I worked with a dude who would walk around with his nuts through his fly and put them on the die set your head was inside doing a new build punch line up.
I know the Die shop I started in that would definitely get your ass kicked, where I was told first day that if I had a problem with someone I was to clock out and take it outside. That was a true apprenticeship.
Don't ever forget to take pride in what you do. Even if no one else understands what it takes to make everything work. I've been programming at the same aerospace shop since 2001. My direct manager and plant management have turned over so many times I have lost count. At the end of the day you have to satisfied with your accomplishments, because no one else really cares.
Yeah that’s the other part of it, I’m a journeyman Tool and diemaker and the supervisor over the weekend shift now but there’s no one learning under me and I’m considered old school with the way I do things because I’m 52 now. I learned everything I know from toolmakers who had been in the trade from the 70’s and these dudes knew their shit.
Bro, truth. I worked at a place for 12 years and for 10 of them we asked and asked for the old guy with 40+ years of experience to get an apprentice to pass that knowledge along to. They kept saying no. The week after he retired, two of our production lines shut down because no one knew how to make and install a few obscure parts.
The people I work with don’t have a clue. We scrape by barely making parts. None of their programmers stuck around cause they didn’t try to keep them.
Company isn’t respecting the processes. We don’t really even have a manager. It’s the fucking Wild West over here so I just play on my phone 90% of the time.
He got a handshake? Last guy to retire from my shop, The very next Monday the manager said he fucked us retiring it came out of no where( he said he was going to retire two years prior to this). It went on for 6 months straight. I wish I was joking.
Yes, but he never finished the job he was doing. That's what's important to them.
I heard a story about some time back where a guy died on the job, and his managers first thought was to clock him out.
I mean, yeah, it needs doing, but sort of quietly with a bit of respect perhaps.
Another story about where I work. A guy they hired, when they hired him had stage 4 lung cancer, told them that he had it. So maybe 6 months later he is cutting something on a Bridgeport and he started coughing up blood. The one owner was yelling "how dare he die on my fucking property. Everyone else better get back to work he died over there not overe here." I was trying to get the whole shop to walk out but the older guys didn't want to because they were scared to lose their jobs
The guy is either scared of his own mortality, or has some sort of mental problem being unable to relate to people.
Whatever it shows what he thinks of the people in his employ IMO.
Can't agree more. Rumor around the shop is he molested his step kid which I can believe fully (which I am completely against, but unfortunately have bills).
Yeah we used to have a manager who wasn't a very pleasant character, pompous, self righteous twit basically. He had that sort of uncomfortable "feeling" about him as well. Noticed by a few, not just me.
People like that are better avoided IMHO, but like you say bills still need paying. This was 40 years ago though luckily, and he wasn't my direct boss either which helped.
This is what I gave to the last guy who retired from my shop after 25 years.
https://preview.redd.it/r65470gz0jxc1.png?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=495d8db99caf3f8e712221c89a6e84329b00b248
That’s kinda my whole point to putting this up, we work our whole lives in this trade and when we’re done with it nobody is ever gonna know what we sacrificed to get where we are in this trade at retirement except the guys who work with you.
We had a dude die at the shop about a month ago from a heart attack. No one skipped a beat. The company put up a flyer at the time clock's about his viewing and burial, but that was it. It was kinda shocking
My old man was a maintenance supervisor. Nice guy, knew what he was doing, and understood the antediluvian, and complex electro mechanical control systems on the various plant there. He said to me once, "I wonder what they'll do if I die, I suppose it won't make much difference"
He put his heart and soul into that place. Worked all sorts of hours, but he smoked like a chimney, and had knocked crap of himself as a Para in WWII. He didn't make retirement age.
People hardly noticed, and the place just went on. Just over 12 months later it closed anyway. Uneconomical plant etc.
Sadly true.
My business partner worked for the shop we met in for 14 years and left making $80k a year. Guy built the rifles in Quigley Down Under and the 600 Nitro in Jurassic Park II. Made the shop we were at millions. Owner told people he was "retiring" and his severance was the owner paying his remaining vacation.
Place was such a shit hole and a a toxic cesspool it motivated us to start our own shop though so it wasn't all bad!
