Should I leave my current job for less pay?

[KBS]

Hoping to get some advice from you guys. I am an operator with 4 years experience mostly on excavator. I have a pretty comfortable job at the moment. I work at a dump site for contaminated soil and haz waste. The wages are good, benefits are great, I am basically my own boss as I run the dump site and it's steady all year round. In the 2.5 years I've been here I have never been sent home or forced to take a day off. The downside, I'm not learning anything new. It's an easy, very basic job. I recieve trucks, I mix soil, I load it out. There's no room for advancement or promotion. It's a dump site.

I was offered a job to work at a concrete recycling facility. They take concrete and turn it into new concrete products or crush it into aggregate products. I'd be operating a Hitachi 750, 700 and John Deere 670G. Yes, the 670 is their smallest machine. They also have 980 and 568 loaders. I'd be trained on loader and how to operate a crushing plant and wash plant. The benefits are better, the hours are better, its steady all year round but I have to take a pay cut. $3 less per hour. Reason for the lower wage is because of the loader and crushing training and they want me to take my time and get comfortable running bigger excavators. After 3 months they will review my performance and If I'm doing well, they will match my current wage but can't guarantee anything. Would this be a good move? I have never left a job for less pay and I have zero experience working in a concrete crushing facility. Not sure if this is a good long term career choice.

Sorry for the long post, any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[funwithfuel]

These days it's hard to take a step back. 500 hours @ $3/hr that's a lot of dough.
How well do you know the outfit you're contemplating working for? Do they have a track record of dangling a carrot? Any guarantee they won't pull some shenanigans and say we can't justify your pay increase we promised you? Got anything in writing?
Crushers are overwhelmingly simple. You're smashing rocks with hammers. Biggest challenge, changing screens. That's only cause it's tedious.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Vetech63]

I think it would depend on where you want your career to go going forward. The experience you would gain on other equipment would be perfect for an ambitious person. Would the loss in pay for a few months be critical to your finances? Your age could make some difference also. I moved around equipment dealerships for 10 years and gained a crapload of experience with different equipment, it paid off for me in the end. I worked with an old timer when I was in my 20's ( he was in his 50's)…….He gave me some advice one time I have never forgotten. It was " you should always take chances. You can always go back to what you were doing before if it don't work out." Within 2 years, I had gone out on my own and haven't looked back.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Lemme just say> its DUSTY, hard to breath work.. & the BIGGEST concrete facility here in Charleston has had an ad for workers for OVER a YEAR.. either the pay is bad or the word is out..
I think I would go talk to some of the "field hands" on the sly & find out whats up..
3 bucks/hr>> that's ALOTTA dough..
What are your opportunities gonna be, if you decide to LEAVE THERE??
I think I'd have to sleep on THAT ONE..

 

[AzIron]

Just my 2 cents but if I was being offered the job I would push for straight across money no pay cut if they don't go for it your not losing cause they probably are going to be slow on the raise

Now as a business owner I am sometimes hesitant to higher a guy at full wage because most of the time there are bad habits to break and if you have never been around crushers and belts the price of your learning curve can be pretty steep if you screw up on something

That said it's not the most talent demanding environment working recycling pits after you have figured it out there is not much that will be new after that

If they are like everyother company right now they can't find help especially any one that has 2 plus years running any iron so stand by geeting that 3 bucks up front or in writing on some type of measurable standard that you can achieve and get it in writing if they wont wont do that they really don't need you

 

[thepumpguysc]

WELL SAID, Aziron.. Well said..
A "little story".. when I got hired here in Charleston.. I started at 9.00/hr.. about 2 hrs into the day the boss takes me outside & says he f'd up.. he wasn't supposed to pay me 9.00hr & he would have to start me off at 8.50-8.75/hr {I forget which} & at the end of 30 days bump me back up..
HE did.. but.. that was just a "sign" that I shoulda ran.. I DID end up staying for 22 + years but they were hard years.. NO merit raises.. had to fight, scream & threaten my way to the top.. & FINALLY got sick of it..
I was "prospected" by a Diesel Inj. Manuf. Plant.. They asked me what my Current pay was.. I "added" 3 BUCKS to my hrly wage.. They came back w/ .50 LOWER.. Now seeing I padded the wage, THAT doesn't seem so bad, Right?? I stuck to my guns & toldm IF you want me, match it.. I have to feel like I'm NOT going backwards.. NOT ONLY did they match it.. I got a 2K moving expense, {100 miles up the road} and 2 weeks vacation.!!! AND 1.00 hr raise every year for the next 3 years..

 

[KBS]

Wow thanks for the quick replies guys! Very informative. I've read through your comments and decided on a plan. I will tell the new employer to match my wage or I can't do it. I can afford the pay cut bit I also do not trust the employer to bump me up after 3 months as I don't know them. I talked to my current boss and told him about the job offer. They don't want me to leave as we have some big projects coming up and they need me to run the facility as my co-workers will be split up on different job sites. He offered me more money to stay. I'm going to sleep on it and decide tomorrow.

