The Shift Workers Lament (from my experience)

[Ron H]

A lot of you paid your dues and still are. I’m not a complete stranger either. Couple of summers worked 2nd **** (ok shift) 7 days, no days off. Money was great, that’s what I kept telling myself as my social world became nothing. Came home to watch old TV shows until the stations stopped broadcasting (yes it was a long time ago).

Later (also a long time back) as the mfg company I was with, kept sinking toward oblivion thanks to foreign competition, got more work assigned as others were laid-off. Given my position, was assigned to include plant security. The employee-security force was nuked to obtain a rental force paying barely minimum wage. Many occasions where those guys worked a day or two and quit or didn’t show up. Ivory tower ****-wads wanted NO deterioration, so I’d need come in at the last hour notice, on weekends, holidays, midnights to – cover the gaps. Who cared I worked the normal shift the same day, home for four hours to go back in when I was ready for bed. All that eventually earned me my lay-off notice when things kept going to ****.

Don’t need much reflection on how ******* suck-*** a few spans of my career - sucked ***.

 

[multimopes]

Thanks Ron, it warms my heart to know that a boatload of us got f_cked by former employers. The hours are bad enough; then they whip you and rub salt in the wounds! The Bastards! Them! As things continue to deteriorate, I would expect more horror stories like this! Sometimes I wonder if justice will ever be served to those who have treated people like **** for so long.

 

[64BEL]

I worked the 6p-6a shift in 2017 at 54 years old (even as the supervisor). I hadn't worked nights in my previous career (just some evenings, not full nights). It was rough, and over time I got depressed. On top of that, we were all working a lot of OT that year. That year came and went, and now when I fill in on a night shift, it's usually just half the shift (6p-12a or 12a-6a) unless an emergency comes up. The full nights are just too much for me anymore, and the "kids" understand the old man isn't getting any younger (the closest of my employees to my age is 20 years younger than me). This year we're all working a ton of OT, and I'm filling in all the time because we're so short handed. But I'm covering day shifts - 6a-6p. Still, working 5-6 of those a week is exhausting. I'm pulling my first full night shift in almost 3 years tomorrow night. I'm off Tues and Wed. to recover - LOL.

2017 was good for me, though. It made me really understand and appreciate my night shifters all the more. I try to take extra care of them when it comes to assigning OT shifts and scheduling meetings and trainings. People who haven't worked nights can't really understand the sacrifice night shifters make.

 

[khryslerkid]

I worked maintenance 4-12 for three years at a hospital. Perfect hours for getting things done at home then get ready to go to work. Working days I was always up till midnight anyway.

When the graveyard shift came in they reminded me of a Zombie movie. They were pale, walked slowly and you could hardly get a "how ya doin" out of one. I knew I never wanted to work that shift.

 

[Islandkent]

Well here I am doing my time
Cows keep giving. Got to use up all that milk.
364 days a year. Half a day off at Christmas. Half a day off on New Year’s
Man’s has to do what a man has to do. Lol

 

[1STMP]

I always worked as much overtime as
I could get my hands on. Wasn't so
much for the money at first, but just
fun to be there. I've always loved my
chosen vocation.
Later after the kids were grown, I
subbed out ant went contract. It was
not uncommon working 70-80 hrs/wk.
The pay was phenomenal. Once was
challenged to 96 hrs on the clock for
a 6 day week.
There was a hidden cost, though, as
there were times when I was 1200
miles from home, for months at a time.
Got my 48th anniversary coming up,
and the wife still puts up with me.

 

[YY1]

I never liked working overtime if I could help it.

I'm already giving you 1/3 of my life, I'm not really interested in giving you any more of it.

I always tried to find jobs that paid better instead of working more.

 

[Ron H]

Yeah, it was a terrible time when good old USA mfg companies were getting smacked by foreign competition watching employees who spent a good extent of their lives there getting their walking papers. Those left had to do more plus deal with gutted budgets. Young as I was then, only was kept because the job I had was one of one in the company and too young & dumb to leave before I got my bye-bye notice. I asked my POS boss, descendent of the founder, if I should be looking around for another job, oh no he said, you’re needed here. My dumb, only reason he wanted me is so he’d not get stuck with my job as no way the budget would have them hire a replacement. And that dip would loan me out around the company to do other **** making him look like Mr. Good Guy. Well he was a prolific ***-kisser. Live & learn about things and start thinking about #1 – first cuz nobody else will.

Some of the rental guards we had were also laid off guys from other mfg companies and breweries. Heartbreaking to hear what a bucket of **** they were in, some only a few years from retirement age. Wrong place – wrong time for a lot of folks then.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Yeah, it was a terrible time when good old USA mfg companies were getting smacked by foreign competition watching employees who spent a good extent of their lives there getting their walking papers. Those left had to do more plus deal with gutted budgets. Young as I was then, only was kept because the job I had was one of one in the company and too young & dumb to leave before I got my bye-bye notice. I asked my POS boss, descendent of the founder, if I should be looking around for another job, oh no he said, you’re needed here. My dumb, only reason he wanted me is so he’d not get stuck with my job as no way the budget would have them hire a replacement. And that dip would loan me out around the company to do other **** making him look like Mr. Good Guy. Well he was a prolific ***-kisser. Live & learn about things and start thinking about #1 – first cuz nobody else will.

Some of the rental guards we had were also laid off guys from other mfg companies and breweries. Heartbreaking to hear what a bucket of **** they were in, some only a few years from retirement age. Wrong place – wrong time for a lot of folks then.

