Started a new job

[Mudsport96]

Well, after 15 years of industrial maintenance at the aluminum foundry I have moved on to a new job. Not that the old place was bad, I just felt that management had made a few decisions i couldn't look passed.
So now i rebuild fuel pumps and injectors for a big diesel manufacturer. Better pay, 6 minutes from my house vs 40, work in A/C all day for the most part.

Possible that one shot into the intake would flood a 5.3 lol.
The fuel pump alone for this bad boy requires 250 lb ft of torque to turn.

 

[OR VietVet]

Uh oh, I see an engine swap coming up.

Can you share, generally, what management decisions made you leave? All good if can't or don't want to.

 

[Mudsport96]

Mostly Capital Projects that everyone ( including the burnout addicts) in the company could see would not pan out for the future. One was a $300k crane system that was actually slower than our manual system. So by the time the molten metal got from the furnace to the pouring deck it was too cold.
Taking on customers that had been turned down by FAR more advanced companies than we were. Thinking that a quick buck could be made, then losing out because of not making deadlines.

The final nail was the Thursday before Easter. Got called to my immediate supervisors office, and so did everyone else in maintenance. He used to work with me but moved up when the old manager left. We could tell something was wrong and he informed us that everyone was laid off immediately. Maintenance would stay on for another week to shut down furnaces and drain an prep machinery for storage. Everyone else could either go home at lunch when checks were ready or now and checks would be mailed.
Even the OWNER came and talked to us and said she was taking a layoff because if she didn't there wouldnt be pay for maintenance to work the next week for closing.
So, after we got out of the meeting i started making calls to guys i know to setup interviews. Had two within 3 hours of being told i dont have a job.

So, in order to not ruin the family's holiday weekend i didn't say anything about it. Ya know "Dad doesn't have a job anymore ", isn't great Easter dinner conversation.

Monday morning i get to work and EVERYONE is there. My brain starts panicking like " did i make all that up.... was it a dream?"

Nope... they were in meetings all friday and a customer swooped in and bought all of theit back inventory and pledged to help with finances.

Well management called everyone back on friday. EVERYONE EXCEPT MAINTENANCE. Because and i quote " Well you guys were coming back to close anyway, so we were going to tell you today ".

Wait what? I went all weekend trying to figure out how to tell my family i had a week left to work before i was unemployed... but really you had it covered?

Then the CEO went into, well we never said it was permanent. Dude you sat in the parking lot and drank beer with maintenance guys ON LUNCH Thursday because " what can i do, fire guy that aren't working here in a week?"

So there is more after that, like them being mad that i would take a job offering me almost ten dollars more an hour, and offering me two bucks to stay.
But th not telling us we weren't laidoff is the kicker.

 

[Mollys70]

You made the right decision. I was in a similar situation about 20 years ago. I found a new, better job that paid more, closer to home, nicer people, awesome benefits. I put in my 2 weeks' notice & my boss got so mad, he told me to pack up my box & go! lol

Everyone's paycheck bounced a few weeks later. I learned that the owner of the company took off with his brother's wife & emptied the
company's bank account.

 

[OR VietVet]

Thankfully I have not ran shops where my paycheck did not clear. I was told, in the beginning, that for job security the best bet was working for a dealer or chain store shop. I listened to about 30 seconds of that because my uncle had said, "Not NO but hell NO". At those places you are just a number. I had also heard of crappy work conditions and poor work ethic in the shops like that. I wanted M-F and to work for a small mom and pop place. I always did. If I was thinking about working at a shop, I would do a 4 block square walk around and check the neighborhood and ask other businesses if they knew of any drawbacks to working for the shop. I interviewed them like they interviewed me. I liked the family atmosphere. One of the best shops I ran was where the owner's wife always told the staff to not bring a lunch because she was bringing it. She made the absolute best potato salad I have ever eaten, had bacon in it. We didn't go to lunch in staggered times, we would all eat at the same time with the owner watching the front door.

