I’ve lurked on this reddit for a long time, it’s taught me a lot about laws, rules, workers rights and the worth that even I have in the workforce. Too bad the airport I worked for didn’t see that…
I used to work at an medium sized airport over the summer as a groundskeeper. I was alone working the grounds though I didn’t mind, it was a good summer gig was all.
I cut the grass for the landing strip, around all the hangers and buildings and all over. I weed whacked around the areas I could not get into with the mower. I even checked lights along the landing strips and cleaned and fixed them is some we’re not clear or damaged.
It was not super hard work, though it was hot out and working at the airport the planes there was a level of danger too it. There was even a plane crash on the main landing strip while I was cutting grass one time! But, I loved it, I can’t explain it, I found the work soothing and it was a good escape for 6-8 three or four times a week.
I did good work, and that’s not me saying that. I became close friends with some people that have hangers at the airport, I want to become a pilot so finding common conversation points was never hard. I even took flights with some of them after work. The flight club there became familiar with me and stated that the grass landing strip and the areas were the most maintained and clean looking in years. As such, I thought I would have the job this summer too.
But, this summer rolls around and I was informed that I was replaced with a different person. I’ve chatted with the flight club and stayed in touch and most members hate the change and want me back, the person that the airport hired is almost impossible to get to come in on time and doesn’t have the finer details for the job. I was not too upset, until I went out the other weekend to take a flight from the airport with a friend and saw that it was terrible. I asked when it was last cut and the friend of mine said ‘three days’, and it was clear that whoever it is didn’t do a good job. There was strips of grass not cut and it was clear it was a different length, whole sections were missed, lights were busted and the weed whacking wasn’t finished. I even had spare keys and checked the shed and found that the mower has been beaten to shit, it can overheat if you don’t stop and clean it out, I could see that the new person doesn’t clean it out all that much with all the overheating marks and the ruined filters.
It just makes me mad, I would’ve even taken a pay hit to keep the job. Instead the airport hired this person for cheaper, and all it gets them and the flight club is a shit airport field. I hate it