My boss is a jerk. About 9:00 he called me on my cell phone
"Where are you"
"I'm leaving the shop heading back toward FR"
"I'm in your office. Come meet me here."
So, I go back and find him just outside my office. We go in and sit down, and chit-chat about production and the new equipment we're buying. Directly he says
"Tell your regular salaried guys they'll be getting a check Thursday. It's a supplemental check for them working Monday. You and Jack don't get one."
"O.K. I'm sure they will appreciate the gesture"
"Goddammit G (the owner) is making me do it."
"Oh"
"So, what you doing this weekend?"
"I don't know. Rootie left town for a few days with #4, the others are off with friends whose families are going to the beach or something for the weekend"
"So, you're a bachelor this weekend"
"Yeah, I guess so"
"Lucky bastard. I wish I was, I'd go play golf. Anyway, enjoy the weekend"
"You too. I'll see you Monday morning"
Then, as he walks out my door he says, very sheepishly, "I won't be here Monday. The wife's got somethin going on"
Mother Fucker
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Hmmm
So, the HR Manager comes up to me a little while ago and says "The Chief asked me if I knew why you was so agitated. He said you seemed to be a lot more uptight than he's ever seen you."
Think fast Daddio......
"Well, it might have something to do with never seeing my family, and my wife's announcement that if I wasn't going to be around for the (non) holiday weekend then she was leaving to find someone to talk to for a few days."
"Damn"
"Yeah, and since The Chief reacted like I had just asked him if I could have sex with his daughter the last time I asked for an assistant, I can't promise Rootie it's getting better any time soon. Right now I'm just engineering and taking bids for this expansion. soon I'll be trying to train people and start it up, in addition to running my current job. I guess I'll just put me a cot in my office and hope Rootie will let me in the house for Sunday dinner."
"God Damn"
Knowing how good HR people are keeping your problems in confidence, I'm sure the Chief already knows about the conversation, which took place 15 minutes ago.
Think fast Daddio......
"Well, it might have something to do with never seeing my family, and my wife's announcement that if I wasn't going to be around for the (non) holiday weekend then she was leaving to find someone to talk to for a few days."
"Damn"
"Yeah, and since The Chief reacted like I had just asked him if I could have sex with his daughter the last time I asked for an assistant, I can't promise Rootie it's getting better any time soon. Right now I'm just engineering and taking bids for this expansion. soon I'll be trying to train people and start it up, in addition to running my current job. I guess I'll just put me a cot in my office and hope Rootie will let me in the house for Sunday dinner."
"God Damn"
Knowing how good HR people are keeping your problems in confidence, I'm sure the Chief already knows about the conversation, which took place 15 minutes ago.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Bad case of the fuckits
We roll our product up on things called A-Frames. It is basicly a giant roll with it's own wheels. We have about 300 of these now, of which 75 should be condemned as unsafe. The journals are more weld thanoriginal steel. These 300 are of 9 different configurations, hving been bought a few at a time through the years. This makes it tough, because you have to hope that you can find one that will work on the piece of equipment you are trying to run.
So now, I'm in the midst of building a new $2.3 million expansion. There will be 5 new pieces of equipment that will wind on A-Frames. The bare minimum number I need is 90 to run everything 5 days a week. I was in a moth-balled plant last week with 420 identical A-Frames. I negotiated to buy 120 of them for $100 each (their value by the pound, as scrap iron, is about $65). I figure this allows for some product to be held for quality purposes, or maybe some A-Frames to be in the shop getting bearings replaced, etc. Anyway, it allows some breathing room without having to hunt for empty A-Frames.
The Chief changed the requisition to 70. I tried to explain that 90 was the minimum number, and offered to go through the calculations that brought me to that number.
"Oh I don't doubt you need 90. If you only have 70 you'll have to act like a manager and keep product flowing."
I can't wait to tell the owner that his $2.3 million expansion is idle for want of $5000 worth of scrap iron. I had budgeted $550 each for the 90, which was the cost of new ones. You'd think I would get an Attaboy for finding used ones at a good price.
