<story><title>We are Google employees – Google must drop Dragonfly</title><url>https://medium.com/@googlersagainstdragonfly/we-are-google-employees-google-must-drop-dragonfly-4c8a30c5e5eb</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nimbius</author><text>Pretty bold.  A lot of people are saying this wont work, but speaking from my own experience, you&amp;#x27;d be surprised what companies are amicable to when it comes to business.&lt;p&gt;Im an engine mechanic by trade, and our shops handle bids for cash strapped local governments that outsource their motor pool maintenance.  We do things like fire trucks and police cars, but we were working on a new regional idea as a &amp;quot;service center&amp;quot; for municipalities that purchased MRAP combat vehicles for their police departments.  &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;MRAP&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;MRAP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;We all, especially the veterans I work with, hated this idea.  MRAP&amp;#x27;s are for combat, not police work, and have a dangerous propensity to roll over in city streets or escalate already violent situations.  14 of us sent a signed letter to the owner and senior management detailing our major concerns and heard nothing back for about a month.  Then out of the blue we got a call for a meeting with 3-4 very senior managers at a local irish bar.&lt;p&gt;They paid for dinner and tried to explain how the business would be extremely lucrative.  we would all see major bonuses, we could hire more workers, and grow the business faster than just large truck repair.  It took 3 very emotional hours, but we eventually talked down a handful of people from making a very wrong decision.&lt;p&gt;for a week after, we were all sort of stunned that it actually worked at all.  Tire cages meant for MRAP tires were cut up and turned into random parts holders, or as new hangers for air lines...one even replaced our mailbox post.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>alangibson</author><text>You deserve massive credit for striking a blow against this madness. A great example of how working people have more power than they think if they&amp;#x27;re willing to risk dollars and cents for matters of right and wrong.&lt;p&gt;I say that fully realizing that not everyone is in the financial position where they can risk a fight with their employer. You can&amp;#x27;t expect everyone to be Ghandi.</text></comment>
<story><title>We are Google employees – Google must drop Dragonfly</title><url>https://medium.com/@googlersagainstdragonfly/we-are-google-employees-google-must-drop-dragonfly-4c8a30c5e5eb</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nimbius</author><text>Pretty bold.  A lot of people are saying this wont work, but speaking from my own experience, you&amp;#x27;d be surprised what companies are amicable to when it comes to business.&lt;p&gt;Im an engine mechanic by trade, and our shops handle bids for cash strapped local governments that outsource their motor pool maintenance.  We do things like fire trucks and police cars, but we were working on a new regional idea as a &amp;quot;service center&amp;quot; for municipalities that purchased MRAP combat vehicles for their police departments.  &lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;MRAP&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;MRAP&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;We all, especially the veterans I work with, hated this idea.  MRAP&amp;#x27;s are for combat, not police work, and have a dangerous propensity to roll over in city streets or escalate already violent situations.  14 of us sent a signed letter to the owner and senior management detailing our major concerns and heard nothing back for about a month.  Then out of the blue we got a call for a meeting with 3-4 very senior managers at a local irish bar.&lt;p&gt;They paid for dinner and tried to explain how the business would be extremely lucrative.  we would all see major bonuses, we could hire more workers, and grow the business faster than just large truck repair.  It took 3 very emotional hours, but we eventually talked down a handful of people from making a very wrong decision.&lt;p&gt;for a week after, we were all sort of stunned that it actually worked at all.  Tire cages meant for MRAP tires were cut up and turned into random parts holders, or as new hangers for air lines...one even replaced our mailbox post.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>komali2</author><text>Damn, good for y&amp;#x27;all for sticking to your values. How did you argue against the inevitable &amp;quot;if we don&amp;#x27;t take this contract, dude across the street will&amp;quot;?</text></comment>