(for those that only want to read about the shitty job, I put a little notification stating when it starts below)
See, I love lab work… but, the biodiesel field is fucking terrible, and I will never work for another biodiesel company ever again.
So to start off with, here's a tiny bit about me. I'm a bisexual, 30 year old, hispanic male, who's socially awkward and suffers from extreme ADHD. Growing up, I found it was very hard to make friends, and was often ostracized and bullied. Because of that, I dropping out of college, I found myself jumping from one toxic warehouse to the next. That is until my best friend got me into histology. I got to meet so many people, and so many cultures! Everyone was so accepting, which really helped me break out of my shell! I got to FINALLY act like myself! And the ONLY reason why I left was because I was driving 60 miles one way, with tolls, to get there! After going over finances, I realized I wouldn't be able to afford working there. The day I put in my 2 weeks notice was the hardest time of my life. And that was the very first time I've ever balled my eyes out. I had built a family; I loved everyone, and honestly they made me feel like a human being. Histology gave me confidence in myself, and taught me how to communicate and not feel weird. I felt I would be able to make friends anywhere, or at least not have everyone hate me. Sadly, I was kinda having high hopes about this biodiesel job. Especially considering it was only 10 miles away from me, 12 hour rotating shifts with only working 4 days a week, and I'm the only one in the lab for my shift! What could go wrong?!
Everything can.
—Start of my rant about the biodiesel lab—
One- (Training… LMAO JK! figure it out.)
One my first day starting there, I ended up getting COVID. Despite all my efforts to be cautious, I ended up getting it. So I couldn't go in for about, a week and a half. Now, I don't have anything against republicans; quite frankly, I think both parties are a bunch of corrupt assholes holding us down. But this facility was very… Crazy red. And didn't believe in COVID, and kept telling me to come in. But, I ended up holding my ground, and told them I'm not coming in until I feel better. That pissed them off. But whatever, they'll deal with it.
So I'm finally COVID free, and arrive to work and the guy they had training me; we'll call him…. “Shapiro”, (cause instead of training me he would watch Ben Shapiro all fucking day.) was the BIGGEST asshole. He would constantly talk down to me, and would do everything in his power not to show me anything more then once. Not only that, but he would constantly talk shit about anyone that identified as LGBTQ. And to him, anything liberal, we're comparable to Nazi extremist. I thought to myself, if I can learn faster, I will be put on my shift and I will never have to listen to him again. So, I wouldn't say anything on the matter, and would let him rant and rave, while not giving any sort of opinion on anything he talked about. Well, after a 2ish weeks period I was put on my shift. Funny thing is, I noticed he wouldn't show me everything, and there's plenty more to still learn, but we will put a pin on this.
Two- (Dirtier then a politician internet history)
The facility itself was a wreak. For one, there was a ton of animals. Which for me, doesn't bother me. Honestly, I love animals but, what does bother me, is that everyone hated them. The managers would bring in a BB gun to kill the pigeon. Not only that but, there was a cage that he use to trap the pigeon and he would wait for it to fill up, and would take it home, and in his own words, “take my 12 gauge, and shoot the fuckers.” I was often made fun of because, I was the only employee that would try to save a bunch of the wildlife. And because it was an diesel refinery, there were a ton of leaks, spills, and other problems. I would come across dying bird, covered in a thick sludge. I would do my best to try and clean/save any animal in secret but, nothing would ever work. It was depressing, and I would often end up feeling hollow. Regrettably, in my time there, I only ended up saving one animal, a frog.
Three- (Dumb fuck employee's)
Like I said, I work by myself in the lab. But I did have to interact with people. If something wasn't right with any of the compounds, I would call it out. Then the other employees, the mechanics/board, would go and fix the process. But even though I was alone, everyone had to take lunches at the same time. So I would actively try to introduce myself in hopes of making some friends. Jokes on me, every single one of them were crazy red, and hated the LGBTQ. Not only that they all were conspiracists, and we're informed by Shapiro(my trainer), that I was gay and liberal. So, everyone would ignore me. Even when I would actively try to talk to them.
Eventually, the ignoring wasn't good enough and the harassment starts.