So now, I'm in the midst of building a new $2.3 million expansion. There will be 5 new pieces of equipment that will wind on A-Frames. The bare minimum number I need is 90 to run everything 5 days a week. I was in a moth-balled plant last week with 420 identical A-Frames. I negotiated to buy 120 of them for $100 each (their value by the pound, as scrap iron, is about $65). I figure this allows for some product to be held for quality purposes, or maybe some A-Frames to be in the shop getting bearings replaced, etc. Anyway, it allows some breathing room without having to hunt for empty A-Frames.
The Chief changed the requisition to 70. I tried to explain that 90 was the minimum number, and offered to go through the calculations that brought me to that number.
"Oh I don't doubt you need 90. If you only have 70 you'll have to act like a manager and keep product flowing."
I can't wait to tell the owner that his $2.3 million expansion is idle for want of $5000 worth of scrap iron. I had budgeted $550 each for the 90, which was the cost of new ones. You'd think I would get an Attaboy for finding used ones at a good price.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
M%&*@$# F)#^&!
The Chief has decided that we don't make money when we aren't running (duh-huh you say), and that includes what is a holiday for the rest of the world. Not only are we running Monday instead of having cookouts and drinking beer like everyone else for Memorial Day, we are also running Saturday. The people can rest Sunday. I will come back later with statistics, but Labor Day last year we ran too, and productivity was 58% of standard. We didn't get any time off for Easter either, so we have to go back to Christmas to find a holiday we actually recognized out here. And we got Sunday and Monday off for Christmas. WooHoo 2 whole fuckin days. I can't remember how I spent them, I'm sure I wasted them somehow.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's, Rootietoot
A salute to the Mother of my children, Rootietoot.
She gives up so much to take care of the family. She drove aged mini-vans for many years, and is last on the wardrobe purchasing priority list. She is always here when they get home from school and listens to how their day went. She does laundry (lots of it) and cooks meal every night (except Sunday). I know sometimes she has to feel like we don't notice all she does, but we do. It has been many years since I didn't have clean socks and underwear in my drawer, and the boys can say the same. I notice, and the boys do too even if we don't always say so. And as they get older, they appreciate the full meal and the time at the dinner table every evening, talking politics, football, and current events.
Thanks Rootie, we all love you so much!
She gives up so much to take care of the family. She drove aged mini-vans for many years, and is last on the wardrobe purchasing priority list. She is always here when they get home from school and listens to how their day went. She does laundry (lots of it) and cooks meal every night (except Sunday). I know sometimes she has to feel like we don't notice all she does, but we do. It has been many years since I didn't have clean socks and underwear in my drawer, and the boys can say the same. I notice, and the boys do too even if we don't always say so. And as they get older, they appreciate the full meal and the time at the dinner table every evening, talking politics, football, and current events.
Thanks Rootie, we all love you so much!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Mother bitch session
My mother, bless her heart, is buying a car for #1 son. She has taken to subtle comments, aimed at me no doubt, such as "well everyone seems to be kicking the poor boy while he's down, so I thought I would help him."
I guess I'm the one who's kicking him while he's down.
There's a widower my parents know who has a '91 Buick that was his wife's. He has decided to get rid of it, so my mother has bought it and is having a mechanic go over it. She will then allow #1 to make payments to her.
I'm certainly not opposed to him getting wheels, or to her helping him, but he will wind up not making payments, she will call me complaining about it, and I will have to tell her she made the deal with him and it is between them.
Why am I so negative about this? I have lived/known her for 43 years, and him for 19. I know with fair certainty how this will go down.
And she is enabling his behaviour, by making this easy for him. Now he will have more money for drugs and alcohol.
I guess I'm the one who's kicking him while he's down.
There's a widower my parents know who has a '91 Buick that was his wife's. He has decided to get rid of it, so my mother has bought it and is having a mechanic go over it. She will then allow #1 to make payments to her.
I'm certainly not opposed to him getting wheels, or to her helping him, but he will wind up not making payments, she will call me complaining about it, and I will have to tell her she made the deal with him and it is between them.
