Update for Everyone V: Born Under A Bad Sign

[NOVA Green]

Today marks four years since my dad died.  I feel like the ensuing depression kicked in all of the last two days.  I can barely think straight, my body temperature's been all over the place, and my muscles are so stiff I feel like I'm 90.

Great, now I'm crying.

Sorry Scott----

That s**t sucks....

I wish that I could provide some type of solstice or words of wisdom, but I can't, there are no words that can be said.

My wife has lost both of her parents, and her Father only Five years ago, and she still suffers immensely especially right around the day when he passed.

All I can do is hold her, listen to her stories and memories, and put on a few songs in the background that her Dad liked, to try to do the best that I can to try to comfort her, knowing that however much I do, it will never be able to replace that huge pain and gap in her heart from the recent loss of her Father.

[NOVA Green]

I got a call to interview for a "recreation program leader" post at Oakland County Parks & Rec. Sounds like a summer job for the slightly more astute, and it pays ($10.30-$11.19) above my current wage ($10.25), so I left a voicemail saying I would like to interview. I've had 2 semesters' supervisory experience in a "recreation position" (and 4 semesters total), so I think I would have a good case to make. Hopefully the possibility of working there wouldn't interfere with my attempts to find a Real Person Job^TM, which I am still seeking.

Congrat!

It still sounds like you are getting screwed on the wage front, considering your background, knowledge, skills, and Experience (KSE), not to mention the high cost of living in Maryland, but if you're looking at a Seasonal/Summer job, that will likely help pay some bills and get some extra XP on your resume, while you seek a better job come Fall.

[NOVA Green]

Had an FTF with the Union Organizer yesterday, who represents the entire West Coast of America from Alaska to San Diego for a large and significant Industrial Union....

If we can get a Union Contract at this large Warehouse Facility, this will be a shock-wave heard around the United States, considering the wages, hours, safety, and working conditions that Warehouse Workers face on a daily basis throughout the entire United States...

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-free-online-shipping-warehouses-labor?page=4

Although we are nowhere close yet to bringing the Union into this facility in the Heart of  a
"Deer Hunter" part of Western Oregon, I feel that if we get to a point of signing cards, we will definitely have over 50% +1, but realistically it's better to shoot for 60-65%, since once the bosses do their mandatory Anti-Union meetings threatening workers that they will lose their jobs, company will shift operations to other warehouses, hire more temps to cover their expenses, etc, we need a solid enough core to be able to survive the repression and backlash from one of the largest retail companies in the United States.....

[NOVA Green]

Haha, I'm a Detroit resident! Got my BA in May and I'm trying to scrounge up a job to get me through graduate school and two years in Detroit. I was supposed to have a $15/hour+ job, but my Guy's guy ain't coming through, so I'm looking at a wide range of options. If I'm very lucky, I could have a white collar position by September. In the middle range of options is me working for my school and this securing vastly reduced graduate tuition. Everything is still up in the air, though!

Congrats on your BA!!!!

Back in the mid '90s I got my BA and went back home to Oregon from Ohio, and was so stoked to get my first real job in the Mail room working as a contractor for a large MNC Tech company getting paid a huge starting wage of $7.00/Hr!!!!

So--- you got accepted into Grad school yet or are still looking at your options?

That's what's important, since as I know from personal experience jobs come and jobs go, and I was working a "Blue Collar" job right out of college, and after a few years started working on my MA, while working part-time, and dropped out 16 credits short, after going through a Divorce with my First Wife.

Eventually, I was able to make it to a "professional" position, and then later Management, and ended up getting laid off Ten months ago, and am now working in a Warehouse at the current time.

Although I'm not in a position to be able to offer anyone a job these days, and have never lived in Detroit, if you want to PM me I'll add you as a contact on my LinkedIn account, that might help expand the contact base on your profile, so maybe you get some additional hits from recruiters, while you are exploring your job/educational choices and options fresh with a 4 Year college degree....

[NOVA Green]

My computer has become barely functional. As I don't own a TV, this is troublesome, given its disruption of my occasional indulgence in entertainment (as well as the reduction in my EV calculator use).

In any case, before I attempted to watch television, I spent the day downtown and in midtown, including my inaugural ride on the Q-Line and my first visit to the biggest used bookstore in Michigan. Grabbed a book on pre-1861 Russia and one on the Soviet Union.

