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layoffs, opportunities, uncertainty and anxiety


Gixxus Christ!

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I work. I've been there 7 years. I hired into the cnc machining cells. After a year I bid into the carbon heat treat division where I was happy. The scheduling was odd but I liked the job. It was interesting, I got some exercise and when I finished my work I was done for the day and free to enjoy whatever time was left in my shift however I wanted....until one of my coworkers was promoted and fucked everything up. This guy slept in the break room half the day when he was on the floor, but after he applied for the supervisor position he took it upon himself to become the worst kind of boss, chasing guys out of the break room and insisting we stay at our machines even after making 100% rate for the night. I bid out into my present position as a mechanic in the overhaul and repair department. It's a good job and we have a good supervisor who lets us relax after we meet quota for the shift. All was well for over 2 years until today when corporate arbitrarily laid off hundreds of employees all over the world, 7 of which from my current labor classification even tho we are Busy as hell. I currently have 7 guys below me in seniority. The division is letting go a contract with chatauqua airlines that comprises a huge portion of our work in may. I will likely be laid off at that time. I can bump back into the carbon facility and work for someone I despise on every level and who if I happen to see was on fire would buy gasoline to throw on him before wasting a drop of piss. My other option is to take the layoff which includes 7 weeks severence, 3 months health care (after that I can just marry my fiancé and get on hers) and 2 years unemployment plus paid tuition to a tech school of the state's choice. I work with a guy who was laid off 3 years ago and took the education route, he was forced into a cnc machining school that had fixed wages with all the companies they place graduates in at $12/hr. The school gets a check from the state upon placing a graduate. I currently make $19.25 an hour. Almost all my prior work experience is in machining.

My dilemma should be fairly evident.

Who's got some good advice out there?

Edited by CrazySkullCrusher
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My short term solution is to get shit faced tonight and take a vacation day tomorrow, then work every hour of the inevitable skads of overtime they're going to have to post to meet deadlines, and do exactly the bare fucking minimum during that time. And I Wanna be clear here, I'm not a bare minimum kinda dude. I'm proud of what I do. I'm proud of how efficiently I do it. I'm arguably the best guy that does what I do, and my boss knows it and tells me daily. I'd keep that pace up if it made a difference but it's a union shop. When layoffs come around it doesn't matter how good you are, how fast you are or how hard you work. The only thing that matters is how long you've been there.

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Sorry to hear man.  I don't have any specific advice, just to stay as positive as possible and turn the situation into an advantage.  I know that sounds like new agey bullshit but I it's exceedingly easy to let stuff like this get into your sweat, and hiring managers can smell it, and will avoid it.  Anyway, good luck and hang in there!

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I'm not scared. My fiancé makes good money and even on the $320/week unemployment I still have money after the bills are paid...In the short term. My mistake was getting comfortable and pretending I'd have this job for another 5 or 10 years...so I never considered getting laid off as an eminent threat. I have savings, assets and holdings that I'd rather let mature another 20 years rather than liquidate to keep the ship afloat.

It's definitely in my best interest to keep my eyes open but wait till the layoff gets me. One in the hand is worth 2 in the bush...

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I'd say go back to the carbon facility. Although you'd rather see the boss spontaneously combust, it is a guaranteed job at your current salary. It doesn't mean you have to stay there. You could in the meantime wait for other opportunities in another division as they come up or you could look outside of meggit. Either way an employed person is always more desirable than an unemployed one.

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I know starting over is hard but if you have to look for something in packaging and or food product manufacturing. No matter what the economy is doing everyone still has to eat and you have to have a box to put it in. Seems like there are always maintenance type jobs open in my company but they always hire those from within. I feel your pain about the holier than thou supervisors that were once fuck offs we have several of those too. Nothing is guaranteed but too hope I'm set for at least ten more years but you never know.

