Myself and many many others were let go with no warning due to “cuts”. I worked for an aerospace engineering company machining parts. My actual work and my crew were the best I'd ever had but the company was always so shady that should have come as a surprise for me.
Red flags I ignored for money:
The company hired a lot of independent contractors in which I was one. They constantly, constantly underpaid every single contractor. About 40 people per week were getting shorted on their check. I was constantly battling to get my correct pay. One week, they just copy and pasted our check from the week before. Paid us the exact amount down to the cent as the week before instead of doing our payroll correctly. They criminally underpaid their veteran employees. Well below market value. On monday, the week of Thanksgiving, they asked for volunteers to work Thanksgiving and said whoever volunteered gets $100 gift card. I volunteered. Come Wednesday they said nobody will be receiving a gift card anymore. I still worked Thanksgiving.
After 90 days as an independent contractor you were eligible for hire. Which means they make you and offer paying you several dollars LESS an hour than the wage you were contracted at. The week of Thanksgiving I was supposed to have a meeting with my boss to get hired on and ditch the contractor role. Thanks got busy. Bosses don't work Thanksgiving. I was unable to make it happen. The week after (last week) I worked Monday and Tuesday and was unable to facilitate the meeting. I fell violently and severely sick (covid negative but should have been in the hospital from how hight fever). I missed the rest of the week of work last week. I received a call on Friday starting that me and 90% of contractors and temps have been released. I fought back saying Im supposed to be hired on but they won't hire me. I believe it in part to having to pay the contractor facilitator a sign on bonus.
No warning. My gf of almost five years works there too in a separate department. She was not cut but will be cut asap because they said they will be cutting the rest shortly. She does not drive and carpooled with me. Now I have to drive her 528 miles a week in total (to and from, to and from each day) in a car that will only last God knows how much longer. Just so we can squeeze the last bit of money out of this place to prolong going homeless.
I knew it was too good to be true. Finding work and a crew that were amazing but a disgusting disgrace of a company always lurked in the background. They pay about 14 dollars an hour less than market price to their employees wages in my particular field and lose employees to their competition daily. I'm not trained enough to get hired on somewhere else and my experience on paper looks like shit.