So the new plant manager they hired to shake things up has been making a lot of changes some needed and over due others just to make people mad and being a jack leg.

The good things are geting this mess cleaned up and geting people off their butt's and sweeping painting and basic clean up that is long over due. This I also a little self serving because it gets old being the only guy on 4 crews that sweeps out the booth, around the booth walkways and empties trash. To see it being done and mess that have been around for years straightened up is nice.

But when lumber comes in on bracing loads in rail cars employees have alway been able to take it home with a scrap pass and it keep the company from paying disposal fees. The new guy said no more and would rather pay to put it in the trash. No reason other than being donkey. Also self serving thinking becues I have 28 16' 2x8's put back I was building up before I had a load to take home and build a firewood shelter.


He also says they are cutting out all overtime. Now I have no doubt that will be temporary and is just the new guy trying to flex some and a lot of guys are not happy. Heck for me personally that would be a 70k cut from last year so yes a big deal. BUT the sky is not falling is there a bright side that can be found?

Well infact it may be a blessing. I'm bad about being able to turn down the Ot and this takes that off the table. Big benefits. With my 12 hr rotating schedule I'm only scheduled to work 14 days out of 28 geting 2 3 day one one day and 1 7 day stretch off a month. So only have to be at work 6 months. Then subtract 4 weeks vacation and down to 5 months a year.

I was just discussing last week with my wife about seriously cutting back and spending more time at home befor the kids are all grown up and I can pick back up if needed when they are gone. IF they achieve the goal of cutting out the ot( I don't think it will fly long) but if they do it may be the best thing to happen for my family .and absolutely will be for me. Yes it will really cut into retirement investments and require some changes but I think it will be for the best.. And even it it's just temporary as I suspect hopefully it will be long enough for me to
reestablish behavior patterns permanently.

A lot of my coworkers are fired up and bring it up to me knowing I work a lot and think I will be someone they can get agreeing and have a grip fest with but are surprised by my reaction of "well I don't think it will last long but it may a great thing for myself and my family" stance. I suspect they have their budget set with ot pay figured in and assume everyone else that works a lot is in the same boat. When I tell them yep it will effect my retirement contribution amounts and how early I can retire but more time with my family and having time to work out if only working 12 hr shifts instead of 16 will also be better for my body will make it a good trade off they seem perplexed and a bit shot down.

I guess the point of this post is prayer works and often it's not how you expect. I have been praying for guidance knowing I needed some changes and have not had the self control to make them and here they are being made for me. Often what will be seen as bad like a substantial pay cut may just be something that saves your quality of and length of life. Let's face it I will be honest being at work all the time sucks and its very hard on my body both physically and mentally. God has a way of making things work out. I think I'm the only one in the plant smiling seeing a bright side right now.

You can't put a price on quality time with your kids. All the money in the world is not worth the time spent watching them grow up

I agree with him not allowing you guys to take the wood home for your own use.

yes it makes perfect since to pay by the lb and throw it in the land fill vs allow employees a benefit that saves the company money. heck the used to push hard to get people to take the pallets home to not only save on disposal fees but also hit a check on an environmental program box.

Seems stupid to me .....power play

Employees learn pretty quick that if something is broken or going in the garbage, they can take it home.
Soon everything is broken and sitting in Jim’s garage sale on Saturday.

You want a wood shed, go buy your own lumber!

Exactly.

Another bonus about being home more is my bees will get worked properly and being I can't sit around will likely spent a lot of time.witj the boys geting small business rolling likely lawn care and light land scaping.

The more I think about this the better it gets.

TLTR……

Lots of parallels between what you are describing and what Trump is doing.

I'd suggest you ride it out, don't complain, be a good, productive employee, and it will all work out for you.

Hard to do. but great advice.

