Pros
The wages are pretty decent and remain so if you are in a union position. The benefits are affordable. There are some very nice people working in the office who have taken it upon themselves to improve office morale- without any support or encouragement from management.
Cons
Simply put, the management of this company is so out of touch that it's actually funny. The dress code explicitly forbids things like western wear suits, string ties, and culottes. I have actually witnessed a member of management take a ruler and measure the sleeves on an employee's summer blouse to determine if said sleeves met the mandated 4 inch rule. If you are a union contract employee you are not supposed to have any beverage at your desk except for water in a company branded bottle, however coffee and other beverages are perfectly acceptable for management. A former employee was reprimanded for going to the water fountain to refill her company approved water bottle. Despite the fact that a large percentage of work done is data entry, the use of personal music devices is forbidden. I was informed that this policy was in place, and this is a direct quote, "Because one time, this one guy was, like, watching a movie on his iPod" Most of the policies in place at NWA seem to be overreactions to one time infractions by past employees. All of the above is ridiculous and maddening, but the truly frustrating part is that the day to day business procedures of the company are also hopelessly out of date. Most employees do not have the option to email clients and lack any web access at all, even to sites that would greatly improve their efficiency. For instance, no one is allowed to access the postal service website to determine the validity of an address to which they are sending an important letter for the 4th time. Attempts to update or streamline processes are dismissed as 'shortcuts' and are thus deemed unacceptable. Several times basic office supplies such as envelopes have been unavailable for up to a week.