As I'm working, I would have random employees come to the lab. But they wouldn't talk to me, because, NO….. you can't associate with one of them, FEMININE MEN. So instead, they would just come down, stare at me awkwardly for a couple of minutes, in complete silence, and leave. Now here's what would freak me out. During my rotating schedule, I would have to work nights. Now, imagine feeling like you were being watched; looking around, only to see the silhouette of 3 grown ass men, in the dark staring at you in secret. Shitty thing is, I would have to take lunch at the same time as these weirdo's. But what was even worse was listening to them talk during lunch! I would listen to them talk about how the army isn't the same anymore because, in their words, “America let them f*gs join.” They also proudly said, “back in my day, we used to wait until they fell asleep, get a bunch of guys, wrap them in a bed sheet, and beat the fuck out of them”. And I won't even try to repeat what they said about minorities. Oh, and if you were a women, get ready because, to them you're just a walking ass! They would actively try and sabotage the two ladies that worked there, because God forbid these woman be better then these dumb fucks. These disgusting degenerates!! These sorts of topics were very common during lunch time. And it would happen daily. And what chills me to the bone, is that THEY ALL OWNED GUN. And not pistols, but high capacity weapons. SO, I would actively start taking my lunch later, even if it wasn't allowed.
Everyday dealing with the constant stares, the whispering when I would walk by, And constantly being talked down to whenever I asked questions, while listening to the constant dumb shit they would say there was one thing; One very small thing I did enjoy. I enjoyed hearing them talk about their wives. They would talk about how their wives wouldn't satisfy them, or wouldn't care for their needs. OR even talk about how, they had to make their own meal because, “bitch is mad at me.” All I would think is, “of course they don't care! They fucking are waiting for you dumb fucks to die.” Sadly enough, I can't even completely enjoy that train of thinking because, these women might not be safe. I hope, these diabetic man children don't hurt them. But that's wishful thinking.
Four- (Dog shit work, and “what's free time?”)
The facility was dirty, and as a lab technician we had to clean the waste buckets. Except Shapiro, who would never fucking do anything. I would come into work, and he would have his feet kicked up, and be watching Ben Shapiro! And not only that, but the lab, would be a fucking mess! I would constantly have to clean up after him! Mind you, this is waste! (that includes actual human waste.) And because of him never cleaning, we had so many bugs. I would go home with so many bugs bites, and thank God they weren't ticks. Now here's the shitty thing, he was loved by the management, so anyone that would say anything, would be met with instant hostility, and in a couple of cases would get fired shortly after. So not only would I have to clean the lab, but I would have to clean these heavy, waste filled buckets. Every day. Personally I'm hard worker, and would constantly push myself, despite all that bullshit. But here's the kicker, about 3 months in and here comes the mandatory overtime!!
How the schedule worked was if someone requested off, whoever was on that rotating slot would fill it. Well everyone would request off and, because of my luck I would have to fill it. I wouldn't have a say in the matter. The constant overtime, and me having to do 24 hour turn around, every other week, was starting to literally drain me. One thing I didn't mention was, despite my SET start time, I was REQUIRED to come in 30 minutes early for turnover. Why? Because whoever's on shift can leave after they finished the turnover. I would constantly come in early, because naturally I'm always super early. But guess who wouldn't? Shapiro. He would literally come in 5 minutes before he had to clock in, and make me wait, so he could put his breakfast in the oven (mind you, we stick LITERAL SHIT IN THAT OVEN), Put away his jacket, and get his work glasses on. Then he was ready for turnover.
Finally something clicked, I finally stopped caring. Called off, when I needed time off. And I would do the absolute bare fucking minimum. And on top of that, I started coming in at my assigned start time. I felt pretty good about doing all that, but the best part… I knew Shapiro was pissed. He finally confronted me, and told me, “You need to show more effort and start helping around the lab more! And you are expected here 30 minutes early! Not only that but, you need to cover when someone isn't here to! And one last thing, you are going to be required to start coming in 2 hours early for the rest of your training, until further notice, so start planning ahead for that!” (Here's that )
I fucking tried SO HARD to not laugh. But that failed. I turned, looked at him with a dumbass grin, mid snickering, and said, “yeah okay, you done?”. Honestly, I should have been more aggressive, but I didn't need the other employees there potentially jumping to his rescue and doing god knows what to me. But needless to say, he wasn't happy with my response, got all red in the face, and walked out. I'm guessing he told the management about our little interaction because, I got an a super long text from my supervisor, that I promptly deleted after realizing I didn't care.
I had a good long, relaxing weekend and took some time to really think about everything. Used up all my vacation time, and walked in that Monday morning, and told them to fuck off. I'm extra happy about it too, because Shapiro put in a bunch of vacation time that, he won't be able to take now. A last fuck you, to him. Since quitting I've been on multiple interviews with jobs that pay significantly higher then that place, and signed back up for school. And to tell you the truth, I'm happy. I'm fucking happier then I've been in a long god damn time. I won't be the doormat to companies no longer.
Sorry about the LONG story. I hope everyone has a wonderful day~