Starting a new job tomorrow

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Well, I'm closing out my second week. It's been interesting as I bounce back and forth between touch up and the body shop.

I've been primarily in the body shop, doing everything but painting. I still have to take a test for the mask and sit through safety training for using it. The body shop manager is gnawing at the bit to put a gun in my hand since we have a lot of "painters" who can shoot primer (barely) and only a few who are trusted to the overall paint quality. Even then, those painters are... Well, let's just put it this way, if I hear "good enough for who it's for," one more time, I gonna go off on someone.

Figure after two weeks the honeymoon period is over. The body shop manager is trying to put out quality and has very little back up. Now he's got it.
 
nice - show 'em whats up - the jerks will hate you, the good guys will come around and want to learn from you..
 
Good man, Robert! Follow in your faith and God will truly provide. He 'steered' me to my current job and has provided way past my humble needs. Pay it back.

As for you showing up the party line draggers, join the club! My production even as a FNG was the top in my team and the union took 'special' interest in my work ethic....:)
 
Glad it's working out. I am sure glad to see a thread with something going good for someone.
 
ramenth said:
Well, I'm closing out my second week. It's been interesting as I bounce back and forth between touch up and the body shop.

I've been primarily in the body shop, doing everything but painting. I still have to take a test for the mask and sit through safety training for using it. The body shop manager is gnawing at the bit to put a gun in my hand since we have a lot of "painters" who can shoot primer (barely) and only a few who are trusted to the overall paint quality. Even then, those painters are... Well, let's just put it this way, if I hear "good enough for who it's for," one more time, I gonna go off on someone.

Figure after two weeks the honeymoon period is over. The body shop manager is trying to put out quality and has very little back up. Now he's got it.
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Gawd ,Robert: That's sad,on the inexperience there.Best of luck...
 
Well Friday was interesting. "Employee Appreciation Day." We got a catered lunch, a keychain flashlight, and an hour lecture about how much we suck.
 
ramenth said:
Well Friday was interesting. "Employee Appreciation Day." We got a catered lunch, a keychain flashlight, and an hour lecture about how much we suck.
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Gotta Love Corporate America Robert !! :BangHead::BangHead:
 
ramenth said:
Well Friday was interesting. "Employee Appreciation Day." We got a catered lunch, a keychain flashlight, and an hour lecture about how much we suck.
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Yup,that sounds familiar.. (sigh....)...
 
ramenth said:
Well Friday was interesting. "Employee Appreciation Day." We got a catered lunch, a keychain flashlight, and an hour lecture about how much we suck.
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So employees stand behind the fan and suck. Management stands in front and blows. Sounds about right.
 
In this case both sides are right and wrong. Middle management doesn't know how to manage time and put us on the shop floor under the gun to rush things through.

In my experience management's job is to take the heat. The sign of a good leader is to take the blame and pass the credit.

That being said, like I've said, there's too many attitudes around here that suck on doing the job right. No pride in the work done.

The industry standard (set by places like Siemens, Kawasaki) is 20 buy back defects per car. We're averaging 200. For the most part this is experienced vets, with 20, sometimes 30 years experience building and refurbishing rail cars.
 
ramenth said:
In my experience management's job is to take the heat. The sign of a good leader is to take the blame and pass the credit.
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Don't see that attitude much these days. My supervisor just took credit for my idea at work, I'm sure he's done it before.
 
Well, after three months and four days, I'm sitting at home with a three day weekend, gearing up to try something new.

A small manufacturer around here was in need of a mechanic, primarily with heavy electrical experience. Someone who can read a wiring diagram and build harnesses from the ground up.

Things at Alstom just weren't going to pan out. I don't like being lied to and I don't like working for a company that the higher ups blame everything on the line workers.

I was handed a gun to paint exactly one part. I was told that before my probation was up that I'd have all my in house certifications done. No future in the place, especially considering that only way to get ahead is to be a long time union member where seniority is favored, or basically throw a fit to get ahead.

Working with a bunch of 20 something year olds who are half my age with a fifth of the experience. A few have been there for a few years. I agree with them that they deserve a shot at moving up after being there that long. Give them their shot. But don't ignore the experience of a man who's had a gun in his hand since before these kids were born, either.

The Boston Green Line cars are full of asbestos. The MTA cars are full of heavy metals. Someone called OSHA on them. After over a $100k worth of fines we (the line workers) were blamed for air quality and not taking the proper precautions. No showers provided for the guys in strip and they were basically told there never would be, because the air quality was "lower than OSHA standards." Not that one guy's minimum exposure might be another person's maximum.