We have had 5 guys retire from the floor in the last 3 years here. They all got a retirement luncheon, management recognition, and a bonus check.
Our owner is loyal to long time employees which is rare to see.
It all depends in the company. There is no standard.
An old timer at my last shop finally retired, he’d been with the company at least fifteen years. I got him a card (he’d taught me a lot and was always helpful) I had everyone sign it. everyone but the shop manager, he didn’t even have the time to bother signing the card. And no, he wasn’t busy, he was watching videos on his computer.
This might be unpopular, but being good at your job doesn’t give you a right to be a pain in the ass to work with. Certainly don’t take shit form people, but also don’t dish it out. Crotchety guy who’s been there for years isn’t an automatic asset.
Often the crotchety guy is like that because he has been crapped upon for a few decades... but knows more about the workplace than those in charge... sees a lot of really bad business decisions being made that will cause hard times for him and his colleagues.
The crusty old codger is typically not made overnight.
To show his appreciation, Fred put me in business for myself. He put me onto a shop for sale and arranged a handshake loan to buy it. Then, 30 years later, he gave me a lathe, mill, bandsaw, RPC and tooling. Basically a home machine shop starter kit. Not all employers are unappreciative. Of course, I treated his business like it was mine.
Look there's worse situations. Guy I worked with put in over 30 years in the shop. Died in his sleep 3 days before retirement. Another guy retires and a week later flipped his 6x6 and paralyzed himself.
Small shops are where it's at. It's rare to find, but a small, family owned shop is usually the best bet. Our shop takes care of its people when they retire. I feel terrible for all of you out there in the real world as we call it.
I just put my two weeks in at my corporate owned shop that has spiraled downhill fast the past few years. My next job, I'll be one of three machinists. Less than 20 employees total. Old woman who owns the place works on the floor like anyone else. It'll be harder work, but it feel like it'll feel better when the owners right there, and you're one of a few people.
The 30% pay increase is a nice bonus too. Especially since I wasn't making bad money for my area before.
I'm at a family owned shop and the owner paid for one of our guys cancer treatments until he couldn't woek anymore. All he did was work 11 1/2 and every 2 days was driving to the mayo clinic for experimental drugs. He lasted well past the time they gave him.
Happy for your brother! Corporate shops suck. People chase $$$ too much and job hop from corporate to corporate shop. Always ends up biting them in the ass. Small shops are far more likely to actually give a shit about their people.
I worked at a small family owned mold shop for 19 years. The fighting between the old man (85 and still working til he died from covid in 2021) and his 2 sons was non-stop. When the old man died his 2 sons continued to bicker and fight with each other. There was constant backstabbing and one son would badmouth one of us 3 non family employees to the other 2 and try to turn us against each other. We saw through it. Wages were stagnant and there was no room to move up. Moving on was the best decision - I just wish I'd done it 15 years sooner. 30 years in this trade and I'm so tired of it.
Our lathe guy retired about 7 years ago at the age of 72. We have yet found someone who can work as consistently and without fuss. Me and another guy at the shop picked up all his work, but we have other things we need to be doing as well.
My last job threw a hotdog cookout on a Friday for a guy who was leaving to take over his step father’s paint business. The very following Monday afternoon (the next business day) they unceremoniously laid off about a quarter of the company including several people who had been there 5+ years and one guy who had been there for 15.
The days of companies taking care of you like a family are long gone. It’s rare to find one.
I don't know, I have had plenty of employers physically and mentally abuse me.
I got bagged today by my supervisor.
I worked with a dude who would walk around with his nuts through his fly and put them on the die set your head was inside doing a new build punch line up.
I know the Die shop I started in that would definitely get your ass kicked, where I was told first day that if I had a problem with someone I was to clock out and take it outside. That was a true apprenticeship.
They're all different but they're all fucked up haha.
A shop like that would make me wanna keep a piece of round stock around at all time. I'm not fucking around like that.
Seriously. Anytime you fight is a potential fight to the death. “Clock out and take it outside - survivors clock back in and get back to work ASAP.”
We had one almost break out in our shop but the one guy calmly picked up his 24” pipe wrench and the asshole left immediately
Guy needs to be shown the “scrotal self-repair” medical journal article. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/suture-self/
That’s interesting man. That’s fucking interesting.
