Well, things went back to normal for a day at the Ford plant. Then two people were diagnosed with COVID-19, things had to shut down, and it’s pretty much been off and on since then. That’s about as good a representation of the past two weeks as we’re likely to get: No one knows anything and all we can do is try, fail, hope and try again.

So anyway, happy Illinois reopening day!

Aon is celebrating in what might be the most horrifying way possible: nominating a panel of peers to judge colleagues’ requests for more money. Oh no thank you we’d rather die. So Aon decides to cut everyone’s salary by 20%, then asks people to come back and beg their anonymous peers for the money they were promised? Get the actual fuck out of here. Can you imagine?

Also — yeah, we’re not done with this — can you imagine what this will do to the no doubt already existing salary gap? You’re going to tell me 20 random people won’t view men’s salaries as more necessary? Or that people from minority groups will be as willing to put themselves in front of an anonymous panel to demand more money?

Boeing kept up that morale-building theme — telling 6,700 employees earlier in the week that their jobs would be eliminated today. Love to keep ’em guessing! Lenovo’s also got the Motorola people on their toes, saying it’s considering vague cost-cutting plans. Yeah, unless a recession makes people real nostalgic for Razr phones, we imagine there will be another round of job cuts at Motorola.

Others are planning to double down. Real estate firm @properties is picking up stakes in other brokers and looking to franchise its brand starting with an expansion into the Southeast. It’s also planning a partnership with Guaranteed Rate to offer mortgage lending, so, potentially good news for both Chicago companies.

University of Chicago is also getting the good news, with a $10 million gift to study cancer-fighting cellular therapy. That should keep a couple of scientists happily employed.

Which is good, because the merger of four South Side hospitals has been called off after the state refused to give them hundreds of millions of dollars without a public plan in place.

Jobs, Glorious Jobs
Here are some newly posted opportunities for you or smart people you know:

Digital Marketing Specialist, SEM at Reverb
Not sure what the musical instrument market is like right now, but there’s a good chance people are selling. You could be set up to make significant strides in customer acquisition when buying picks up.

Executive Director at Recovery on Water
Lead operations and fundraising at this important nonprofit that provides fitness and social support for breast cancer patients and survivors. ROW’s longtime, much-loved ED is taking off for a similar role at another rowing organization, so bring your best.

Director of Marketing at TimeDoc Health
The chronic care management platform just secured a $5.7 million Series A round of financing, so get in there and grow that business. And the job post insists “WE ARE FUN!” so that’s worth looking into.

News Writer at the University of Chicago
Like many colleges and universities, UChicago recently announced it was freezing salaries and slowing hiring. So this job must be pretty necessary and relatively stable, not to mention the university coming off a record $8.5-billion endowment last year and whatnot.

Digital Marketing Manager at Xtreme Xperience
The exotic car experience company says it’s on a mission to make Ferraris, Lambos and McLarens accessible to everyone who has ever dreamed of driving one. Not the worst purpose, tbh.

Social Media Coordinator (Part Time) at Ride Chicago
Content creation, community management, and email and paid marketing at the motorcycle school.

Head of Content (Part Time) at Leafwell
Would imagine this part-time role at a medical marijuana card company — now with telehealth — could grow into something more.

Tool of the week
Your body. We are particularly talking here to fellow white people who are feeling frustrated, angry, embarrassed, but not afraid. Because people of color have to carry that fear every day.

There are plenty of things white people need to do. But while you’re watching and reading and learning, take a beat to think about what you can do directly to lift just a little bit of that fear.

Yes, that means not using 911 as a weapon. It also means knowing your skin is a weapon.

You know which way the sympathy goes. It’s on us to do the work of actively rejecting it — and to do that work without a hint of self congratulations. Guaranteed that for every time you catch your privilege and interrupt it, there are 100 times you’ve benefited and claimed not to notice.

For white women especially, our bodies are used to create, perpetuate and condone racism and violence. You didn’t ask for it, but you’re a part of it. And until you use your body against it, you’re a participant.

Your money is good too: Support Reclaim the Block

Inspiration of the week

I am sick of everyone in this community who tells me to stop creating a panic. How many of us have to die before you get scared off your ass and into action?

—Activist Larry Kramer, back when there were 418 people dead from AIDS. Now that number is somewhere around 32 million. Larry Kramer was a difficult person, and there are no doubt people who feel more comfortable now that he’s dead. That rage made him a singularly effective face in the battle for gay rights and gay lives.

Creating change depends on being unlikable. So in honor of Larry Kramer and in solidarity with protestors putting their bodies on the line to force recognition of black lives, think about what you can do this week to make someone uncomfortable for being wrong.

Forward this email to anyone who’s ready to make others uncomfortable. They can sign up here for bi-weekly inspiration.

Got a tip on an excellent job? Reply to this email, send us a new one at hey@gethustl.in, or reach out on Twitter.

Panic. Just not about jobs.

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