One of the reasons I was considering switching is to learn something new and run bigger equipment. But from what you guys have said, a concrete crushing plant doesn't sound too difficult. I may be better off staying here,gaining more experience and applying somewhere else in a year. Thanks again for the advice

 

[thepumpguysc]

Good choice..
Its a dam shame folks have to threaten to leave before getting a raise.!!
THATS something to keep an eye on in the future..
& my favorite one is the boss telling YOU, "well I haven't gotten a raise in 5 years"!!!
MY response to that one is>> I'M NOT pulling down 2000.00 aweek like YOU ARE..
"YOU get YOURS, EVERY WEEK"..
Just keep your head UP & your mind "in the game".. it'll work out.. Good luck..

 

[Wes J]

Not to dash your dreams, but it sounds like you might trade a basic job for another basic job, just with a few more machines. Once you learn those other machines, it's still going to be a repetitive job doing the same basic tasks day after day.

 

[TD24]

A side issue...
What is the health exposure at your present site? Concrete dust vs contaminated soil and hazardous waste.
Both might need to be considered in your desire to change... Neither of these but some other equipment rich environment.

 

[John Shipp]

I'd say that if you like running excavators, feeding a crushing plant with a 700 Hitachi would be pretty good for a time. A lot would depend on how the crew at the company get along, as far as long term satisfaction. Good posts above as to pay and getting things in writing. I take it you've had a tour of the place and like what you see? Have fun, amigo.

 

[Welder Dave]

What makes you think you would advance at the new job? Even if the new job matches your wage, it's likely going to be a while till you get another raise. EVERY job can get monotonous after 2 1/2 years. Benefits can count for as much as the pay as well. If your current boss is someone you can talk to openly about another job offer sounds like a pretty decent guy. A lot of bosses would start looking for your replacement right away and some would show you the door ASAP. Maybe you need to count your blessings and stay where you're obviously appreciated.

 

[Bls repair]

Did you approach them about the job or them you?

 

[KBS]

The other company approached me based on a reccomendation. The reason why I'm going from one facility to another is job security. I live in the Pacific Northwest. Rain nearly everyday from Oct to march is normal. Most civil construction companies have very little or no work at all through winter. As for the dust, my current job is worse. Arsenic, lead, and a very toxic, fine powder that's a byproduct of refining oil. Sometimes we get some really nasty stuff such as soil/fertilizers contaminated with rat droppings. There's been times where some of the stuff I've recieved burned my sinuses and eyes.

My current job isn't perfect. The owner of the company is very cheap. I'm running a JD 200D with 9000 hours and a cat 328D with 11'000 hours. Both have more problems than I can count and break down on a weekly basis. The 200 currently has a leaking hydraulic cylinder and the 328 has a broken final drive. Only one track works. The company will not pay to fix them until they completely fail and even then it's just a band aid fix. I told my boss the rotex on the 328 was coming loose. He told me to keep running it, fixing it is too expensive. it eventually nearly separated from the frame and then they finally fixed it. My boss, while being a very nice guy and someone I can talk to about anything (even job offers) is a business man. He has zero background in construction and heavy equipment. I have no one to go to for help or to ask questions which is why I'm not learning anything new. There are many other problems.

I decided to take the job. I got it in writing from the company that they will match my wage (or possibly higher) after the 3 months of training. IIactually turned the job down and expressed my concern about the wage. They called me back saying they really want to hire me as they called a company i worked for (and also their biggest customer) and they gave me an amazimg review. They asked me to reconsider. They sent an email and promised the raise in writing. I've been stuck at a dump site since I got out of training school. I really need to learn new skills as an operator! I have had jobs in construction but they did not last as they ran out of work in winter.

One thing that really stood out to me is that all of the operators have been at the crushing yard for over 20 years. I'm replacing a guy that retired. I'm sure the people are happy there and the company treats them well (I hope). Thanks for your input everyone, it helped me decide

 

[John Shipp]

Good news! It has turned out well. Good luck and hope you fit in. Please post pictures of the set up if you can! Keep those buckets shiny!

 

[AzIron]

Sounds like the aggravation factor alone would make a guy want to move

Hope it works well and am curious about the setup post pics

 

[KBS]

Thanks for being so supportive guys! I'll be starting there in 2 weeks and will post some pictures then.

 

[thepumpguysc]

2 weeks?? I take it, you gave a notice?? GOOD FOR YOU !!!
Most/a lot of operators just "walk off".. BIG "pat on the back"..

 

[92U 3406]

I left a job and took a pay cut of about $5k a year on base salary at my new job and it was the best thing I could have ever done. I basically had moved up the ladder as far as I could go and I was bored and tired of it. The new company threw me to the wolves on day 1 and I loved it. Challenging work and I learned all kinds of new skills. What I learned in my time there I felt was worth the pay cut.

 

[Welder Dave]

Working conditions are often more important than higher pay. Getting a few more dollars to run equipment but having to fix it and try to keep it running on a budget isn't worth the aggravation. Making a little less and having a well maintained machine(by a technician) makes more sense to me than having to constantly baby a machine to keep in running.