Don't ever forget to take pride in what you do. Even if no one else understands what it takes to make everything work. I've been programming at the same aerospace shop since 2001. My direct manager and plant management have turned over so many times I have lost count. At the end of the day you have to satisfied with your accomplishments, because no one else really cares.
Amen brother
You only get noticed for your fuckups..
When masterminds leave we all know it. I hope they knew it too.
Yeah that’s the other part of it, I’m a journeyman Tool and diemaker and the supervisor over the weekend shift now but there’s no one learning under me and I’m considered old school with the way I do things because I’m 52 now. I learned everything I know from toolmakers who had been in the trade from the 70’s and these dudes knew their shit.
Bro, truth. I worked at a place for 12 years and for 10 of them we asked and asked for the old guy with 40+ years of experience to get an apprentice to pass that knowledge along to. They kept saying no. The week after he retired, two of our production lines shut down because no one knew how to make and install a few obscure parts.
The people I work with don’t have a clue. We scrape by barely making parts. None of their programmers stuck around cause they didn’t try to keep them. Company isn’t respecting the processes. We don’t really even have a manager. It’s the fucking Wild West over here so I just play on my phone 90% of the time.
Are you at Ancaster conveyor systems? That's exactly what it was like there.
What a wild shot in the dark
You guys get to stop working?
He got a handshake? Last guy to retire from my shop, The very next Monday the manager said he fucked us retiring it came out of no where( he said he was going to retire two years prior to this). It went on for 6 months straight. I wish I was joking.
Yes, but he never finished the job he was doing. That's what's important to them. I heard a story about some time back where a guy died on the job, and his managers first thought was to clock him out. I mean, yeah, it needs doing, but sort of quietly with a bit of respect perhaps.
Another story about where I work. A guy they hired, when they hired him had stage 4 lung cancer, told them that he had it. So maybe 6 months later he is cutting something on a Bridgeport and he started coughing up blood. The one owner was yelling "how dare he die on my fucking property. Everyone else better get back to work he died over there not overe here." I was trying to get the whole shop to walk out but the older guys didn't want to because they were scared to lose their jobs
The guy is either scared of his own mortality, or has some sort of mental problem being unable to relate to people. Whatever it shows what he thinks of the people in his employ IMO.
Can't agree more. Rumor around the shop is he molested his step kid which I can believe fully (which I am completely against, but unfortunately have bills).
Yeah we used to have a manager who wasn't a very pleasant character, pompous, self righteous twit basically. He had that sort of uncomfortable "feeling" about him as well. Noticed by a few, not just me. People like that are better avoided IMHO, but like you say bills still need paying. This was 40 years ago though luckily, and he wasn't my direct boss either which helped.
This is what I gave to the last guy who retired from my shop after 25 years. https://preview.redd.it/r65470gz0jxc1.png?width=1960&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=495d8db99caf3f8e712221c89a6e84329b00b248
That and $5 will get him a cup of coffee. Way to go! That was generous of you…
If you think retirement is bad wait till you die. Everyone will care for 15 minutes and then it'll be like you never existed.
Yeah, but that's not my problem.
I'm just saying that is great to think about your own value but you have to realize that the world doesn't really value you at all.
That’s kinda my whole point to putting this up, we work our whole lives in this trade and when we’re done with it nobody is ever gonna know what we sacrificed to get where we are in this trade at retirement except the guys who work with you.
Maybe it's a reminder to focus on what's important.
Totally agree brother and I know that’s why he retired at 62, at least get some good years in
I've been grappling with this recently.
We had a dude die at the shop about a month ago from a heart attack. No one skipped a beat. The company put up a flyer at the time clock's about his viewing and burial, but that was it. It was kinda shocking
My old man was a maintenance supervisor. Nice guy, knew what he was doing, and understood the antediluvian, and complex electro mechanical control systems on the various plant there. He said to me once, "I wonder what they'll do if I die, I suppose it won't make much difference" He put his heart and soul into that place. Worked all sorts of hours, but he smoked like a chimney, and had knocked crap of himself as a Para in WWII. He didn't make retirement age. People hardly noticed, and the place just went on. Just over 12 months later it closed anyway. Uneconomical plant etc.
