I (19M) have been working at a chemical plant that pays me $32hr before taxes.
Before this I worked landscaping making $20hr 8hrs Monday through friday with the occasional saturday. In the winter Id make $5 more an hour when there was snow to be shoveled. I really enjoyed that job because I took pride in what I did which was working alongside my uncle laying down patios, installing irrigation systems, operating heavy machinery, yard maintenance and various other tasks. I loved the fact that everyday was something different and I was never in the same place for too long and was outside. I was constantly learning whether that be how to use a tool or how to troubleshoot problems with equipment. I loved what I did. This job wasnt perfect but I certainly enjoyed what I did.
At this chemical plant I load railcars, trucks, totes, and steel drums with the product the operators make along with other miscellaneous tasks. I work whats called a 21 turn shift which consists of three consecutive 6 day 8 hour shift turns before going on whats called a “Long weekend” which is 4 days off before coming back. That is the one time a month you get a weekend to yourself. The sixth day only counts as overtime once a month. If the person coming in after you calls off or has a vacation day it is mandatory that you stay for an extra 4 hours. I work all holidays unless im scheduled off. There is a lot of miscommunication amongst management which causes problems on the production floor which employees like myself must work over to correct.
What Im trying to say with all of this is that I hate this job. Sure, the moneys great but I only really get to enjoy that money on the one weekend out of the month that I feel like a normal human being. I dont take pride in anything that I do here and it is constant stress because of the lack of training and proper management. Nor do I see any change coming anytime soon. All I do is push out these orders for a company that doesnt appreciate or respect its employees when they spend so much time there. I want to apply into the electrician union but this schedule doesnt provide me the time or flexibility to do what I have to do to go through that process properly. I want to go back to my old job to focus on getting into the electricians union and be atleast happy with how I spend my time.