Where are the Mechanics?

r20d12 · Apr 30, 2018

hetkind said:
I started earlier than you, in 1979 got hired as a school bus mechanic, but later went back to college, completed a BS in Mechanical Engineering, later, a MS in Industrial Engineering, and still working as a senior level engineer, with mechanic work on the side. I just expanded my personal shop with an additional 2,000 square feet of inside space. Now I have 1,200 sq ft of high bay area with a 20 foot ceiling and 2,000 square feet with a 10 foot ceiling. I think we need to bring back mandatory vocational training to all high school programs...now about those snowflakes, the young guys I know who tinker, restore old motorcycles and trucks have their acts together. And they are good enough not to have to work a menial 8/hr job the tire shops and independent mechanics shops want to pay. Once you are computer literate, pulling a harness into a interface plug and ready computer diagnostics is straight forward!

Your not talking about snowflakes. Your talking about guys with natural talent that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Its cool that you were able to build up a shop like that. I preferred just running my own truck so the only mistakes I had to worry about were mine.

hetkind · Apr 30, 2018

r20d12 said:
Your not talking about snowflakes. Your talking about guys with natural talent that aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. Its cool that you were able to build up a shop like that. I preferred just running my own truck so the only mistakes I had to worry about were mine.

No one works out of my shop but me...and the wife, from time to time. And folks who do work out of my shop, are working on my personal projects.

DMiller · Apr 30, 2018

UP is on that roll as well as are other companies that NEED specialty employees.

Wes J · Apr 30, 2018

I imagine it's mostly poor planning by these big companies. The baby boomer guys are retiring in mass and they have not recruited or trained anyone to fill those positions. So, they are trying sign on bonuses and other shenanigans to hire in people with the skill they need without having to train them.

I don't know if it will work. How many mechanics and electricians with railroad experience or training are hanging on the back of a door waiting for a job at UP?

Junkyard · Apr 30, 2018

Plus if you read the fine print and leave before 3 years they take their bonus back.....

Truck Shop · May 1, 2018

Another trade that is retiring out is the lineman trade. Power companies are having a tough time filling those jobs even though it's always had good pay.

Truck Shop

hetkind · May 1, 2018

Wes J said:
I imagine it's mostly poor planning by these big companies. The baby boomer guys are retiring in mass and they have not recruited or trained anyone to fill those positions. So, they are trying sign on bonuses and other shenanigans to hire in people with the skill they need without having to train them.

I don't know if it will work. How many mechanics and electricians with railroad experience or training are hanging on the back of a door waiting for a job at UP?

Not poor planning, intentional cost cutting. Training guys to be the next generation of workers pays off in ten years, not this quarter. We need to bring back apprentaneship programs is the skilled trades, tool and die, mechanics, linesmen, heavy equipment operation and the like.

old-iron-habit · May 1, 2018

hetkind said:
Not poor planning, intentional cost cutting. Training guys to be the next generation of workers pays off in ten years, not this quarter. We need to bring back apprentaneship programs is the skilled trades, tool and die, mechanics, linesmen, heavy equipment operation and the like.

As the trend continues to bust the union workers chops, it will only get worse. When everybody got paid the same, there was no incentive to leave for a nickel extra. It paid to invest in training. Most company's today are like most youth, they want instant gratification and can't see the work related future past quitting time today. Rant over.

DMiller · May 1, 2018

Electric Company I retired from is having said issues. They had preferred to hire Ex-Navy as they were the types that had boiler or nuke experience where those kids are coming out Know it all's and can do nothing in real life except carry a good line. The power stations need good people to operate, to listen, feel and smell what the machine is doing, these fresh kids cannot do that, if not in a manual or been a instructed method they have ZERO clue what the machine is doing beyond reading numbers. The CTG plants are autonomous for the large part sitting in fields and along roadways, they only need techs and from the supplier when they fail.

The line crews were being depleted fifteen to twenty years ago, as were the mechanics and shops for them to work out of. I continually heard from Management "cheaper to send it to the Dealers or contractors if you want it done right and quick, too bad they did not see that light down the hall where no one was hiring on in the contractors shops either.