As an IT guy, I'm curious, what's it doing exactly?

Ribbon's been effed for a while, so the picture is shaky. What's causing me real pain is how painfully slow it is to operate, particularly with regards to Internet use. The browser will take forever to load even page changes, freeze up, and have to "unclog". This happens at such a rate that it is barely worth using.

Assuming you already back upped all of your data and ran a clean install of windows, and potentially even reformatted the hard drive to determine if it is a hardware of software issue?

Although I'm not an IT guy, I have a few friends that run their own Computer businesses, so narrowing down the problem, is a main key to the solution.

Computer Make/Model, Operating System is always a good place to start, but this is more in the Shadowy Abyss realm than mine, when it comes to computer diagnostics....

[NOVA Green]

Accidentally told familysearch I'm my own grandma.

There's a good Willie Nelson song I have to recommend.

I have a ton of good Willie songs to recommend on many topics....

Still stoked watching him play live in South Bay (NorCal) some five years back.

Not quite sure what song you are recommending to Peebs, but Willie is definitely one of the few remaining singer-songwriters alive, that can add a musical voice to just about any life experience.

[NOVA Green]

Some more goodies:







My personal favorite/type (link only because SWEARS)

Scott--- have you been smoking again?

Actually, found your Sinn Fein link quite amusing even as a supporter of the Republican Movement in the Occupied Six Counties of Northern Ireland....

[NOVA Green]

So ran across the Street to the convenience store to grab my cigs before my shift starts early AM, and one of the regular guys on that shift who I see everyday was on break, while my other regular "Clerk" is running the counter.

I got time to spare, since my Wife is working Grave, and we have a cig and chat for a few.

Jason's working two jobs, and his Wife one job to support their three kids.

As many times before, we starting chatting about what is wrong with America these days, where we all get paid crap wages, and can barely afford to pay our bills on a working person's wages.

So, next thing you know , he brings up that "Trumps says he's going to bring jobs back to America" with higher wages.... Said, hey--- I'm more of a Bernie man myself, but both Democratic and Republican Presidents alike have been screwing over working-class Americans for decades. He said "I'm not a big Trump fan although I voted for him".   

The City in Oregon where we live, is basically a Blue Collar Mill Town, where housing prices have shot through the roof in the past three years, but the wages have not....

This is the recurring story that I hear on a daily basis in my current Warehouse working environment....

I don't know if we will be successful in Unionizing a 550 employee Warehouse against an MNC and one of the largest retailers in both the United States and Globally.

What I do know and found out just today from one of the oldest Veterans (Long Term direct employees) at the Plant. is that the Managers are paid bonuses on the basis of production levels.

I had previously assumed that the unrealistic production targets were based solely on recent College Grads (23-28/Yrs Old) trying to boost their corporate careers, and now I know that while we face multiple medical issues as a result of the Warehouse environment, the push towards production levels also creates a Financial incentive on these young Warehouse Managers.

Why don't they share the "Production Bonus" for those of us actually busting our asses every day? (This came from a 5+ Year Veteran of the Warehouse who gets paid pretty decently)

It's on, difficulty is how to bring it into a Facility with Multiple shifts and Business Units with few overlaps....

So throw in the typical grievances of Warehouse Workers across the United States, that effectively is the closest thing to "Piece Rate" style of Business Management, add in an overwhelmingly Millennial workforce, throw in the "Oldest Veterans" in the Plant, that see how all of the bonuses go only to Management and none to the rest of us, mix in all of the safety issues and workplace injuries, and voila, there is plenty of gasoline on the Ground.

We all know we're being screwed over.... but while the Operation Managers are getting massive bonuses, and using fictional "Production Levels" to line their own pockets, when these young kids are clearing major $$$ right out of college (And I know as someone who actually was a Manager in Corp America), this is definitely something that should resonate very well down the Line, since this information came from someone who has worked both sides of the Plant and multiple shifts and is basically "maxed out" on compensation, other than their fictional annual COLA.

[NOVA Green]

So, my employment was terminated today....

These things always tend to happen at the end of the day on "Fridays", so when the Operations Manager came asking if I want "Voluntary Early Leave" right before and all employee meeting for Weekend shift, and says she wants to meet me afterwards, before I clocked out, I suspected that there was an ulterior motive going on.

