A way for old employees to make money in the 1970's:

Tell the new employees to place a quarter ($0.25 coin) in the "Make Busy" contacts of 197-type step-by-step switches, if they found a switch that was defective. The older employees would come around later that day and replace the quarter with a penny. Then the next day they would repair and/or adjust the switch, and leave the penny on the switch shelf for the new guy to retrieve. Profit per switch: $0.24.


Arthur P. Bloom
"30 years of faithful service...15 years on hold"