Don't even get me going on smearing bondo all over heavily rusted metal and not giving a ****. I closed out my time there smearing eight gallons of bondo on a five foot by five foot patch of sheetmetal on a Green Line car. It was straight, it was level (once the car is in paint it'll probably be the best looking patch of metal on the train), but for $1.2M per train, the taxpayers deserve better than smearing all that bone on top of heavily rusted metal.

Oh, well. On to bigger and better.

I'm going to go to work building amphibious buses. Each one is built to order. The bodies are pretty much built to print, but everything else is custom work. When I interviewed there were four in the shop. One heading to Dubai, one heading to France, one heading to Japan, and the last heading to Norway. Each one of them is powered by something different. The Japanese bus is Isuzu powered with a Yamaha marine engine. The Dubai one is all Cummins powered with twin marines.

Like I said, I'll be doing a lot of the electrical, but I'll also be painting these buses. And I'm getting paid what I'm worth, with the opportunity to make more as I go. So, I'll be getting a huge raise over what I was making, driving half the distance, and have three day weekends to get things done around the house. Which is nice. With the new little one due in December, I've got another bedroom to remodel.

And, Karli and I have agreed: I'll be putting in the garage with the extra money and getting back into restorations on the side. Win, win, win.
 
ramenth said:
Well, after three months and four days, I'm sitting at home with a three day weekend, gearing up to try something new.

A small manufacturer around here was in need of a mechanic, primarily with heavy electrical experience. Someone who can read a wiring diagram and build harnesses from the ground up.

Things at Alstom just weren't going to pan out. I don't like being lied to and I don't like working for a company that the higher ups blame everything on the line workers.

I was handed a gun to paint exactly one part. I was told that before my probation was up that I'd have all my in house certifications done. No future in the place, especially considering that only way to get ahead is to be a long time union member where seniority is favored, or basically throw a fit to get ahead.

Working with a bunch of 20 something year olds who are half my age with a fifth of the experience. A few have been there for a few years. I agree with them that they deserve a shot at moving up after being there that long. Give them their shot. But don't ignore the experience of a man who's had a gun in his hand since before these kids were born, either.

The Boston Green Line cars are full of asbestos. The MTA cars are full of heavy metals. Someone called OSHA on them. After over a $100k worth of fines we (the line workers) were blamed for air quality and not taking the proper precautions. No showers provided for the guys in strip and they were basically told there never would be, because the air quality was "lower than OSHA standards." Not that one guy's minimum exposure might be another person's maximum.

Don't even get me going on smearing bondo all over heavily rusted metal and not giving a ****. I closed out my time there smearing eight gallons of bondo on a five foot by five foot patch of sheetmetal on a Green Line car. It was straight, it was level (once the car is in paint it'll probably be the best looking patch of metal on the train), but for $1.2M per train, the taxpayers deserve better than smearing all that bone on top of heavily rusted metal.

Oh, well. On to bigger and better.

I'm going to go to work building amphibious buses. Each one is built to order. The bodies are pretty much built to print, but everything else is custom work. When I interviewed there were four in the shop. One heading to Dubai, one heading to France, one heading to Japan, and the last heading to Norway. Each one of them is powered by something different. The Japanese bus is Isuzu powered with a Yamaha marine engine. The Dubai one is all Cummins powered with twin marines.

Like I said, I'll be doing a lot of the electrical, but I'll also be painting these buses. And I'm getting paid what I'm worth, with the opportunity to make more as I go. So, I'll be getting a huge raise over what I was making, driving half the distance, and have three day weekends to get things done around the house. Which is nice. With the new little one due in December, I've got another bedroom to remodel.

And, Karli and I have agreed: I'll be putting in the garage with the extra money and getting back into restorations on the side. Win, win, win.
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So be it,Robert.You have a family,to take care of ,and worry about. Make your skills used for the most you can,while you can.Best of luck.
 
Sounds exciting Robert. A change of scenery is good for the soul.
 
sounds like a great opportunity. like said, you have to make the most of your skills while you have that time on your side. and find a co. that is fair, honest, and appreciates good work and skills. one day, MOST companies will decide you are too old!
 
Been away for a while and just caught this. Good luck with it Robert, tell Karli I said hello.
C
 
Congrats!! It's awesome that you found the place. Sounds like a company you'll be happy to get up and get it done every day!!!
 
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