Hell, only a few years back I had a team of (100) direct reports in Tejas and was known as "The People's Boss" in the Spanish Language, and am wise to the bosses ways as both a rank-and-file worker for much of my life, and then later a skilled professional promoted into management, and most recently working in one of the most exploited industries in the American workplace--- Warehouse Workers.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/02/mac-mcclelland-free-online-shipping-warehouses-labor

http://www.motherjones.com/rights-stuff/2011/07/ohio-warehouse-temps-unemployment

Although this story is not my story, the fundamentals are extremely similar within the industry

Unfortunately, we now have an economy based upon the backs of Warehouse workers throughout America, where most of us have no idea of the actual labor involved, the systematic workplace injuries, the massive bonuses and profits that these companies gain, within an extremely oppressive workplace environment where every scan-in and scan-off with your wrist mounted unit is generating all types of metrics and data that these kids right out of college use to perform the experiments on "us lab rats".

So, next time you place an order through Target.Com, Walmart.Com, or Amazon.Com (That has a slightly better rep within the industry from what I have heard thus far), think of how the warehousing industry has become one of the most repressive workplace environments in America.

Anyways---- although I will be actively seeking alternative employment, I in no way shape or form am giving up on the struggle to Unionize this Shop...

It might actually well inspire others on my shop floor, since almost all of us know their "management strategy" in the Warehouse isn't doing right by the rest of us.

There's an old Folk song from way back in the days, when my Grandparents Generation finally created the AFL-CIO during the Great Depression.

It's called "Union Burying Ground" by Woody Guthrie, one of Americas many heroic artists of the 1930s, who spoke truth to power at a time, where most Americans had lost hope in the ability of our Great Nation to recover from the trauma of the Great Depression.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuzbX6pfY-c

Now meanwhile this is the attitudes and opinons of the vast majority of workers 35+ (25% of the workforce). Johnny Paycheck "Take this Job and Shove It"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj2iGAifSNI

The Millennials are obviously the Wild Cards in the bunch.... in the plant most of them have piercing and Tats, and because of a Generational difference, it's more difficult to have a feel for how they view a Union Shop.

Now, it should be noted that although Trump won Albany Oregon by 7%, he captured less than 50% of the total Vote.... This is not a college town, but an Oregon Mill Town that is overhwlmingly Anlgo...

So, if we put that in the pipe and smoke it for a minute, clearly Millennials in Albany voted heavily Clinton with a number of 3rd Party defections.

Although the Millennials are the Wild Cards, when it comes to signing Union Cards, I suspect that despite their lack of backfriund and experience working in a Union environment, that we'll still be able to get 50% +1, and possibly even 60%, depending upon how hard the employer tries to push rank-and-file with the typical Union Busting PR videos and all that crap they typically show.

[NOVA Green]

Apparently if you own a Toyota and live in a generally secluded neighborhood, not even locking your doors will save you from burglary.

Woke up a few days ago to find all my doors were opened, and all the trunks in the neighborhood open too.

The SOB stole $10 in cash and most of my snacks. Not my camera [which I left in out of absent-mindedness], not my tools, not my spare tire, my freaking snacks and cash.

Must've been a college student.

Most of these types of random "car prowling" incidents are typically either High School kids looking for spare change, or your local neighborhood "tweaker" or "crackhead" that are a bit addled in the mind and looking for a few extra bucks in cash, and no idea how to flip potentially valuable items for $$$.

Actually, in my experience sometimes it is better to leave your car doors unlocked, since it might save you from the costs of replacing a smashed window, especially if you have nothing of value in your car.

Sorry about what happened, but hey at least it didn't you set you back real money, just some parking meter fees and a few snacks.... Better than $150 for a new car window at least.

[NOVA Green]

On Monday, I became an electrician. I also moved a few days prior to Virginia.

Congrats!

Not that familiar in what it takes to become an Electrician in PA, since everything varies from state-to-state, but regardless it sounds like you get a decent pay bump enjoying what you like to do....

Worked side-by-side with my buddy Ken in Texas who was clearing $90k/Yr as a Master Electrician co-managing a large Facility, and he taught me not only a lot about Texas, but also about a ton of work related stuff from electrical systems, to Life Safety Systems (LSS), and beyond.