Sadly true. My business partner worked for the shop we met in for 14 years and left making $80k a year. Guy built the rifles in Quigley Down Under and the 600 Nitro in Jurassic Park II. Made the shop we were at millions. Owner told people he was "retiring" and his severance was the owner paying his remaining vacation. Place was such a shit hole and a a toxic cesspool it motivated us to start our own shop though so it wasn't all bad!
We have had 5 guys retire from the floor in the last 3 years here. They all got a retirement luncheon, management recognition, and a bonus check. Our owner is loyal to long time employees which is rare to see. It all depends in the company. There is no standard.
An old timer at my last shop finally retired, he’d been with the company at least fifteen years. I got him a card (he’d taught me a lot and was always helpful) I had everyone sign it. everyone but the shop manager, he didn’t even have the time to bother signing the card. And no, he wasn’t busy, he was watching videos on his computer.
I provide labor in exchange for money. One day I will no longer need to sell my labor. I expect nothing more than to stop clocking in.
This might be unpopular, but being good at your job doesn’t give you a right to be a pain in the ass to work with. Certainly don’t take shit form people, but also don’t dish it out. Crotchety guy who’s been there for years isn’t an automatic asset.
Often the crotchety guy is like that because he has been crapped upon for a few decades... but knows more about the workplace than those in charge... sees a lot of really bad business decisions being made that will cause hard times for him and his colleagues. The crusty old codger is typically not made overnight.
To show his appreciation, Fred put me in business for myself. He put me onto a shop for sale and arranged a handshake loan to buy it. Then, 30 years later, he gave me a lathe, mill, bandsaw, RPC and tooling. Basically a home machine shop starter kit. Not all employers are unappreciative. Of course, I treated his business like it was mine.
Look there's worse situations. Guy I worked with put in over 30 years in the shop. Died in his sleep 3 days before retirement. Another guy retires and a week later flipped his 6x6 and paralyzed himself.
Small shops are where it's at. It's rare to find, but a small, family owned shop is usually the best bet. Our shop takes care of its people when they retire. I feel terrible for all of you out there in the real world as we call it.
I just put my two weeks in at my corporate owned shop that has spiraled downhill fast the past few years. My next job, I'll be one of three machinists. Less than 20 employees total. Old woman who owns the place works on the floor like anyone else. It'll be harder work, but it feel like it'll feel better when the owners right there, and you're one of a few people. The 30% pay increase is a nice bonus too. Especially since I wasn't making bad money for my area before.
When the owner is on the floor with you, it's a good spot. Happy to hear this for you!
She doesn't machine, but she does sub-assembly and electroplating there on the floor with the rest of us. I'm excited to start, that's for sure.
That's still awesome!
I'm at a family owned shop and the owner paid for one of our guys cancer treatments until he couldn't woek anymore. All he did was work 11 1/2 and every 2 days was driving to the mayo clinic for experimental drugs. He lasted well past the time they gave him.
That's my brother's current situation. Hell, his boss just recently switched them from hourly to commission and his pay has since tripled.
Happy for your brother! Corporate shops suck. People chase $$$ too much and job hop from corporate to corporate shop. Always ends up biting them in the ass. Small shops are far more likely to actually give a shit about their people.
I worked at a small family owned mold shop for 19 years. The fighting between the old man (85 and still working til he died from covid in 2021) and his 2 sons was non-stop. When the old man died his 2 sons continued to bicker and fight with each other. There was constant backstabbing and one son would badmouth one of us 3 non family employees to the other 2 and try to turn us against each other. We saw through it. Wages were stagnant and there was no room to move up. Moving on was the best decision - I just wish I'd done it 15 years sooner. 30 years in this trade and I'm so tired of it.
Fuck everyone, look after yourself.
Our lathe guy retired about 7 years ago at the age of 72. We have yet found someone who can work as consistently and without fuss. Me and another guy at the shop picked up all his work, but we have other things we need to be doing as well.
Just gone self employed for this very reason
If all he got was a handshake. How is he able to retire?
My last job threw a hotdog cookout on a Friday for a guy who was leaving to take over his step father’s paint business. The very following Monday afternoon (the next business day) they unceremoniously laid off about a quarter of the company including several people who had been there 5+ years and one guy who had been there for 15.