A lot of companies, mine included, are looking at ways to cut cost. Hate it or love it, DOGE has inspired corporate America.
My budget has been for 40hrs since day one and I’ll have 27yrs this October. My coworker set his budget on base pay plus standby. Well, 2 weeks after he stuck his daughter in a private school they cut out standby. I knew when I got to this title 5 years ago that standby wasn’t sustainable. It’s basically $1200 extra a month to answer the phone and go out if needed 24/7/365. I’ve had a total of 5 callouts in that time frame, lol. He had to take another title for possible overtime and weekend standby which leaves me the Lone Ranger in my title. A good move for him and me. “IF” the company decides they don’t need my title anymore, they won’t surplus me (based on prior practices) they’ll just not fill my position when I retire.
What’s funny, is now with only one tech I’m getting a few hours OT a week now, lol. Just enough to throw a little extra on the check, but not enough to interfere with my side hustle’s and fun.
I can’t blame a company for downsizing and reducing cost where needed.

We had a similar process where the factory would alllw employees to take dunnage home. That was until someone put feed into one of the containers and then sued the company when he poisoned his herd.

Dipshit didn’t wash the container I guess. Who knows if it was the company’s fault or not. Ruined it for everyone as the company still retains liability even after it leaves the premises.

We either have a no cost contract to remove all of our pallets/cardboard/etc or they actually pay us. They are certified reclamation certificates that releases us from liability.

Even our standard trash is taken to a power generator incineration plant that power a small city. No cost to us and we get to claim it against our environmental ISO certification.

When we take it out and the gards check it we sign a liability waiver. or at least we did. It's not a huge deal but was a nice perk im still benefiting from 2 x4s got about 28 at a time all I coulld fit in a honda accord when I would get that many saved up. Over a year I collected a stack of 110 and just the last few months built shelfs for my daughter's mouse tanks in the mouse breading shed and used them to replace all the perlins on the garage when I put the new roof on last week. Whats sad is the only reason it's geting stopped is because the new guy wants to do as much as he can to make people unhappy. Not because some dummy screwed it up that I could understand.

He has already ran off the best management we had. You know the smart ones that had talent therefore options available and now we are left with the bottom feeders and it's hurting production.

After 19 years I have seen the managers come and go typically they average 18 months. The changes don't work production suffers and it goes back to how it was on less than a year. ( the place has been doing the same thing for over 60 years abd has the process down. But new guys want to put their name on something and don't listen when th 49 and t0 year guys tell them it won't work. not because they don't like the idea but becus the same thing has been trued and failed 3 other times in the last 40 years and won't work now either) I hope some of the changes stay like accountability on house keeping but not the stuff that will reduce production. I will be OK if the plant shuts down but would like to retire in 11 years with my pension at 57 so it definitely would help to stay profitable.

But I do have my theory when they did the split it was to run the place into the ground get a lot of Wright off from capital expenditure on a new line they are putting in then go bankrupt after a time to get out from the pension liability and the old company can come in and buy it back out of bankrupt. The old company still owns the land and buildings and only lease to my new company. All my company owns is the equipment and other than the new Line it's decades old. At least that is my tinfoil hat theory.

I found here that a 2" x 8" x 16' will run about $15.00 each for construction/framing grade lumber. So, the 28 pieces you had saved back were worth about $420.00 in new lumber prices.

Have you thought of making an offer to buy the 2x8's you mentioned? If your offer was more than what it would cost the company to dispose of the material, they may take you up on your offer.

OT will come back as long as you have the sales it’s the nature of the beast when production is needed

I was collecting dunnage like that for free lumber too at a place I worked, till a new guy cut it out. Turns out he was hauling it home HIMSELF TO SELL, and got fired for it. Good riddance.

No OT , I would guess when he realizes there is no place to hire 20% more qualified employees from or take a production cut OT will go back on the table
maybe less of it.

lots of times there is some work slow so we get the OT happening all depends on the process.

I’ve been self employed so long that I have no clue on “over time “ my world is admin time and billable time. Regardless, time is time and impossible to make more. We all have a limited amount and it’s how you prioritize things to use the time you have. Sometimes that priority is making money, sometimes personal activities, or to devote to others. Taking a year and a half off with zero income to help dad was worth every penny of that time.

As for the work related power grab, I’m sure there was a directive to “clean the place up” . I had to do it a few times. Sucks donkey balls for the couple great employees, but it does shoot a warning shot over the bow. Prompts bad employees to leave and sparks some corrective measures for the mediocre guys

Agreed 100%

This ain't shiny new straight lumber. He said it's bracing. Anything to tear somebody down. Jeeze