Windshield Time

[stig]

You are probly wrong. I am a company man through and through. My employer and I agreed on an hourly rate, your employee and you agreed on a day rate. I have no issue fulfilling my commitment but expect the same from my employer. The example I gave was extreme but not indicative of how I live. I have worked every single hour that Big Green ever asked me to, given up vacation time, family time, and so on. I have also been screwed at every turn and had almost every promise made to me by management broken. I provide my own, high end equipment and tools that I use to be as productive as humanly possible.

I dont believe that asking to be accurately paid for your time, as agreed on originally, is inordinate or inappropriate. I show up early every day, sober, prepared, and ready to do whats asked of me. I may not be the best at what I do, but I believe most employers would be lucky to find a guy like me.

Just jerking your chain, as usual, Nick

 

[brendonv]

Portal to portal here.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I have also been screwed at every turn and had almost every promise made to me by management broken.

If that's how it is I would be looking for another job, life's too short to be miserable at work, think of all the time we spend at our jobs. No reason to go in everyday and be taken advantage of. Good jobs may be hard to come by, but so are good employees

I think along these lines as well. When I found it a bit curious that someone feels compelled to get down to the fine print of the contract about putting in some extra time here and there on occasion, I just assumed that it was considered an opportunity to be working there. I didn't conceptualize that someone would be working under the auspices of an outfit where they felt exploited or other strong negatives existed. If that is the case, do however you like or comes easiest, it is only a temporary arrangement, right? I guess it isn't a perfect world. The ideal is that people should look after each other in a way where it isn't only about money, imo. That goes both ways from employees to management, and I just assumed that would be the case for people here. It isn't friendship I'm talking about, but mutual respect and courtesy. I think it is the force that binds a company together within the best environment, wages come after or out of that. It's only a personal viewpoint.

In one part of the world that I know pretty well, the same descriptive is used to describe a person's home, as is for the company that they work for. Basically, it means their own, with a great deal of attachment associated.

 

[bonner1040]

Its not really fine print, employees go to work to get paid. If you expect someone to perform an instructed task they are on the clock, if not, off the clock.

Its simple at work - paid, off work - un paid.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The main thing I'm asking is do you get paid for the drive back to the shop at the end of the day?

 

[Peter]

Yes, always. Unless its start and finish from site, but I only do that if its convenient for the employee in question.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Uhhhhhh....

 

[woodworkingboy]

Sometimes the cool air feels nice at the end of the day heading back to the yard, and I wouldn't mind doing it without renumeration, but it's almost always the case that I am getting paid, or if it is a day wage, the time is being considered as possible cause for overtime if need be.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Perhaps I should have made it clear in my opening post: I'll edit it.

This is all based on being paid by the hour.

 

[bonner1040]

Yes

I do.

 

[jefflovstrom@sb]

Yes, if 6 guys are heading back to the yard an hour away they all get paid.

 

[cory]

How do you compete with the tree services which are located that hour away, guys with 5 min travel time?

 

[FJR]

By presenting to the client the reasons why the lower number may not be the best answer.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Then, hoping they have the sense to realize what that means!

 

[Bixler]

We usually meet at or around the job, they clock on at that meeting time, and clock off when we leave the job site. Often I give them money for gas.

When I have them drive a truck from my house to the job and back, they're paid during that time.

 

[cory]

By presenting to the client the reasons why the lower number may not be the best answer.

Understood, but I suspect that often the client isn't aware of the equally qualified guys in their town who don't have the same marketing and sales budget not to mention overhead, so they don't do the 1 hr drive to find work.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Gate to Gate. If meeting at/ near the jobsite in personal vehicles, then from arrival to departure.

The way I see it, whether it happens in reality or not, the passenger(s) have a job to do. Help pay attention to the road and the rig, navigate, make notes, and upon arrival, be ready to jump out and guide the truck in (I largely back into my parking areas) without damage or stress at the end of a long tiring day.

If people stay on site, they get paid hourly, straight through the day. If they want to take off for an hour lunch break, or to run an errand and grab some food, which is rare, that may go off the clock.



When we meet at a location other than the shop, a grocery store is a great place. The guys don't have to shop the night before, just get their 20 minutes early, grab more coffee, food, and deuce-it at the store, not the HO's house.

 

[woodworkingboy]

The first guys that I hooked up with to do tree work, two brothers and their uncle, all old timers, we would generally stop at one of two places near the yard on the way back to have beers and some eats. They would always buy, so in a way I would be getting paid for that time too, One place was a particular homey atmosphere, the lady running it could have been your aunt. Uncle died and one bro flipped his lid, then new drunk driving laws impelled another way of life. Still got paid up to leaving the truck, though.

 

[flushcut]

I pay shop to shop and day rates for some of the guys that drive an hour one way.

 

[Tucker943]

I pay shop to shop and lunch. I usually buy lunch too. Im probably wasting money, but I love my men, and they work hard for me.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[NickfromWI]

I pay shop to shop and lunch. I usually buy lunch too. Im probably wasting money, but I love my men, and they work hard for me.

Me too. And we find ourselves at some fancy-schmancy sandwich shops sometimes...but these guys work VERY hard for me. I pay them well for it....lunch is like giving them a tip!

 

[MasterBlaster]

I believe in light lunches, but I don't even do lunches anymore. I bring somewhat healthy snacks and munch on them during the day, as my hunger demands them. Eating a lot all in one setting doesn't work for me. A "lunch" for me = one whopper junior, that's it.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I pay shop to shop and lunch. I usually buy lunch too. Im probably wasting money, but I love my men, and they work hard for me.

I doubt its a waste.


I have lot of Balance bars and trail mix as my non-perishable mainstays that I can keep in the truck and then supplement with what I bring daily, or if I'm running out the door, I don't even need to bring anything. I also get these TRader Joe's instant coffee packets with cream and sugar--about $0.40 a serving, often for me, two or three.

I tell my guys to bring lunch, but if they get hungry and are out of food, grab some of that stuff. I figure its crew food, and a business expense.

Bars go up the tree easily, and trail mix is easy to grab a few handfuls as a little snack with no end point (e.g. the end of the sandwich that you may not need to finish before climbing the next tree, but its there and almost gone).

A piece of fruit before heading up a tree, often.



Hungry guys costs money.

Ordering a pizza or sandwiches to the jobsite, on the business dime, is way to feed the crew, say thanks, and not get caught waiting in the lunchtime 'rush' at restaurants.

Again, meeting at conveniently located grocery store works really well. Often can save everybody some time and expense, plus avoids too many cars at a jobsite, especially if the groundie doesn't have the nicest automobile.

 

[NickfromWI]

We are lucky in the sense that it's LA and there are cars everywhere. We could show up an 8 man crew in 8 different cars and the client wouldn't even notice.

Now parking those cars is another story. How many of you have to factor in parking tickets to the cost of jobs? We plan job on street sweeping days when that side of the street is clear, knowing we ARE going to get a ticket for it. There isn't another way.


love
nick