Why am I so negative about this? I have lived/known her for 43 years, and him for 19. I know with fair certainty how this will go down.
And she is enabling his behaviour, by making this easy for him. Now he will have more money for drugs and alcohol.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Progeny Bitch Session
Things are going well for #1 son at work. His boss is happy, his boss's boss is happy, the owner of the company talked with him at length yesterday then told me last night he was a firm believer in nepotism and that #1 was obviously bright enough that we should put him in management training.
So why am I bitching? I pick him up at 6:30 every morning. For a long time now, if I wake up early I will go on to work and have incredibly productive hours at before everyone else gets in. Now I wait for him. Several times I was done at 6:00 or 6:30 in the evenings, but his machine is still running so I wait till 7:00 or 7:30.
And really, I'm o.k. with it since it's a chance for him to get ahead. All I asked of him was that he save $300/month towards a car of his own. He was bringing home $340/2weeks on his old job, now he brings home $350-$365 every week. Last Thursday, the first milestone date we had agreed to, he showed a ticket from the ATM showing $305. Today I asked him if that money was still in his account, since he is supposed to have $600 by June 1. He went off on me, about how I'm trying to control his money and have since he first went to work at Taco Bell 3 years ago. All pissy because I made him pay his own car insurance. My deal to all the boys was/is I will provide a car for 18 months so they can save and buy their own, and I will pay insurance 3 months so they find a job and get started. If they keep a 3.0 GPA, I'll pay their insurance past that. He never achieved a 2.0 GPA, and blew the hell out of his money. 18 months in, all he had was his most recent paycheck.
Bottom line- he does not still have the $300. My deal with him was I would provide transportation for 90 days. Realistically, he should be able to save $1500 in that time. he will have nothing. I will quit giving him rides, and he will lose his job. It's 18 miles from his apt to the plant, a little far to walk.
And somehow, once again, his travails will be my fault. I guess in essance he is right. I failed to teach him what he needs to make it in the world.
So why am I bitching? I pick him up at 6:30 every morning. For a long time now, if I wake up early I will go on to work and have incredibly productive hours at before everyone else gets in. Now I wait for him. Several times I was done at 6:00 or 6:30 in the evenings, but his machine is still running so I wait till 7:00 or 7:30.
And really, I'm o.k. with it since it's a chance for him to get ahead. All I asked of him was that he save $300/month towards a car of his own. He was bringing home $340/2weeks on his old job, now he brings home $350-$365 every week. Last Thursday, the first milestone date we had agreed to, he showed a ticket from the ATM showing $305. Today I asked him if that money was still in his account, since he is supposed to have $600 by June 1. He went off on me, about how I'm trying to control his money and have since he first went to work at Taco Bell 3 years ago. All pissy because I made him pay his own car insurance. My deal to all the boys was/is I will provide a car for 18 months so they can save and buy their own, and I will pay insurance 3 months so they find a job and get started. If they keep a 3.0 GPA, I'll pay their insurance past that. He never achieved a 2.0 GPA, and blew the hell out of his money. 18 months in, all he had was his most recent paycheck.
Bottom line- he does not still have the $300. My deal with him was I would provide transportation for 90 days. Realistically, he should be able to save $1500 in that time. he will have nothing. I will quit giving him rides, and he will lose his job. It's 18 miles from his apt to the plant, a little far to walk.
And somehow, once again, his travails will be my fault. I guess in essance he is right. I failed to teach him what he needs to make it in the world.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Boss Bitch session
I would love to bitch about my boss, and his habit of "recycling" paper by printing on the back side of old reports and the confusion it has led to this week when the wrong side of the paper is looked at, but I probably shouldn't
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The Preacher would be saying "SHIT" right about now
Sleeper B just ain't getting it. He walks off for a smoke break at bad moments, and when co-workers come over to help him in a bad moment (they all do that for each other) he steps back to let him have the trouble, or he steps out for a smoke. I have observed this myself, and so have his foreman and supervisor. He says everyone's out to get him. I am about to fire him again.
SHIT!
SHIT!
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