You thinking about joining the UBEW once you get a chance?

Although Industrial Unions are getting their arses kicked by the bosses, Trade Unions are still holding their own....

[NOVA Green]

I finished my master's degree on Monday.

Woahh!!!

Congrats--- here's a virtual toast.

[NOVA Green]

I'm leaving Florida for the first time in five years tonight to visit my brother in North Carolina.

Dude--- maybe you need to do a modern day Snake Plissken thing, and the "Escape from Florida" scenario, as the 3rd installment in the franchise....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_Plissken

All joking aside, I know from my own life experiences, even in recent years, driving six hours to Seattle to visit my older Sister, and trying to come up with the dough for gas money  let alone hotel costs, is a major inhibitor earning a working person's wages....

Pretty cool that you are getting a chance to see your brother after all of these years and hoping y'all have a chance to get caught up in a way that only siblings can.

[NOVA Green]

I was supposed to leave 'Flarda for the first time in five years tonight, but our flight was delayed six hours and the next flight isn't until 6:00 PM tomorrow, which is too late for me to go. I was looking forward to seeing my brother for the first time since January.

That totally sucks....

Airlines are becoming increasing crap these days, with overbooking and all that....

Ever considering riding the 'dawg?

Takes a bit more time, but is cheaper and more reliable if you can take an extra days off work next time round....

Done it quite a few times myself back in the days in the West Coast, Midwest, and even in the SouthEast.... It's actually kinda fun and you have more room compared to flying, for what is a relatively "Short Haul" trip....

[NOVA Green]

Does "business professional" imply I wear a suit? The only one I own was bought in 2010 for a funeral. I am shaped slightly differently now.

It depends upon the job you are applying for and the corporate culture within that region industry/occupational sector.

So, as a relatively new entry to the workforce, albeit with a College Degree, you will likely be perceived by the Hiring Manager as a younger Millennial, with all of the inherent stereotypes involved.

Generally in most sectors your hiring manager will be 10+ years older, and frequently 20+ years older.

Obviously if you are applying for jobs in the Financial or Energy sectors, better to dress conservatively, and nothing wrong with suiting up, even for a data entry job.

Looking for a medical service admin type job, you have a bit more flex.

Applying for a Government job, again bit more flex.

Small business.... well depends on the owner of the business...

The general rule of thumb is to slightly over-dress compared to what you think the corporate culture is  within your given region/occupation/sector and don't go excessively crazy with over dressing....

Although I confess as a former hiring Manager I did hire a guy that showed up in a 3 piece suit for an installer job in Houston Texas, because not only did he seem capable of performing the work involved, but also showed that he really wanted the job.... all hiring managers are different however.

[NOVA Green]

I started reading Bridge over San Luis Rey today. The most engrossing book I've read since The Fountainhead. I'm already a third of the way finished.

Running through Paul Ryan's book review list these days?

I can recommend some books if you are interested.... PM me anytime as always.

[NOVA Green]

I am finally out of school

Congrats!

[NOVA Green]

So was outside on the street having a cig in my non-smoking apartment complex in the medium size factory town in Oregon where I'm currently living, and see this older man from 200 Feet away that looked like someone I knew 15 years ago and haven't seen since.

Recognized him from that distance and shouted his name, and the guy turns around after a few hollers.

Turns out it was "Ray" (Names have been changed to protect the innocent) who came of age in Rural 'Bama in the Post-Civil Rights era, knew the legendary University of Alabama Coach Bear Bryant, driven Long Haul rigs from Florida to Mexico, worked a Coal Miner in Northern 'Bama for a year, was a roadie with Hank Williams Jr for a few years, shrimp fisherman off the Gulf Coast for a bit in the '80s, and most importantly a friend that I lost touch with some years back....

He just moved back to Oregon about a year or so back, as did I, and he's literally living one block away....

Anyways---- this is one of the most random encounters I have had since 1994 where I bumped into someone I knew at the major Train Station in East Berlin....

Not sure if any of y'all have had similar random encounters, but we'll be grabbing a beer next week after he comes back from the Coast and getting caught up on 15 years of life.

