Hey guys, I have a bit of a dilemma here. As a couple of you know I work for Sureway Construction during the on season, and I managed to snag a little job with an electric company for the winter. The plan was always to go back to Sureway in the spring but certain things have changed lately. Jatec (the small company) bought a new 953C for me to try and persuade me to stick around. They also managed to up the pay a fair bit to get more in line with the industry standard for track loader operators in our area. Today I was approached by the owner of the company with a deal to keep me on board. He offered me a company truck, phone, another raise and full control over the backfill crew. Normally this would sound like a great deal but what has urked me the wrong way in the last couple days was the track loader. It was low on coolant yesterday so I called it in and I shut er down and waited for some of the good pink stuff. 5 hrs later they bring me 2 jugs of anti freeze..... with no water to mix it with. So we got it all mixed, I fired it up and found out there is a massive leak at the block heater that was just installed last week by Finning. It's a simple allen bolt to tighten it up and seal the leak off, so naturally I went to my Jeep to get my tools and take care of it. The foreman stopped me and told me it had to be fixed by Cat because its under warranty. So whatever I called it in again, and I was told it will be next week before they have a chance to come out and look at it. I asked the foreman what to do....he told me to jump in the trench with the labourers and help pull cable When they hired me I told them no labour whatsoever.... I have enough experience and they have enough equipment that I can stay operating. I ended up going home in a less than fantastic mood yesterday and was awakened this morning by the foreman who told me there was a backhoe there for me now... OK thats fine. I spent the day trying to backfill frozen ground with their JCB Crackhoe which didn't prove to work so well, while all the time being told what to do my a newfie twice my age that couldn't tell you the difference between (poop) and a chocolate bar. I am not proclaiming myself to be the best operator in the world.... nor the best on that jobsite but I think I at least understand the basic principle that when backfilling, you put dirt back where it came from instead of robbing from one spot to backfill another when your already short on good material. So anyways back to my question... Do I go back to Sureway where I am the head of a backfill crew where I will have a new 973C, 2 packers, a Deere 710 and a D9 working with me all the time, with people that actually have an idea on how to get things done..... or stick with a company that is willing to give me almost decent money, a new machine and not really enjoy my work. I never thought I would work with a company that rewarded deliquency but here I am. Kristin would like me to stay here because the hours are better, I work a little closer to home and I am free to take time off when I need to. Sorry about the novel of a post here, but I am looking for some advice. I could base the entire decision on money alone because I like that funny coloured monopoly money as Hoeman and Mass X described it..... but I am told that I need to base it on something other than moula. Let me have it.
if it was me i'd try the new job,what the harm, you could go back to sureway if it doesn't work out (maybe),but than again the grass isn't always greener on the other side, its just as green:Banghead
Best thing to do is have another talk with the owner of the company and tell him what you want and don't want.He will either tell you okay or hit the road. Make sure you get answers like who is in charge of your crew, you or the other foreman you mentioned and who you have to answer too, the other foreman or the owner? If i didn't like what i heard or couldn't get a straight answer i would be headed back to your old comapny.Sounds like you enjoyed that old job more then where you are right now.If you don't enjoy where you work then,it mades for a long day. With that said no matter where you work there is always going to conflicts,some where down the line.You see it everyday,people change jobs thinking it will be better,but after while it is usually the same old thing.Work is work and a job is a job. I could see job change to be closer to family,more then money.But don't do it if it is going to make it misable for yourself.Good luck.:usa
Tell him how you feel! Thats what I would do because the man is going to respect you from that point on or he will can ya. It also sounds like your other(fulltime) job is les stressful on you and that you are happier there. Not to mention you get to run a bigger machine.:thumbsup
Back to the bargaining table with Jatec. Obviously they didn't hear you right the first time. Make it known to them that you have enough good judgement to determine whether you can fix a machine correctly or not and that slogging in the trench is out of the question. At this point, it's a respect and trust issue. I'm having this issue at my restaurant job right now, been there 2.5 years and they feel the need to question my judgement about how I do things when we all know I'm perfectly capable of getting things done right, they just want to run a powertrip on me to make me feel like I'm on a tight leash. I don't fly with that, it's insulting to me as an employee that has gobs of experience in the field to have someone there to tell me how to do things. It's the same thing in your scenario as well, let them know that you don't need a babysitter and things will get done with your best of judgement. If they can't follow that, they don't respect you as a hardworking employee, simple as that.
I'm in the situation that I did what you are considering right now. I worked for a small company with only 8 people for 15 years. I got sick and tired of swing shift, long comute, bad middle managment at the plant we worked for. The list where long, but basically I needed a change. Got hired at a recycle plant running a brand new machine, better pay, shorter comute, daytime job only. I where there only two months. It was very hard to change routines of how things worked regarding maintenance, and a list off small things why I didn't like my new position. Then off to a local contruction company. Even better pay, shorter comute, things should have been just great. But I wasn't any happier, why? I missed my old workmates and the routine in the first job. I had contact with my old boss all along and when a new position opened up I was suddenly back in my old job, just three months later. So what are my experience? Don't be afraid to try the new job, but get all the bennis and whatever they promiss on paper. Tell the boss straight out what you would like to do in your position and what you expect from the company. The most important, don't close the door behind you, you never know when you want to turn around
x3 talk to the owner. He may not have any idea what it's like to work under the forman. As far as not being allowed to make a minor repair to a machine that's under warranty, it may be easier to pull line than to deal with fighting off a voided warranty. Yeah it becomes your headache, but hopefully the pay offsets the frustration.
