I finally decided to update. Here I sit staring at the computer screen deciding what I want to write about. Lets see. What to do, what to do.
The weekend, once again, is here. Yay. I love being able to get up in the morning without having to commute. It's nice to not have to get dressed at the insistance of an alarm clock. But, I also know that if I don't work, I can't pay the bills. My kids gotta' eat. As a matter of fact, so do I. Therefore, I must work.
However, I'm not very happy with the elevator company I currently work for. Here are a few reasons why: -The company is located on Cape Cod, and most of the jobs that are going on are way north of Boston. This makes getting any stock a lot more difficult. Hell, being closer to the Cape doesn't help. Every delivery of stock has to be "scheduled." The shop can't really handle it if you order and actually need it "right away." -My boss has a tendency to treat every install as if it will go smoothly no matter what. Thus, whenever he says that "it should be no problem." I automatically know it's going to suck. He also lacks the ability to communicate regularly. In fact, he has downright avoided talking to anyone lately, preferring to go through someone else to talk directly to the field guys. Also, he can be condescending, even to guys that have more experience than he does. He treats us like we can't do it as fast as he could and finds subtle ways to point that out. The biggest thing about him is that he is cheap to a big degree. He busted my balls because I ordered 3/8" drill bits to restock my drill box. I had to tell him that I hadn't ordered that particular size bit since I started working for the company a year and a half ago. -My helper is 54 years old and six months from retirement. He is a good worker and has lots of experience. But, he has no respect for my position as a mechanic and thinks that his way of doing things is the only good way of doing it. I can't stand him and am very good a acting like I like him when we are on the job together. Outside I am calm as best I can be. Inside, I usually seeth with rage and would love to tell him off and send him home. It's more than that. He talks non-stop in a redneck accent that drives me nuts. I swear that I've heard his stories at least 10 times, and maybe more than that.
Unfortunately, no other elevator company is looking for mechanics, except for one that has a construction super that I can't stand.
Not all elevator bosses are like mine. The one that I worked for when I was a helper really took care of the men. He came out at coffee time, handed me or another helper money and told us to go get coffee and doughnuts for everybody. One Saturday, we had a crane take old elevator equipment off the roof of a building. About 10 guys worked for 10 hours for double time rates. In addition to that, the boss gave the mechanic-in-charge $150.00 and told him to take us for food and beer when the job was done. He could be tough to work for, but he took care of his employees 150%.
I could talk to my boss about my helper, but he has a way of not doing anything about it. I also know that I'm not the only one who feels this way about this particular helper. The younger ones with less experience than him are more inclined to work with the mechanics than against them. In my opinion, they are much better caliber helpers than him. After all, what good is experience if the person who has it is an asshole?
