How do you feel about your job?

  • Thread starter Thread starter levi 2.0
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squisher said:
I put in two 12hr shifts a weekend which nets me 30hrs pay, then only work another five 8hr shifts every four weeks to top up to 40hrs a week. .
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Are you saying, excluding the two 12 hr weekend shifts, you work five 8 hour shifts over the course of 4 weeks and get paid for 40hrs for each of those 4 weeks?

Where do I sign
 
Correct. Usually I work straight through one week and the weekends before and after. And then for the following three weeks I only work the weekends. But I can pick and choose. Like last week I did four days and this week I'm picking up the fifth day (tonight) and then after my two weekend shifts I'll be off all next week. This last time I also chose to do all graveyards for my 8hr shifts because it's nice and cool and graveyard shifts are only seven hrs long(but paid for 8 still), 1hr of which is paid breaks. if I work anything more than those five extra days in four weeks it's straight OT.

Gravy.
 
squisher said:
Correct. Usually I work straight through one week and the weekends before and after. And then for the following three weeks I only work the weekends. But I can pick and choose. Like last week I did four days and this week I'm picking up the fifth day (tonight) and then after my two weekend shifts I'll be off all next week. This last time I also chose to do all graveyards for my 8hr shifts because it's nice and cool and graveyard shifts are only seven hrs long(but paid for 8 still), 1hr of which is paid breaks. if I work anything more than those five extra days in four weeks it's straight OT.

Gravy.
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It must be bizarre having so much free time. You should start a tree biz on the side!!
 
levi 2.0 said:
... Are you like some who seem to keep enthusiasm about the job after decades, constantly finding new challenges and aspects of the work to occupy the mind I guess...
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I guess that pretty well describes me. Fifty years of tree climbing and I still enjoy putting on my harness and going up the tree. It is a job that fits my personality to a tee. Outdoors and up high. Close enough to feel the forces of life in their elemental form.

Of all the things I have tried to make a living at, it is the only one that kept my interest.
 
How do I feel about my job?
I am fugging hating it right now. I love the work but the business end can suck it. That's it in a nut shell for me at the moment. I kinda feel like Tom Hanks near the end of Castaway when he is at the cross roads but there is no hot country girl welder.
 
DMc said:
I guess that pretty well describes me. Fifty years of tree climbing and I still enjoy putting on my harness and going up the tree. It is a job that fits my personality to a tee. Outdoors and up high. Close enough to feel the forces of life in their elemental form.

Of all the things I have tried to make a living at, it is the only one that kept my interest.
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Very well said :drink:
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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squisher said:
I'm not sure if you had vamoosed before or after I sold my tree business(was lucky to be able to do so) , f-caked around for a bit chimney sweeping and then went to work at a local plywood mill. Union, great pay, benefits, pension. Zero stress. Such a flip from being self employed. Now I worry about nothing for work. Got a locker there my boots don't even come home with me. Vending machine spits out any ppe I need for free. Zero concerns, show up with my lunch. I also work a different shift there which allows me loads of free time for enjoying life. I put in two 12hr shifts a weekend which nets me 30hrs pay, then only work another five 8hr shifts every four weeks to top up to 40hrs a week. So I work way less than I did when self employed. Way less.

For me it's been a great decision. Yes I'm not in charge of anything. Lol. but then again, I'm not in charge of anything! Despite the work being repetitive and what most would consider boring. I really like the machines/process and find it very chill. My stress levels are way down.

I still hang out here at The House, not because I miss treework. Just because I like y'all. Lol.
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Hey Justin, that sounds like a pretty nice progression, glad you still visit the tree house, it's definitely nice to be able talk trees here if need be but that's low on the list of why I like this forum. How much can one really talk tree work anyways, right? I do remember the chimney sweep thing, I thought that was pretty cool, why'd you give that up? Your new job sounds pretty nice, you planning on staying there awhile? Leaving your boots at work, not bad!

Thanks Al and Dave and everyone else for responding here, it's nice to read some perspectives from other folks, especially those who have been in the labor pool for many more decades than myself.
 
Levi, I found in short time the sweep business had a lot of what burnt me out on the tree business. Customers. Y'all can have em. I'm done dealing with Joe public. I'm not so much a people person, unless it's the right people.
 
squisher said:
I'm not sure if you had vamoosed before or after I sold my tree business(was lucky to be able to do so) , f-caked around for a bit chimney sweeping and then went to work at a local plywood mill. Union, great pay, benefits, pension. Zero stress. Such a flip from being self employed. Now I worry about nothing for work. Got a locker there my boots don't even come home with me. Vending machine spits out any ppe I need for free. Zero concerns, show up with my lunch. I also work a different shift there which allows me loads of free time for enjoying life. I put in two 12hr shifts a weekend which nets me 30hrs pay, then only work another five 8hr shifts every four weeks to top up to 40hrs a week. So I work way less than I did when self employed. Way less.

For me it's been a great decision. Yes I'm not in charge of anything. Lol. but then again, I'm not in charge of anything! Despite the work being repetitive and what most would consider boring. I really like the machines/process and find it very chill. My stress levels are way down.

I still hang out here at The House, not because I miss treework. Just because I like y'all. Lol.
Click to expand...

yup.....

kevin bingham said:
I love climbing... But capitalism f...ing sucks.
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ditto
 
Same deal as Justin I guess.
Took a job with a local DuPont plant, steel workers union, high wage, benefits, retirement plan. 12 hour shifts 4 days on 4 days off. The 4 days off let's me pick up some overtime or go do tree work on a day off.

I was really leary about taking the job, spent my first boot allowance on some logger boots just in case, but it's grown on me, and it's sometimes enjoyable even. I do miss trees full time, so the one day every week or two that I do climb I really have alot of fun. I enjoy the work too much to walk away, so it's kinda become a hobby that pays cash :)
 
Hey all right brother! USW 4-429

They've absorbed a ton of smaller unions in the last 20 years or so. We have absolutely nothing to do with steel working lol but there you have it.
 
Neither do we obviously, plywood plant. Used to be IWA in these parts, but absorbed into steelworkers.

I heard at work last night that we just ratified our contract. So that means a bonus, raise and a year of backpay to top up the wage increase from when the last contract ended. I guess my union dues aren't all that bad to pay.
 
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