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I work for meggitt aircraft braking systems corporation. I've been there 7 years. I hired into the cnc machining cells. After a year I bid into the carbon heat treat division where I was happy. The scheduling was odd but I liked the job. It was interesting, I got some exercise and when I finished my work I was done for the day and free to enjoy whatever time was left in my shift however I wanted....until one of my coworkers was promoted and fucked everything up. This guy slept in the break room half the day when he was on the floor, but after he applied for the supervisor position he took it upon himself to become the worst kind of boss, chasing guys out of the break room and insisting we stay at our machines even after making 100% rate for the night. I bid out into my present position as a mechanic in the overhaul and repair department. It's a good job and we have a good supervisor who lets us relax after we meet quota for the shift. All was well for over 2 years until today when corporate arbitrarily laid off hundreds of employees all over the world, 7 of which from my current labor classification even tho we are Busy as hell. I currently have 7 guys below me in seniority. The division is letting go a contract with chatauqua airlines that comprises a huge portion of our work in may. I will likely be laid off at that time. I can bump back into the carbon facility and work for someone I despise on every level and who if I happen to see was on fire would buy gasoline to throw on him before wasting a drop of piss. My other option is to take the layoff which includes 7 weeks severence, 3 months health care (after that I can just marry my fiancé and get on hers) and 2 years unemployment plus paid tuition to a tech school of the state's choice. I work with a guy who was laid off 3 years ago and took the education route, he was forced into a cnc machining school that had fixed wages with all the companies they place graduates in at $12/hr. The school gets a check from the state upon placing a graduate. I currently make $19.25 an hour. Almost all my prior work experience is in machining.

My dilemma should be fairly evident.

Who's got some good advice out there?

 

I don't come from a big shop so maybe I'm missing something, but what's the problem with continuing to work even after you've meet your quota?  aren't you still getting paid for working?  is there something inherently wrong with performing above expectations?

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^^

I have to agree with the bot on that one.

 

I don't have any sympathy for not being allowed to relax on the clock.  Sorry.

 

Was wondering when someone was going to point this out.  If you and your peers are getting paid to sit around, you shouldn't be surprised by layoffs.

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These days every company is squeezed to cut costs.  If there wasn't enough work to stay busy all day, I sure wouldn't advertise it by hanging out in a break room.  It makes for an obvious target when it's time for layoffs.  

 

If the workforce for a particular department is busy only 75% of the time, to the beancounters, that means they can reduce the workers by 25% with little to no impact to operations.  That's Business 101.

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I don't come from a big shop so maybe I'm missing something, but what's the problem with continuing to work even after you've meet your quota?  aren't you still getting paid for working?  is there something inherently wrong with performing above expectations?

 

yes, that's the union way dont you know

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Yes, union shop. If working harder or better got me somewhere, I'd do it. It doesnt. All it does is take work away from the following shift, and in carbon heat treat, if there aren't parts out of the furnace, cool and ready to machine, people get sent home.

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Also it's hard to have sympathy for a company that makes 15-20% profit on a million dollars a month and still lays guys off. The department I'm in now has beat our projected monthly goal by $50-90 thousand dollars consistently, every month.

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Also it's hard to have sympathy for a company that makes 15-20% profit on a million dollars a month and still lays guys off. The department I'm in now has beat our projected monthly goal by $50-90 thousand dollars consistently, every month.

Union or not, companies have to be lean these days just to remain in business.  Companies exist to make money.  15-20% profit isn't all that high.

 

It sounds like your dept was under utilized and it was targeted for layoffs.  That sucks.  But feeling entitled to relax on the clock sucks too.

 

If I was you I would try to transfer into the busiest dept at your company.  I did exactly that 2 years ago.  Staying busy and making money for your company = job security in 2014.  

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Sam can weld. You should find him a job, Brian.

 

He'd have to get several different welding certificates in order to qualify for us. Not to mention right now I highly doubt he wants to work in PA 6 days a week

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Yeah...would prefer to work within 1/2 hr of home. Salary jobs at my company all require at least an associates degree in something. I have a ged.

If you've never worked at a union shop you're not going to understand how things work at one.

I know small business owners who dream of 15% profit.

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The only time i worked in a factory in normal production, we had a piece rate. If you made 110% of "rate" you got 110% of your pay. If you made 90 to 100% of "rate" you got paid normally. If you did less than 90% you got written up or reprimanded depending on circumstances. If you busted your ass it wasn't unheard of to double your pay. This seems the "right" way to encourage efficiency.

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Piece work is the best way to destroy the quality of a product. Not something you want to do with aircraft brakes.

Before this cocksucker got promoted everything was fine. Our department got its work done every day, no discipline issues, no problems...for years. After he took the shift there was a union steward coming over every few weeks because this guy had a hard on for writing people up for bullshit. He's a fucking power trip. Worst kind of boss.

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