Jobs The old saying is a good one here "A MANS GOTA DO WHAT A MANS GOTA DO" I am an employer and Ive had my share of different jobs. As an employer, if your machine goes down and there is not another machine for you to operate, I would give you the option, to work as a labor at your same rate or go home until your machine is fixed. Warranty work, I would never let you, or myself mess with a warranty item, in a normal situation. If you had tighten the loose bolt, I have seen lots of bad things happen that will void the warranty. Sometimes bolts have torque seal marks on them, to make sure they havent been tampered with. Dont burn any bridges, they will follow you and fall down on you.
Well I ended up talking to the owner again today and we nailed some things out, but it got worse as the day progressed. They brought me another machine to run yesterday instead of being a labourer because they are afraid I will quit. I can definately understand being a small business owner, but when I said small I meant compared to Sureway. They have over 25pcs of equipment kickin around. As for the malfunction with the track loader, its a block heater unit that was installed last week, which has only one screw holding it in. I talked to a mechanic friend at Sureway and he said they back out all the time, he said crank it down and dont worry about it but I am leaving it due to boss' orders. Today as me and the owner were talking I expressed my concerns about how the job was going, he wanted me to show him so we did a walk around the subdivision and I showed him that because one of the loader operators took around 300 yards of material from one side of the road to backfill another, we now have no dirt to backfill the main trenchline because all of our other material is either frozen still or mud. And to add to that about 20 minutes later one of the other operators flopped the wheel loader on its side in a mudhole. I made a berm all around it with the track loader on monday so no one would go into this massive soup pit.... instead he tried to drive up and over it while steering and flopped it over. This is his third major incident in the last 3 months where machine damage has occured but alas.... he is one of the superintendants friends, so instead of being fired like anyone else he will now be given another machine. That is one thing I cannot stand... incompetance. As for going back to Sureway, yes its lower stress than here. My job is mostly babysitting the packer operators but I enjoy it much more. The foreman I work for trusts me and he always works with me to come up with solutions to our problems instead of concocting a half corked idea that dances around the real problem for 2 or 3 days. And the pay... well its pretty good. I am pretty low on the seniority list at Sureway but they have taken care of me like a small company because I am willing to work. They have made exceptions for me and helped me learn more about backfilling and how to organize a site. I also recieve a rentention bonus when I go back to Sureway and its a gooooood bonus. I had a long talk with Kristin late last night and I am going to have a chat with my foreman at Sureway, and my 4 month review at Jatec on monday. I did mention to the owner of Jatec that the money has to come up significantly... what their last offer was, and my current wage at Sureway comes out to almost 30 000 a year.
Ok.. NEWS ha ha. Today was my 3 month review... even though it has been 4 months. They ahve a whole grading process they go through on how to evaluate their operators. I got a grade of good to excellent on all 10 categories with them, and one of the other operators I work with wrote a very nice letter about me to the HR guy. It was much more touching than the one I figured would be written saying "He's an xxxxxxx". So they said everything was on the up and up, and that within a year I could be looking at a foremans job. I have 0 desire to ever be a foreman. Sitting in the jobshack doin paperwork, phone ringing all the time... nu uh not for me. I would rather make a difference. We got through the grading, and conversation part and moved directly into the money and benefits aspect of the job. They offered me a dollar more than they were saying last week, the company truck and a phone. We also got talking about the backfill team and what my position would be as far as organization and whether we could change out 1 of the employees for another one that actually knows what he's doing. All in all I feel it was a good meeting and I crunched some numbers in my head, it is a solid 55 000 dollar a year job over the 12 months. Not really great in this line of work out here, but it is secure and comes with some perks. Yesterday was the RB Auction, as expected I ran into the owner of Sureway there. I told him what was goin on and he told me outright... they won't take no for an answer. They moved me out here last year, they taught me how to backfill and they have treated me well. I was expecting things to go downhill from there, and thats when he offered me 2 dollars more an hour than last years pay rate. Needless to say.... visions of 973's danced in my head. So I informed the guys at Jatec of my options and told them politely.... I am going back to Sureway for the year, which was no surprise to them. So the decision has been made, I will be returning to the glorious world of water and sewer. I have the option of coming back to Jatec next winter if they have an opening available and I am definately on good terms with them. Sadly.. the girlfriend is not so happy with the decision. So tonight I am eating steak and eggs for dinner..... anybody hungry?
Not anymore, my wife made me dinner tonight, and told me to get back to work somewhere, or anywhere for all she cares. Just wondering if you figured the truck into the dollar amount. Surely that came with a fuel card. Saving wear and tear on your vehicle, coupled with fuel card would add up to somewhere around another 10 k a year, at least here. Depending on the amount you have to drive. I could care less about a phone, have my own, would keep my own even if i had a company phone. Sureway seems to be a good outfit, and sounds like they wana keep you around. They probably see you sitting in the jobshack in the future also. Wonderin where they relocated you from also?
