HenryMac
Well-Known Member
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ooba tooba posted this over at The Garage Journal.. A little insight into a working man's take on starting things back up...
It’s been a hectic crazy couple of weeks leading up to this, trying to get projects done knowing I only had a limited time left. I finally opened the “return to work” packet I was sent over a week ago. There is a form with a series of questions we have to answer each morning before the shift starts. Symptoms, travel, blah blah... any “yes” answers and you’re off 2 weeks and report to medical after that. Have to take your temp before work too.
Get there and stand in line before the turnstile and show your completed form and you can pass through. Upon entering the building you must sanitize your hands, and then you are given 2 masks for the day (which you are told to immediately put on) Pass through thermal scanner...it was early so I didn’t notice, but a coworker told me she read the package they came in and it said “does not protect against Flu or Covid” oooookay...
Get to our area and have a 1/2hr meeting detailing all they have done since we shut down. All new polished floors (they do this periodically anyway) new paint everywhere, signs reminding you to wear your mask, and glasses always in the building. Our plant was clean anyway, but it’s spotless now.
Job stations all have spray bottles for our tools we all touch/share. We are to spend the first 10 minutes each shift cleaning and sanitizing our work areas each day (and after the shift) there are dividers between close working spots with 2 or more people. Clear curtains. Plexiglass to prevent us from sitting next to each other at break. I guess these are the good points.
Now during the shut down our team leaders worked with skilled trades to develop these systems. Now most of them have decided to retire. They’ve been waiting for a buyout for over 5 years and it didn’t come (to this company’s seniority guys and gals) this was the push for them. It just isn’t worth the risk, some have told me.
No one is happy about the masks. They are warm. My area is the only section of both connected plants to not have AC. It sucks, sure, but it’s a “good” area to be so it’s a trade off.
On hot days it’s like a 25 degree difference when you walk out to the line. It makes a difference when it’s 95 outside. Add 10 degrees inside for moving machinery.
Today was about 74 in there and everyone was sweating because of the masks. It’s not even hot yet. I predict some passing out come July.
I was hoping management would find it in their hearts to install air back there knowing we would be masked in the dog days. Wasn’t to be. Another negative is we can no longer rotate jobs during the day between breaks. We are stuck on whatever job we start on all day. Rotation now means day to day, not break to break. It’s unfortunate because it really broke up the monotony of the job. It also was a good preventative of carpal tunnel having us switch every few hours. Also, some jobs are way more labor intensive than others. Getting stuck on a “hard” job all day sucks. Sucks worse when it’s 90. Add the mask and lots of people will be bitching.
Hours are cut back to 8 no overtime or weekends for now. Management was also able to eliminate some jobs they’ve been itching to get rid of (making it more difficult for us plebes) That’s a whole different story for another rant. I kind of envy the ones who had enough time in to take a look around and say “fuck this. I’m out”. To be able to leave the job finished, pretty much the same way as you started. By getting a cup of coffee next to someone, and chatting a moment and sharing a few smiles without looking like a character in a futuristic nightmare movie with your mask, goggles and face shield. To shake hands with a team mate you haven’t seen in 5 years because he got moved to body shop.
I’m hoping this is a temporary thing, and not the “new normal”. I’m less optimistic than some of our younger team members. They seem to think we’ll be back to “normal” within a few weeks. Kind of sobering. We’ll see how it goes.
PS: I probably should have clarified that my thread was just an observation. If I came across as having a bitch/moan session, that’s my fault. I do feel fortunate where I am at. I was just trying to be honest about what I, and my coworkers, consider negative points throughout all of this. No big deal. It’s all good.
It’s been a hectic crazy couple of weeks leading up to this, trying to get projects done knowing I only had a limited time left. I finally opened the “return to work” packet I was sent over a week ago. There is a form with a series of questions we have to answer each morning before the shift starts. Symptoms, travel, blah blah... any “yes” answers and you’re off 2 weeks and report to medical after that. Have to take your temp before work too.
Get there and stand in line before the turnstile and show your completed form and you can pass through. Upon entering the building you must sanitize your hands, and then you are given 2 masks for the day (which you are told to immediately put on) Pass through thermal scanner...it was early so I didn’t notice, but a coworker told me she read the package they came in and it said “does not protect against Flu or Covid” oooookay...
Get to our area and have a 1/2hr meeting detailing all they have done since we shut down. All new polished floors (they do this periodically anyway) new paint everywhere, signs reminding you to wear your mask, and glasses always in the building. Our plant was clean anyway, but it’s spotless now.
Job stations all have spray bottles for our tools we all touch/share. We are to spend the first 10 minutes each shift cleaning and sanitizing our work areas each day (and after the shift) there are dividers between close working spots with 2 or more people. Clear curtains. Plexiglass to prevent us from sitting next to each other at break. I guess these are the good points.
Now during the shut down our team leaders worked with skilled trades to develop these systems. Now most of them have decided to retire. They’ve been waiting for a buyout for over 5 years and it didn’t come (to this company’s seniority guys and gals) this was the push for them. It just isn’t worth the risk, some have told me.
No one is happy about the masks. They are warm. My area is the only section of both connected plants to not have AC. It sucks, sure, but it’s a “good” area to be so it’s a trade off.
On hot days it’s like a 25 degree difference when you walk out to the line. It makes a difference when it’s 95 outside. Add 10 degrees inside for moving machinery.
Today was about 74 in there and everyone was sweating because of the masks. It’s not even hot yet. I predict some passing out come July.
I was hoping management would find it in their hearts to install air back there knowing we would be masked in the dog days. Wasn’t to be. Another negative is we can no longer rotate jobs during the day between breaks. We are stuck on whatever job we start on all day. Rotation now means day to day, not break to break. It’s unfortunate because it really broke up the monotony of the job. It also was a good preventative of carpal tunnel having us switch every few hours. Also, some jobs are way more labor intensive than others. Getting stuck on a “hard” job all day sucks. Sucks worse when it’s 90. Add the mask and lots of people will be bitching.
Hours are cut back to 8 no overtime or weekends for now. Management was also able to eliminate some jobs they’ve been itching to get rid of (making it more difficult for us plebes) That’s a whole different story for another rant. I kind of envy the ones who had enough time in to take a look around and say “fuck this. I’m out”. To be able to leave the job finished, pretty much the same way as you started. By getting a cup of coffee next to someone, and chatting a moment and sharing a few smiles without looking like a character in a futuristic nightmare movie with your mask, goggles and face shield. To shake hands with a team mate you haven’t seen in 5 years because he got moved to body shop.
I’m hoping this is a temporary thing, and not the “new normal”. I’m less optimistic than some of our younger team members. They seem to think we’ll be back to “normal” within a few weeks. Kind of sobering. We’ll see how it goes.
PS: I probably should have clarified that my thread was just an observation. If I came across as having a bitch/moan session, that’s my fault. I do feel fortunate where I am at. I was just trying to be honest about what I, and my coworkers, consider negative points throughout all of this. No big deal. It’s all good.
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