I work for an aerospace manufacturing company. I have been there since November, and the benefits are awesome, tbh. I have learned so much about machining and I can take those skill sets anywhere in that field, and it is a huge boost to my resume.
My original plan was to pursue a fully paid degree in manufacturing engineering, the stipulations being that you have to work there two years after finishing school. So I'd have to be there for 6 years essentially. I like my job as a machinist, but I can't count on being healthy forever. You never know when a desk job will suit your physical needs better, is my mindset. Might as well get paid buku bucks while you're at it.
Problem is, idk what I'm about to say is some kind of writing on the wall.
So when I arrived, people were allowed to be on their phones and whatever while their machines were running, as long as they were producing quality parts. They were allowed to flex their time during the week if they miss work. They were allowed to call off and take vacation time, at the discretion of their business manager. Even allowed to listen to music with only one ear bud in, for safety reasons.
Some disadvantages are that you don't get a day shift position for 5 years. They want you to have enough experience to be able to answer to engineers. Or at least that's the excuse. You're stuck on 2nd or 3rd shift for that long of a time, if you want to stay for that long. My opinion is, if someone is good enough to run, they can do it on any shift, as long as they're a certified operator compliant to AS9100 standards. If you're certified, it shouldn't matter what shift you're on. People tend to burn out on not being able to have a life and/or having no sleep. The shift differential is nice, but the only reason people stay in some cases is the money is better than anywhere else in town.
What happened, though, is that corporate engineers from our sister plant in Illinois showed up, and they were PISSED that they saw a few people on day shift on their phones and not running as many parts. Production numbers were not up to par, but when anybody has a hint of Covid symptoms, they get sent home for a week. So a lot of people, including myself, were sent home for mild sickness.
They bitched out us bottom level workers at the town hall. They are officially tightening the noose on weekend OT, not allowed to have your phone out on the floor, can't even change a song on your phone, can't flex your time during the week. You get penalized for using any more than 16 hours of sick time. So they want people to work weekends if they sign up, machinists can't sign up and not show up. They also can't come in if they don't sign up. They're changing a lot of shit at the same time.
Now the air reeks of hostility, because there are a lot of hard working machinists, and they get shit on by the management. Upper management never gets held accountable, and it's easier for them to punish the village, instead of the select few idiots dumb enough to get caught on their phones and being lazy piles in general.
And 40+ new people were hired in the course of a few months. So of course production is not going to be as good. They only give you a couple months now before pushing you out on your own, to train the next new hire. So you're only getting the bare minimum training.
They laid a whole bunch of people off around 2021, because of the lack of people flying from Covid. Then they mandated the vaccine, and they lost people additional to the previous layoff.
Then they got bought out by a larger conglomerate aerospace company, and it's mostly military contracts saving our asses atm.
They've had to replace all the people laid off, and that's why we have had so many new people.
They also had sanctioned metal left unchecked and essentially we were running unapproved parts. The original carbide stress test company refused to sign off because the steel came from Russia. Then another company approved parts and now they want the parts yesterday lol.
4 people in my department (out of 27) have quit in the last couple weeks because of different reasons.
1. For getting denied a day shift position after 2 years
2. Not getting paid enough for a high level skill set.
3. Burnout from not being able to see your kids or sleep enough
4. Not dealing with corporate's bullshit anymore
That's just my department. Others are leaving, and I personally have not had any conflicts with people, I keep my head down and run parts. I'm newer, and they're already asking me to run 12 hour shifts. I'm having a baby in 8 months, I'm tired and have medical problems. Fuck no. Your failure to prepare is not my emergency.
I'm considering waiting it out for my FMLA leave to kick in on my anniversary and then dipping out…..recommendations? Thinking about getting OSHA certified so I can move up to anything I want.
I applied multiple times and got denied because I didn't know about the shit that happened until after the layoffs already happened. I got an exemption from the Covid vaccine, because we're federal contractors technically. I had to test every week before walking in the door to prove I was covid negative, and finally they dropped that recently. And anybody at any time can turn you in for stupid shit lol. Trust nobody lol.
I'm not really sure that the hoops I've had to jump through are worth it. Unless I'm just seeing it wrong? You tell me.