I Work

* Stu Rose, 30, of Ellicott City, works for ARC Research:Well, it exposed it in the workplace with all of the media coverage. You couldn't get away from it. I was kind of dismayed to see it publicized like it was. We never have that problem where I work.

More than 200 of his friends, admirers and former employees gathered Sunday afternoon in the main auditorium of the Charles Theatre to pay tribute to Morris Martick, the inimitable restaurateur who died on Dec. 15 at age 88. Attendees, some of whom had traveled from as far away as Texas and California, took their turn at the microphone with prepared comments, which were occasionally poignant but more often ribald and occasionally profane. Welcoming the crowd, Alex Martick, the chef's surviving brother, said, "If Morris were alive today, Morris wouldn't be here.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through today.Q: I work for a corporation that considers me an independent contractor. I work 1,248 hours a year. I work on the premises; ~ ~TC use their instruments, I am on a fixed schedule and am being paid by the hour, a fixed income. I want to know if I am considered to be an independent contractor or am I considered a part-time employee?A: Every individual who performs services subject to the will and control of an employer, both as to what is work and how it shall be done, is an employee for income tax withholding purposes.

On an outing last November, my wife, Cathy, took this picture of a bald eagle near Conowingo Dam in Harford County. We love to watch birds and other wildlife and on that particular day we were taking a bike ride on the "Greenway" trail from Susquehanna State Park to the Conowingo Dam. Aberdeen Proving Ground, where I work, supposedly has an eagle population of more than 200. From what I understand, the eagles at Conowingo are actually APG residents who...

The Credit Thief. The Detail Junkie. The Prima Donna. A lot of you are working with The Worst Co-Workers in the World. Since a recent column about these vampires, gremlins and trolls, you've been writing letters to add to the list."

On an outing last November, my wife, Cathy, took this picture of a bald eagle near Conowingo Dam in Harford County. We love to watch birds and other wildlife and on that particular day we were taking a bike ride on the "Greenway" trail from Susquehanna State Park to the Conowingo Dam. Aberdeen Proving Ground, where I work, supposedly has an eagle population of more than 200. From what I understand, the eagles at Conowingo are actually APG residents who...

I work as a sales representative for a large company. I receive a base salary, plus commissions. ... Recently though, I became a salary-only employee. I assumed I would collect the unpaid commissions I had earned. But much to my dismay I was told I wouldn't be eligible to receive any more commissions once the new salary took effect. I don't understand this. ... Is it just greed on the company's part? Does any law govern a situation like this? It may be the fine print of your commission contract that's bedeviling you. That agreement spells out the actions your company can take, including whether it can legally cancel an earned commission.

I work as a customer service rep- resentative and inside salesman for a distribution company. I don't supervise anybody in the company; I am an hourly employee who earns overtime when I work more than 40 hours a week. But the company subtracts the overtime from my commissions. Is this legal? Your instincts are right: In general, it's not something that is allowed. If you genuinely qualify for overtime, then you have to be paid that. The company can't take it away just because you earned a commission.

I work for a handicapped riding program, and part of my duties includes teaching horseback riding to our clients. My employment contract gives me a seven-day paid vacation. But after my latest one, my employer demanded that I pay my replacement $99 for the lessons she taught in my absence. Can my employer require this? Since I earn so little, $99 is a considerable sum. If your employer agreed to the paid vacation, and you've got a written contract to prove it, she can't turn around and essentially charge you for it. Neither can she force you to pay your replacement nor take that money out of your check.

Arthur Smith Position: Cornerback College: Northeastern Who he is: Signed by the Ravens in May as an undrafted rookie free agent, Smith was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 pick after leading Northeastern to the conference championship his senior year. A co-captain as a senior, Smith notched 56 tackles and two interceptions, as well as a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 54-yard pass reception. Smith had a league-high seven interceptions as a junior. On learning from the Ravens secondary: "It's an honor being out there with those guys.

Irving Redditt Driver UPS, Baltimore Age: 47 Years in business: 8 Salary: $26.15 an hour How he started: Before working for UPS, Redditt was a mailman for about eight months. He began at UPS unloading airplanes at Baltimore-Washington International Airport, which he did for about five months. He then began driving part time for UPS and was hired full time a little more than three years ago. Typical day: Redditt begins his day just after 8 a.m. at the UPS facility on Joh Avenue in Baltimore.