Anyway, you got out of there just in time and are better for it. In this economy, I hope you stash away some of that pay raise.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Your discussion of the aluminum foundry takes me back decades when I worked in a 1 million square foot aluminum foundry, hot rolling, and sheet mill. We cast over 1 million pounds of aluminum per day. Hot as H*e*l*l in there, but a very interesting operation.

 

[B-train]

I agree with @OR VietVet on the stashing of pay. If you lived off what you made before, keep things status quo. Pay off debt, save some cash, and live below your means. That's a great pay bump, combined with the short commute, to help catapult a better financial future.

We are debt free and it's a great feeling. We both have good careers in recession-proof fields for the most part. But, we both don't want to work forever. Having freedom from being a slave to a lender allows for different doors to be opened when needed without upsetting the financial apple cart.

 

[OR VietVet]

I agree with @OR VietVet on the stashing of pay. If you lived off what you made before, keep things status quo. Pay off debt, save some cash, and live below your means. That's a great pay bump, combined with the short commute, to help catapult a better financial future.

We are debt free and it's a great feeling. We both have good careers in recession-proof fields for the most part. But, we both don't want to work forever. Having freedom from being a slave to a lender allows for different doors to be opened when needed without upsetting the financial apple cart.

Yea, I don't owe any payments to anyone except for the monthly auto pays for cable/streaming/cell....etc. In an emergency I have a "line of credit" to get crazy with but have only used once in 1.5 years. paid off in 2 months. It just doesn't pay to owe anyone.

 

[Mudsport96]

Well it balances out in the end so even with the pay raise there is no extra actually a little less.
I work 40 hours a week now. ( m-f) 0530 to 1400
Previously i was working 60 to 70 hours a week. ( m-th 0400 to 1600 and fri sat 0400 to 1330)
So, in the end im really about 500 to 700 less a month. It is an adjustment, but if i really need to make it up i can always find a side hustle to bring a few extra bucks. Since i have spare time now.
Plus the 12 mile round trip vs 60 mile before i only have to fill the old ford every third week vs every week. So that is 1200 dollars a year vs 3600 give or take for price changes

 

[OR VietVet]

Well it balances out in the end so even with the pay raise there is no extra actually a little less.
I work 40 hours a week now. ( m-f) 0530 to 1400
Previously i was working 60 to 70 hours a week. ( m-th 0400 to 1600 and fri sat 0400 to 1330)
So, in the end im really about 500 to 700 less a month. It is an adjustment, but if i really need to make it up i can always find a side hustle to bring a few extra bucks. Since i have spare time now.
Plus the 12 mile round trip vs 60 mile before i only have to fill the old ford every third week vs every week. So that is 1200 dollars a year vs 3600 give or take for price changes

Working on vehicles at my house, I average anywhere between $800 to $1200 a month and I pick and choose what I want to do. With me and my girl's savings and retirement and social security, I could get by but I don't want to just sit around and I miss working on something automotive/light truck.

 

[Mudsport96]

Same here. Im just relaxing for a little while to recover from all the previous overtime.
Been doing a whole lot of gardening this year to help offset groceries.
Heck been canning beets today.

 

[B-train]

@Mudsport96 Hell yes to the gardening! We have always done that and man is it worth it. Can't beat home grown stuff....best way to stay healthy. Best of luck on the produce year, hope it works out well.

 

[Mudsport96]

We

@Mudsport96 Hell yes to the gardening! We have always done that and man is it worth it. Can't beat home grown stuff....best way to stay healthy. Best of luck on the produce year, hope it works out well.

We haven't had any significant rainfall for 3 month almost. Then in the last week we have had almost as much rain as we were supposed to have all year. Crop doesn't know what to do.

 

[iamdub]

@Mudsport96 Hell yes to the gardening! We have always done that and man is it worth it. Can't beat home grown stuff....best way to stay healthy. Best of luck on the produce year, hope it works out well.

B-train in his home garden:

 

[iamdub]

Heck been canning beets today.

You and Mose?

 

[JGinLA]

Everyone's paycheck bounced a few weeks later. I learned that the owner of the company took off with his brother's wife & emptied the
company's bank account.

I want to see that movie.