I've been laid off since October 28th as a Union Laborer. I finally got a call to come to work for a different company doing the same Stone work (Marble and granit) So today was my first day back this year!

what a pain in the butt day. The guys I work with are ****s. There like 4 times the size of me and have this attitude of "Mr. no it all". These guys barly have any freaking common sence!

I love that I'm back to work, but man, you can't love your job if you hate who your working with

 

sorry to do this to you man, seeing as how I suck at spelling too, but that would be "Mr. Know it all".........

also, glad you went back to work....

 

its all good, I'm used to the abuse!

 

I'll tell you something funny, I was talking about "Grammar" once, and spelled Grammar wrong........ Probably this time too.......

 

its okay. As you can see, I didn't really do all that great in spelling class in school. I decided to spend more time in the lunch room then class :o

 

The guy makes one comment about going back to work and gets 5 replies about spelling. Congrats man. I hope it lasts.

 

Congratulations on getting back to work. I am a construction inspector and have been out of work since mid-November due to auto accident. I am hoping to get back to work within the next two weeks to a month. It sure is tuff to be out of work for so long with minimal income.

 

Matt, good luck with the job. stick it out because they, like us are hard on the new guys.
The construction business is doing great in this area. I fix their equipment and have been working 10-14 hour days for the last 2 weeks.
thats why i haven't been posting much lately.

 

Thank You! Its great to be back! I was getting worried there for a long time becuase it was taking forever to get phone calls back regarding another job, but it finally came!
I love what I do, just gotta put up with these guys I'm not really a big fan of, but maybe like you said, there just gicing the new guy a hard time. I hope thats all it is because that just makes u dread going into work knowing what your going to have to put up with everyday.

 

If I was in construction I'd consider it bad that my equipment keeps tearing up!
Or is it slow enough they can get it in to get it taken care of?

But yea, Matt he's right, your the greenie on the crew. Your going to catch flack for a few weeks or more. How you take it determines where you land in the pecking order.

 

actually, we are overhauling alot of stuff because there is a high demand for equipment and Caterpillar cant make it quick enough. some big stuff will take a year to get after it is ordered. We are also importing used equipment from overseas and reselling it here. All this equipment comes through the shop for some kind of work.
We have a D9R, 980G and a 990 in the shop getting overhauled and they take over a month.

 

So what the heck did you do for income for 2 1/2 months? Unemployment?

 

Yeah really!?
Glad to hear yall are back to work. I went back on Monday after being off for a few weeks, (lack of work) still got paid for three holiday days though.

I officially signed up for my first college class today. I start next week. I paid cash. Now my wallet is empty.

 

Don't worry about the spelling, just make sure your fingers are in the right position on the keyboard. You don't want your sentences to end up like this next one. dp jpe fp upi fp oy?
Anyhow, congratulations on getting a job. It turned out to be a nice Christmas present, eh?

 

Matt, you know that you don’t have to wait for the Hall to call you. You could go and walk jobsites and scrounge up some work. You are in the Laborers Union, you guys are qualified to do more than stone setting. Cement Company, Brick Laying Company, General Contractor and other companies hire laborers. If you keep waiting to be called out of the hall you get labeled as a “Hall Rat”. That could be why your getting bashed at work, they (and I) don’t like Hall Rats. I spent many years in the Carpenters Union so yea, I know how it works. You have to hustle for your cabbage, no other way around it. I was called from the hall one time and that was to be a job steward, and that was it. When the company I was with was slow I would drive around and get a job with another company. You know as well as I do that Laborers work indoors also, usually for a GC. To hear you say that all of the guys are a-holes makes me think that you are the problem, not them. If one or two were jerks, then I understand, but not all. Your next day of work you should go into it with a new attitude, do more listening and less flapping of the jaw until you figure out the personalities of your co-workers. I tell you, if all of my guys came to me and said that they were having a problem with the new guy, I would have to fire the new guy just to get the production back from the regulars. Try to get in with the regulars, don’t fight with them. Think of it this way: chit rolls downhill, and you are at the bottom of that hill. Just trying to help a fellow brother out.

On a side note: I hated when the first day of work for a new company was on a Friday.

Good luck Matt, work smarter, not harder….if that’s possible for you.