Official Chit-Chat Thread

[dingo ate my baby]

me too...

wife has some on the table that were leftover from July 4th weekend...

.......they're freaking good.....

I bet your wife's cookies are tasty or maybe your trying someone else's cookies but if she finds out your in trouble

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

I hope GRF is having a blast traveling the world.

 

[QLR1]

I hope GRF is having a blast traveling the world.

I'm hoping there will be some epic photos when he gets back.

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

I'm hoping there will be some epic photos when he gets back.

I would bet there will be.

I know another couple of people traveling Europe right now and they are loving it.

I've personally never had the time to do it and hope one day it will be possible.

 

[digi7alph0enix]

So I sent an email to my boss today. There is some serious drama taking place at work and my email addresses the lies being said and also leverages my own ability vs the person who is arguing to have things changed. I can't really get into detail about it but there's a fair chance I'll be looking for a new job.

Its gotten to the point that I couldn't go unheard anymore so instead of a face to face meeting that might show more anger than logic I opted for an email. From what I've heard word of this spread very quick and all the supervisors support me. There's a good chance that if my suggestions are followed someone else will quit or get fired and I'll be back to 72-84 hour weeks again.

Very stressed.

 

[QLR1]

Yikes. That is awful... Hopefully, you will prevail. Usually, if the higher ups like you, they will do whatever it takes to keep you. Being crazy isn't the way to go, but you already knew that lol

Sucks that you'll be working your life away more than you already are, I am starting to miss your crazy posts on here, @digi7alph0enix (Oops, I actually typed that )

 

[digi7alph0enix]

Yikes. That is awful... Hopefully, you will prevail. Usually, if the higher ups like you, they will do whatever it takes to keep you. Being crazy isn't the way to go, but you already knew that lol

Sucks that you'll be working your life away more than you already are, I am starting to miss your crazy posts on here, @digi7alph0enix (Oops, I actually typed that )

It's just part of the job I do. The only reason for the overtime is because its so hard to find people who can do the job. People think "oh factory work, pack a box, assembly line" and that isn't the case where I work. As I've said before we are the only supplier in the world for a number of wire and cable products for manufacturers. The things we make can and will literally kill people if they aren't made correctly, or can cause multi-million dollar shut downs of auto makers if we aren't able to deliver on time. The job is stressful. I happen to be very good at it. When someone who isn't as good at it decides that I should have to do more work so that they can pick and choose their own schedule, I won't allow it. To this point I've let things go assuming management would head off these terrible ideas and see them for what they were, schemes to take the load off someone and transfer it on to others.

From what I've been told (today was supposed to be a day off but I had to go in for a 2hr meeting) the person I emailed said they knew it was coming. Something else about where I work is the people I work with. The town I live in is tiny. The people working in this place are locals who haven't been outside this town for the most part. Their life experience isn't even close to the things I've seen and done. It's well known throughout the plant that I'm not being utilized in a way that benefits the company as well as it could. I don't go around with a "holier than thou" attitude, but people picked up from my first day in the plant that I am capable of more than the vast majority of people who work there, hourly, management, or otherwise. I am more or less happy with what I do and the money I make so I don't push it, I just put my head down and grind out the work that needs done.

Loyalty is extremely important to me. If the changes coming end up happening the management will have turned their backs on not just me, but three other people who do the job I do. All of this to shut up a guy who isn't even good at the job and bitches non stop about how we're all doing him wrong.

Honestly, its hard not to let my anger get the better of me and put him in his place outside of work. I have a family though and I can't risk that over something so stupid. I'll find something else if I have to. We'll see.

 

[QLR1]

It seems to be some dumb rule or something... High achievers and folks with a high ceiling tend not to last long in places with subpar management, they end up somewhere else earning more money with less drama.

 

[QLR1]

Dang, it's hard to believe that I've been in my promoted position for 9 months... Three more and I'll be off probation. So far, the higher ups haven't raked me over the coals.

 

[digi7alph0enix]

Here's a names and company name removed version of the email I sent. Hopefully that doesn't make it too hard to follow along.

Hello ______,

This is ______, CV7 operator on A shift. I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to express my feelings and concerns about recent events in the cable department.

I'd first like to apologize for not speaking with you face to face about this. Because of the difference in our schedules and the amount of things I'd like to say I felt it would be best to use this format so that everything I have to say can be said clearly. If after reading this you'd like to talk face to face just let me know and we can find a way to work it out.

The main issue I would like to address is the recent insisting by CV4 operator ______ to have the scheduling of overtime on CV4 changed. For the last few days we've heard nothing but complaints from ______ about the way the overtime is being handled and how he feels he is being treated unfairly in regards to how the schedule has been. His complaints are propped up by statements that aren't true, and he's been adjusting his argument as I've countered them with factual statements.