Truck Shop · May 1, 2018

If it's a publicly traded company in the stock market it's all about keeping investors happy. Warren Buffet owns Rocky Mountain Power/Pacific Power. When he bought those
power companies the work force started to deteriorate because he has to see a 8% return every quarter on his investment. So the top management start from the bottom
of the food chain cutting those worker bee jobs first. It's a very common practice with companies involved in the stock market.

Truck Shop

Old Doug · May 1, 2018

Today i took off after lunch to move logs for my brother it was great to get away from chaseing parts and dealing with custermers if my brother could use me more i will do what i tryed to do before and get away from the shop.

old-iron-habit · May 1, 2018

Old Doug said:
Today i took off after lunch to move logs for my brother it was great to get away from chaseing parts and dealing with custermers if my brother could use me more i will do what i tryed to do before and get away from the shop.

Its good to get some therapy every now and then. In my book, logs are among the best therapist's on the planet.

Junkyard · May 1, 2018

old-iron-habit said:
Its good to get some therapy every now and then. In my book, logs are among the best therapist's on the planet.

I agree. The pile of logs I have had been calling me name. Down to one arm they're going to call it a little longer lol.

92U 3406 · May 2, 2018

I love it when something out of the ordinary comes along to shake up the routine as well. Only 3 of us work weekends and the boss told us Friday night he wanted the yard swept over the weekend. 4 hours of moving machines and trucks around and playing with skid steer brooms was a blast.

hetkind · May 2, 2018

Junkyard said:
I agree. The pile of logs I have had been calling me name. Down to one arm they're going to call it a little longer lol.

Great...I took off a few days to paint my new 30x34 shop bay...so far, 25 gallons of primer, the OSB of the walls and ceiling really suck it up, next, 5 gallons of ultra high gloss white for the walls. Finishing the concrete floor is next!.

JD955SC · May 3, 2018

hetkind said:
Not poor planning, intentional cost cutting. Training guys to be the next generation of workers pays off in ten years, not this quarter. We need to bring back apprentaneship programs is the skilled trades, tool and die, mechanics, linesmen, heavy equipment operation and the like.

I do agree that a lot of the labor shortage is self induced. Getting rid of apprenticeships, treating employees like crap, poor pay and benefits, and no effort to recruitment or retention. There are few companies today where one desires to stay for an entire career.

I think a lot of this is brought on by college boy managers who get hired on straight out of school with zero experience and try to manage with theory. The bean counters dont understand that people aren’t numbers.

Fortunately I work for an decent company and the owner and his sons that will be taking it over are great people who care about us

DMiller · May 3, 2018

In the shops I worked prior to occupation change the call was for 'Chargeable Hours Payroll' then they would search out the least cost to the client as to those hours as to book times. I would bid jobs from the night shift, have the OK from a customer to have it done only to have the Day foreman or the shop owner tell me I bid too high and cut the rate by serious hours. Had many mechanic drop his tools where he stood, pack up and leave due to that.

Then the imaginative book keeping where the OT became a calc against total hours worked against total hours billed but the customer still paid time and a half shop rate. To set their own 'Fixed' rate and achieve more work thru the shop the bosses on days made up a magic number for ALL clutch jobs, 2.5 for COE, 3.0 for Conv where did not matter configuration such as dump truck or road tractor or even full fenders on a short WB. Three of those people NEVER laid a wrench on ANY machine.

Moved to power generation, thought I had seen it all as to bad mgmt., but got the absolute shocker of the Good Ol Boys club, the Golden Child Club and so much mismanaged day in day out work that made my head spin. Only reason I stayed was the pay and a good retirement I never managed to acquire elsewhere. Told a Mgr one day Need to shut a self destructing pump down, he looked me right straight on with it screaming across ear plugs and said "The engineer said it will be Fine" where the next day it had seized almost forcing the plant to shut down. I was taken into a "Investigatory Review" as I had just had that watch station, the SAME boss tried to throw my ass under the bus where I returned fire, had four people back me up as to his comment soon after the engineer then was promoted, the boss also promoted while I was 'Allowed' to remain working.

hetkind · May 3, 2018

JD955SC said:
I do agree that a lot of the labor shortage is self induced. Getting rid of apprenticeships, treating employees like crap, poor pay and benefits, and no effort to recruitment or retention. There are few companies today where one desires to stay for an entire career.