I work as a customer service rep- resentative and inside salesman for a distribution company. I don't supervise anybody in the company; I am an hourly employee who earns overtime when I work more than 40 hours a week. But the company subtracts the overtime from my commissions. Is this legal? Your instincts are right: In general, it's not something that is allowed. If you genuinely qualify for overtime, then you have to be paid that. The company can't take it away just because you earned a commission.

I work as a sales representative for a large company. I receive a base salary, plus commissions. ... Recently though, I became a salary-only employee. I assumed I would collect the unpaid commissions I had earned. But much to my dismay I was told I wouldn't be eligible to receive any more commissions once the new salary took effect. I don't understand this. ... Is it just greed on the company's part? Does any law govern a situation like this? It may be the fine print of your commission contract that's bedeviling you. That agreement spells out the actions your company can take, including whether it can legally cancel an earned commission.

State transportation workers are putting in place today a new traffic pattern and travel lanes along northbound Interstate 95 between the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza and the exit for O'Donnell/Boston Street. Under the new pattern - which is needed for concrete work - motorists will be able to use three lanes to the right of the work area and one lane to the left. Officials say that motorists seeking to exit at Keith Avenue (Exit 56) must use the open lane to the right of the toll plaza.

Why colleagues are paid more Q: Ten years ago, I began working with a local security company as an unarmed part-time officer. I then pursued a program to become a certified special security officer and I have renewed my license every year. I am requested by customers for my professionalism. I work in Washington and Virginia. When the regular guards work in Virginia, they earn $2 more an hour. When I work, the company said I am not entitled to that rate because of my certification. The other officers started out making $10-$13 an hour - between $3 and $6 more than I do. When I asked for a raise, the manager said it would cause the company to lose profit.

In February, Susie Little was sitting in figure-painting class at the Carver Center for Art and Technology when her guidance counselor came in and pulled her out of the classroom. Usually, when a guidance counselor pulls a student out of class, it's either for something really good or something really bad. That day, it was something really good. Susie's mom was waiting for her outside the classroom, holding an envelope from the admissions department of Cooper Union in New York City. Last year, Susie, a 17-year-old senior, and her mom attended one of Cooper Union's open houses, where Susie presented her art portfolio for review.

Bill Dorman, third-generation owner, Peoples Electrical Supply Co. Inc., Gay Street.The storefront sign says: "Vacations: the week of July 4th, Christmas week." Otherwise, Mr. Dorman, 47, is here 5:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon, and "whatever time it takes left over to do the books." His 20-year-old daughter works here, too."It's a family business -- if you don't do it, it doesn't get done," he said. "I could leave right now [for the day] and have no problems but I'm taught the old-fashioned way -- you just work."

It's hard to curb your passion and control your own behavior when you're in love with someone at work. And it's downright impossible to curb or control the way other people may react to your relationship.Two women who've run into 1960s attitudes about 1990s relationships at work contacted me this week. The first, a 42-year-old secretary, talked to me in Bangor, Maine; the second, a 26-year-old sales executive, wrote from Orlando, Fla."I've read your columns about the way people should act if they're having a personal relationship with someone at work.

The kids have gone to bed and the nightly news is on. That means one thing: Laura Gamble has another hour of work to do before bed. Gamble, president of Bank of America Maryland, works regular business hours and also finds herself writing e-mails, reading articles and catching up during her free moments a few evenings a week and on weekends. The concept of taking work home didn't end with school. Millions of American workers like Gamble are bringing work home on a weekly or daily basis, which raises the question: Does anyone work 9 to 5 anymore?

MANY WORKING Americans find themselves stretched for time in an economy that requires companies to do more with less to stay competitive. So as workers are left with more to tackle, some study the office habits of colleagues to identify who is being efficient and who is slacking. How do the frequent break-takers get anything done, and aren't they slowing everyone else down? Are the workers who look too busy to say hello the top performers? Maybe not. The image of a productive employee being someone who works long hours and is chained to a desk is not always the best test for who is getting the most done, experts say. Improving job performance relies more on organizing your life, getting enough rest and making sure you have good working conditions than on constant back- or mind-breaking work, they say. "We think of productivity as the ability to do more with less, and that's really a short-term solution to being productive," said Rachna Jain, a licensed psychologist and job coach who is based in Bethesda.