[NOVA Green]

So was outside on the street having a cig in my non-smoking apartment complex in the medium size factory town in Oregon where I'm currently living, and see this older man from 200 Feet away that looked like someone I knew 15 years ago and haven't seen since.

Recognized him from that distance and shouted his name, and the guy turns around after a few hollers.

Turns out it was "Ray" (Names have been changed to protect the innocent) who came of age in Rural 'Bama in the Post-Civil Rights era, knew the legendary University of Alabama Coach Bear Bryant, driven Long Haul rigs from Florida to Mexico, worked a Coal Miner in Northern 'Bama for a year, was a roadie with Hank Williams Jr for a few years, shrimp fisherman off the Gulf Coast for a bit in the '80s, and most importantly a friend that I lost touch with some years back....

He just moved back to Oregon about a year or so back, as did I, and he's literally living one block away....

Anyways---- this is one of the most random encounters I have had since 1994 where I bumped into someone I knew at the major Train Station in East Berlin....

Not sure if any of y'all have had similar random encounters, but we'll be grabbing a beer next week after he comes back from the Coast and getting caught up on 15 years of life.

I had a pretty weird experience like this in high school when I ran into my friend's mom in the Karol Bagh area of Delhi. For context, this is what Karol Bagh looks like:



i.e., not the most touristy place out there. It turns out she was there with MSF.

Wow!!!---- That is pretty insane and random experience-----

[NOVA Green]

I might end up heading to San Francisco next month for a period of a few months, potentially to stay in the area long term, though I wouldn't necessarily want to lock myself into long term housing right now, while things remain uncertain.

After having been in Australia for so many years, I've forgotten how to search for apartments in the USA.  I think for my last apartment before leaving for Australia, I was using a site like apartments.com, but maybe I'm misremembering.

For those of you who've done this before, any advice on how to find apartments online, and doing so in a way that filters out lease terms of 1 year+?  I could do a 6 month lease or less, but I don't really get how to specify that in the search terms on any of these websites.  Also, ideally looking for a 1 bedroom apartment with no roommates.  I understand that that's a hideously expensive place to live, and I can afford it, but at the same time, I don't want to end up paying much more than necessary because of not looking in the right places.

Hmm-- IDK since when I lived in South Bay five years back, my employers was covering housing, but here might be a few additional tips to consider when trying to find housing in the Bay Area.

https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/loans/student-loans/housing-websites-living-in-san-francisco/

[NOVA Green]

Looks like I have a pretty good shot at getting a decent paying factory job in the area that I applied for a few weeks back.

It will likely be running 12 hour grave shifts, but they do have a shift differential, and OT is built into the base hours, so should make for decent paychecks.

Might not be posting as often on Atlas if this goes through, but I'm sure I'll find a few hours here and there on my downtime to continue on some of the research projects that I've been working on here.



Fingers-crossed....

[NOVA Green]

i did a thing



have fun identifying who's who

So how to get that dang thing to work?

Tried doing it awhile pay and looked like I hit an Atlas Paywall.....

Am I missing something?

[NOVA Green]

Got a verbal offer today working a production assembly line in a large Tech manufacturing company down the road....

Helps immensely relieve some of my recent immediate financial stress....

[NOVA Green]

So, just got offered another job today, after having previously accepted another job offer last week...

Now I need to choose which of the manufacturing jobs I want to go with...

One pays significantly better, is closer, but has longer and odd shifts and is harder factory work---- the other pays less, is a 20 minute commute, and is a bit more of an assembly job, with greater potential for internal promotion down the line.

Which job do I go with

[NOVA Green]

How significant is the pay difference without being specific?

$4/Hr difference, not including potential shift differential and OT.

Jumps to $5.50/Hr difference after 90 days, and $6/Hr after 6 Months.

Pretty big gap, basically a lead position running a crew of temps, and responsible for quality, quantity, safety, training, etc....

I know someone whose been working there in a similar position for a bit over a year, and they have a pretty good reputation for being a decent employer based upon her experience, as well as others that I know in this downstate Oregon Mill Town.

Never would have imagined 5-10 years ago that I would move from working in office based environments to manufacturing, but as they say in the current economy people go through roughly six major career changes in their lifetime.

Thanks Sanchez---- we don't always see eye to eye, but I appreciate the support.