Good for you! I was watching this wondering if this was the direction you would go. From what I have seen, this is the direction you have been leaning all along....whether you knew it or not. There's definitely something to be said for being happy with what you do, and I think this is a step in the right direction. If the girlfriend isn't too pleased right now, just tell her "at least I'm not going to work for Prairie Roadbuilders". If she's been around the industry for any amount of time in Edmonton, she'll let out a relieved sigh instantly. If I was down there right now, I'd buy you dinner to celebrate. Maybe another time. Brian
Good for you man!! It sounds like you made the right decison because it seems that you were happier at Sureway. The truck and phone had to be hard to pass up, but I guess for 2 more dollars you can pay for your own stuff. And the best part of your choice is that you will get along with the people that you work with and not to mention you get to run a 973!
Ha ha ha ha Prairie Roadbuilders....I was actually offered a job there. I was thinking about it until I took a tour over to their yard and wasn't impressed with their equipment. Actually alco... I will probably be in Fort Crack this summer at least once or twice. I came in with the Sureway float guys and helped move some equipment last year. Might do it again... kinda fun. The fuel here isn't too bad. My Jeep is pretty cheap to fill up, I normally spend about 45 bucks a week in gas, but our building has limited parking. I only get 1 spot, luckily the Jeep is small and the Smart Car is smaller so we can both park in my spot. So I would have to pay extra money to park it across the street. Sureway relocated me from Ontario. I grew up in a small town about 20 minutes from the U.S. Canada border. I miss goin to the states for shopping. The weather was slightly better too.... this -40 for a week straight gets old....FAST
If you're up here with Sureway, you would be at the subdivision at the top of Confederation Way....about two blocks from my little shoebox...I mean house. Stay well clear of Prairie at all costs, trust me on this one. Nothing is worth that. Brian
Pictures??? Congrats on the decision. As alco said, from your previous posts it seemed you wanted to go this direction. You just didn't know it yet. :drinkup
You should definately change your screenname to 973Jockey or something along those lines Sounds like you made a good choice, company truck would be nice, but if you're not spending that much on fuel or travelling a whole lot I don't see it as being an incredibly valuable asset. There's something to be said for less stress and more money, in the end it doesn't get any better than that.
Good for you Burnout:drinkup Most important is that you like your job and the people you work with. Think you would have been missing the Sureway job if you haven`t made the choice to go back there. Bad part is that it seem to be some slow months in the winter at Sureway?
Yeah the winter is lay off time, most guys look forward to it because its the only time off we get. And when we get laid off we get a completion bonus, and then when we come back we get that bonus again. And they do help us find other jobs. Other companies come to us because the winter months are super busy for pipeline and oilfield work. You could actually make more money working in camp in the winter than you do in the actual construction season. Yeah I would change my name to something including 973.... but I am actually getting the 385C L when I go back for a month or so until we fire up sewer and water.... if I'm lucky I'll ditch the 385 for the 245.... much cooler machine to run. I would definately miss Sureway though, guys are good and when your machine breaks down another one is floated out to replace it. Today was a bit of a downer though. Kristin told me not to tell Jatec I was going back to Sureway because they would try and shaft me... and they are workin on it. They have a whole bunch of labourers leaving so they are trying to draft a few of us operators as labourers to help pull cable. I will tough it out for a few days but I called a couple people at Sureway and told em if there is some work for me I will leave immediately.
People in general..... SUCK This morning I got a call from the Jatec office from their HR guy. We had a lovely conversation about things slowing down for them and he told me that I am the unfortunate recipient of a layoff. So effective today, I have no job with Jatec Electric. No one else is getting this.... just me. Kristin was right, I shouldn't have said anything in my review the other day. Let that be a lesson to you... never give someone the benefit of the doubt.... they will screw you over. Oh well..... 4 of their main operators are coming over to Sureway anyways.... so we'll see how their doin in a month or two.
Funny how companies like that work. They figure good help is a dime a dozen. One day they will learn that turn over is not their friend. Finding good hard working people is hard to do. So since your laid off by them that does mean you can draw unemployment correct?
I could but I won't. I just talked to a guy who digs basements and he wouldn't mind having someone for a couple weeks to dig for him. So I am goin to see him in the morning about diggin some small holes.
Lesson leard is: Hear what the woman is saying or you get...... got it Not saying always to follow their advice but you never know.. Someone wins in the lottery every week:lmao:lmao
Man that sucks, if they were half way decent people they would have respected your notice to them so that they could start looking for a replacement. All you were doing was being a nice guy and they really stuck it in your rear end. But hey what you gonna do? Sounds like digging the basments should be a good gig for you and if you ever get the oppurtunity to stick it back in jatec butt do it!!!:bash
There is a moral to the story. A company that has guys the roll loaders over should tell you a little something. The only thing you need to know while working for them is up down curl dump. Repeat. Your not there to think or help out. Just up down curl dump, all day long.