His first claim, before his meeting with you, was that he was working every Saturday. This statement is completely false. For some time now he has had an arrangement with B shift CV7 operator ______ that has kept him from working overtime on Saturdays. At the same time, we've been rotating the Saturday overtime bi-weekly between myself, ______, and ______. That means he works one Saturday every six weeks. He still gets 2 days off when that happens, even though the days aren't connected. On the weeks he covers a Friday or Sunday he gets his two connected days off, which is supposedly what he wants. ______ has even had his time cards pulled to verify that this is the case.

After that argument was proven wrong ______ claimed that ______ told him he wouldn't work Saturdays anymore. This is also false. I verified this myself Sunday night (7-12-15) with ______ while I was covering overtime on CV4. Due to a visitation arrangement for his children Saturday is the best day for him to work and as of 7-12-15 he confirmed with me that he had no plans to change that. That leaves everything exactly as it has been with ______ not working another Saturday until August 22nd. Until that date he would have his two connected days off every week.

When this was brought up ______'s initial reaction was, "Fine, just leave it how it is. I'll just stay on the same schedule." Apparently since then that has changed because I was informed of a new overtime schedule last night (7-14-15) by ______. Please allow me to explain my objections to this decision.

First of all, ______ is responsible for covering one line, CV4. He hasn't been trained to run CV7 or CV8, nor would I trust his abilities as an operator on either of those lines. This is important for several reasons. Number one, he does not cover vacation overtime for CV7 or CV8, yet we cover all overtime for CV4, vacation or otherwise. This means that you have five operators capable of covering extra days for three lines on nights, but only two operators to cover overtime for CV7 and CV8 at any given time due to the nature of our rotation. In that situation you are left with no choice but to add even more overtime onto everyone but ______, as has been the case ever since he started. That doesn't sound very fair to me, yet none of the cable operators have seen fit to come to your office and complain about it besides ______.

Secondly, ______ has only seen a fraction of the overtime myself, ______, ______, and ______ have. I'd like to remind you of the situation with ______'s injury. While he was on light duty he did everything he could to stay on light duty and avoid returning to the line. There were several occasions that I talked to him during his light duty and he told me all about how great it was to work in the lab. Air conditioned, take breaks whenever you want, not running a line, the list goes on and on. As rumor has it he even went so far as to have his doctor put on his light duty instructions that he could only work in the lab. What a slap in the face to every guy that had to pull his weight while he was hurt. And this is the guy I'm supposed to want to help out? To change four other operators schedules for to address a problem that isn't even a problem when you check the facts? I don't think so.

I understand his position, I really do. Everyone in cable is burnt out on overtime. We've been covering CV4 short handed since before he was hired, after he was hired and got hurt, and ever since ______ got fired. What ______ either refuses to see or just flat out doesn't care about is how his selfish demands for a schedule change affects others in cable. All it takes is 1 person taking vacation, meetings scheduled on days off, or someone (probably ______) doing something to get themselves hurt or fired and we're right back to 6 and 7 day weeks in cable. I'm not willing to make that sacrifice for him a second time.

If it were someone else, I'd at least listen to what they had to say and help them if I could. As it stands now we have a guy who just recently hired on and didn't work overtime while training for three months. The he got hurt and didn't work overtime for a month and a half. Even still we all try to handle the overtime like adults and help him out when he needed specific days off and still he asks for more. Even the way he went about trying to get things changed was disgusting. He went straight to you, over ______'s head, and tried to get his idea fast track approved before anyone could object and really see how bad it was for everyone but him. Even the schedule ______ came up with after the original idea was never proposed to ______ or ______, but that's what ______ went with because it shut ______ up.

I won't do it. If that means that my time at ______ comes to an end then so be it. Starting today I'll be spending what little time off I do have looking for another job. To make concessions for someone like ______ is an insult to everyone who has worked so hard because of the slack he couldn't take up. I'm a damn good cable operator. Even when things aren't going right I take pride in solving the problems and making a quality product. I'm consistently in the top one or two for production across all of cable and I work my absolute hardest because I take pride in what I do and I take pride in doing it at a level that not many people could. To ask me and everyone else in cable to change to accommodate someone who can't even cover our lines when we take vacation or need time off is ridiculous. I had to deal with stuff like this with ______ and I damn sure won't do it again for ______. I'm sorry but a line has to be drawn and for me this is it.

Let me finish by telling you how this experience has changed my view of ______ and my future within it. Several months back when the CV6 conversion was announced I had high hopes of landing a day job in my own department. By my count with CV4 on rotation and a full rotation on CV6, three day jobs were on the horizon. I know that I don't have the seniority of other guys but I hoped that being a current cable operator without write ups, points, quality issues, etc would be enough to at least get me considered for one of those day jobs. Now I question whether I even want to be a part of the company. If the reward for hard work and sacrifice is that someone who whines about a problem that doesn't exist gets their way at my expense, I want no part of it.

And with that I'm going to close this letter and enjoy the rest of my time off. I'll be back to work on Friday as scheduled. Thanks for your time-

______.