am working at my regular pace and falling behind. I refuse to give free hours like several of the “kiss-a??es” in my group. Management is on a rant about TRANSMIT DAILY - and nothing seems to change their minds about what is expected. Management talks about not hitting the numbers - and it seems like there have been a couple of “bad” months, but that just means that they will crack the whip harder. I refuse to lose my sanity to this mess - but I do find myself worrying more.
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I can understand the frustration but you don’t want to intentionally slow-walk case work (e.g. delay report transmissions) because that wouldn’t be fair to Subjects who need the clearance and count on you to get it done.
Likewise, you don’t want to be forced into doing intentionally shoddy work because, ultimately, you’re working for your country and God, irrespective of how your company’s awful management treats you or encourages you to cut corners (think USIS).
I know it’s easier said than done, but if I were in your shoes I’d be preparing to give my two weeks notice and start looking for another job. Any job. 3rd shift at Walmart, UPS driver, Instacart Shopper, whatever. I’d do anything while I regrouped mentally and physically.
I’m sure you already have the sword of Damocles of being fired hanging over you anyway so by bailing it’d be one more mental burden lifted. Plus, given your obvious ability to work hard and do demanding work, you won’t have a problem finding other work which you’ll excel at and for which you’ll be appreciated and compensated.
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In the end if you do get fired, keep in mind that in many cases you can actually collect unemployment.
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“So, how do we fight back?? Stop transmitting work”…
E xactly. Hold items until the ACD. P.S. Don’t feel sorry for the “customer” they know full well what’s going.
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Or just change to another company that doesn’t treat their employees like dirt. As someone who has worked for a good amount of different contractors over the years, to include CACI, there are other companies out there. Paragon doesn’t abide by these practices.
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Paragon has Securitas as their BI department, correct?
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