I think a lot of this is brought on by college boy managers who get hired on straight out of school with zero experience and try to manage with theory. The bean counters dont understand that people aren’t numbers.

Fortunately I work for an decent company and the owner and his sons that will be taking it over are great people who care about us

I don't think you can blame this just on the college boy managers...I would follow the money and blame the company owners, senior managers and STOCKHOLDERS.

John C. · May 3, 2018

A while back I got into a discussion with a friend about a garbage workers strike. The lady's comment was that they didn't deserve to make anymore than they were making because it didn't take anything to do the job. They ride around in the truck all day and don't even have to lift cans anymore as the trucks all do that job for them.

So I asked her if she ever took her own garbage to the dump? No she said. So my next question was what would she do with her garbage if they didn't pick it up? I don't know she said. Next question was what time of day did she usually get up to go to work? Eight or nine in the morning. I told her most of those workers were up before four am. I asked her if she ever worked out in the rain and cold? Of course not she said. Those nice trucks those guys ride in don't have cab doors I told her. I asked her if she were out and about if she ever had to use the toilet? Her comment was that she would stop what she was doing to go find a place. I told her those people don't have a place usually, can't stop and have to hold it until they get back to a transfer station if it has an outhouse. I asked her how she would feel now that her house with no garbage collection would look like one of those famous Seattle homeless camps.

So working from a chair behind a desk doesn't make you a genius and certainly doesn't mean you can look down your nose at those who may not have the same types of intelligence or abilities. Maybe that guy in the garbage truck can't work a key board, talk real nice on the telephone or pound out a spread sheet planning a business or some type of operation. But that doesn't mean his job, his time and how he has to provide for his family is any less important.

Nothing gripes me more than the arrogance and feeling of entitlement that seems to be engulfing our society today. The lady didn't like what I had to say but she doesn't bring up those kinds of conversations anymore around me.

hetkind · May 3, 2018

John C. said:
A while back I got into a discussion with a friend about a garbage workers strike. The lady's comment was that they didn't deserve to make anymore than they were making because it didn't take anything to do the job. They ride around in the truck all day and don't even have to lift cans anymore as the trucks all do that job for them.

So I asked her if she ever took her own garbage to the dump? No she said. So my next question was what would she do with her garbage if they didn't pick it up? I don't know she said. Next question was what time of day did she usually get up to go to work? Eight or nine in the morning. I told her most of those workers were up before four am. I asked her if she ever worked out in the rain and cold? Of course not she said. Those nice trucks those guys ride in don't have cab doors I told her. I asked her if she were out and about if she ever had to use the toilet? Her comment was that she would stop what she was doing to go find a place. I told her those people don't have a place usually, can't stop and have to hold it until they get back to a transfer station if it has an outhouse. I asked her how she would feel now that her house with no garbage collection would look like one of those famous Seattle homeless camps.

So working from a chair behind a desk doesn't make you a genius and certainly doesn't mean you can look down your nose at those who may not have the same types of intelligence or abilities. Maybe that guy in the garbage truck can't work a key board, talk real nice on the telephone or pound out a spread sheet planning a business or some type of operation. But that doesn't mean his job, his time and how he has to provide for his family is any less important.

Nothing gripes me more than the arrogance and feeling of entitlement that seems to be engulfing our society today. The lady didn't like what I had to say but she doesn't bring up those kinds of conversations anymore around me.

MLK was murdered as he tried to assist in a garbage workers strike in Memphis 50 years ago, last month.

And I would like to add, that we can redesign many jobs to increase human dignity and we should.

I am up at four, I haul my own garbage, and if the local landfill/transfer facility/incinerator shut down, I would burn what what would burn, bury the ashes, and recycle all the metal, glass and other unburnables.

However, the discussion above seems very familiar, was this on Fox last week?

Howard

Where are the Mechanics?

Well-Known Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member