Watched this play out over the last four decades in PA. I hauled furnace waste for what was left of the steel industry at the end of my career. After seeing what you describe happen to the old guys who lost their jobs in manufacturing, the younger folks want nothing to do with the employers who are left. If they take a job, they quit if they have to do an odd shift. Same thing with the trucking business. I lasted as long as I did, because the younger guys wouldn't do the early start times, and the guys my age couldn't. The last ten years, most of my co workers were 60ish guys who were laid off late in life from manufacturing. When I started back in the '70s, most fellow drivers were under 40.

 

[Ron H]

If they take a job, they quit if they have to do an odd shift

Yeah, I hear story after story from guys I know in one biz or another, mostly mfg and construction, who offer jobs or hire mostly young people, who expect all kinds of perks, work hours when they want them, etc. Then some they hire, come in late, or don’t show up, and when at ‘work’ are on their phone. Lol, sorry dude, the president’s job is filled!

Now I know a bunch of young people who do work their butts off and talented. No knock on them.

Still, when I was young, so rarely heard of people demanding the stuff like today. It was from the employer, here’s your work hours, be here on time, and don’t screw off. If there was Saturday work, you were expected to be there. If not, you were gone. If your job assignment was done, ya didn’t take a break, grabbed a broom. My folks worked their butts off, never missed work, and took no lazy **** from me. No different than most of us from those days.

Lol, one boss I had was like my 2nd dad. Junior and senior year worked at his machine shop after school until 10PM. Most Saturday’s much as I hated going in, I did like the other guys.

Senior year, we had a huge snowstorm. School was closed, looked out my bedroom window at my GTO buried to the windshield in a snow drift. I dropped my *** back in bed. Not ten-minutes later phone rings and my mother called me to the phone, was my boss “Ronney school’s closed – get your *** down here.” Schools were closed for three-days, worked...at...the shop those days.

 

[multimopes]

The beatings will continue until morale improves!

Unfortunately, it appears that the status dwellers decided that "Thou Shall Not Sleep-In That Day!"

 

[Ray70Chrg]

Yeah, did my share of 2nd and 3rd shifts, also standby on weekends and holidays. The money was good but missed out on a lot of family stuff.

 

[YY1]

The 4-12:30 shift was great for me as my "normal" hours then were- up around 10:00 and still up around 2:00am.

 

[multimopes]

My greatest hope is that the "Big Sleep", is as good or surpasses my deepest & most satisfying rest periods, (Think Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams?!?), or at least something as pleasurable as that feeling of a deep, recuperative & satisfying rest interlude with great dreams or having that feeling of peace & total bliss from having a great sexual encounter the night before and not having to get up in the morning! In a state of eternal euphoria; aaaahhhhhhh! "Thank You Oh Lord!" Damn, I think I must be dreaming right now, lol!
Oh Sh_t; I have to go to work in less than an hour, "Ohhh the Pain!" (Thank you, Doctor Smith)!
Oh Lord, I didn't sin every day, so why must I be punished every day??
Whatever is ahead, may your lives & after lives be the best, always and forever, Amen!

 

[Budnicks]

I can relate,
I worked shift work at PG&E at the powerplants
for nearly 2 years, mostly had weekends off
unless they were doing a teardown or shutdown,
all hands on deck 12hr + days sometime 7 days a week
made great pay with all that overtime & when I was young 21-22
it was easy (I wouldn't do it now)
I hated the overlapping shift changes
graveyard was the worst, 11pm-midnight to 7-8am shift
swing 3-4pm to 11pm-12 midnight wasn't too bad,
I prefer'd dayshift 7:30-3:30 normally, home by 4pm...

I did a crapload of work after hrs after 10:00pm, for 35 years
or most were 11:00pm closing hrs for sales dept. at the dealership
or after 5-6pm in the service dept or parts areas,
union guys/parts & service all went home at the 'strike of the hr'
unless some job had to be done 'or inventory time'
Hard to do some of the stuff when customers are all over the place
sometimes I had to do what I had to do...
Shift differential (billing/pay) was another 15% on the tab too,
none of the owners complained at all either...
My really good guy, guys doing 'the piece work', that's when did their best work
& made the best rates/$$$$ at them hrs too, quick in & out...
A job that'd take 8hrs when customers were around,
especially with all the safety protocols needed
many would be done in less than 4hs after hrs, they still got
whatever the bid price was... I made $$ & so did they...
The customer was happy is the most important thing...

I did a few 24-36hrs straight, at least once a year
doing cabling & hardware for the computers & cold rooms
"Upgrades"
Setting up new multiplexers bauds modems etc.
& stringing all the dang cabling & wires...

4 of my Concord dealers had sort of bi-monthly "Tent sales"
I did well on too, I was basically therefrom
on the 1st day was about 8hrs before anyone showed up
2am to about 10am
erecting the tents, setting it all up, phones point to point connection
& all the computer hardware & printing hardware,
setup carpets tables chairs cords cables garbage stuff etc.
To about 2-4 hrs after, gathering up the equipment nightly
a lot of 'on call' time in between, easy money time
Until all the sales & finance people "all deals we all closed & done"
1st day was the worst, last day was a quick tear down & store the stuff
I made/cleared netted about $1,500-$2,000+ each day, for a 2-3 days each
mostly by myself too, I had a helper setting it all up & last day tearing it down
so I didn't complain much...
I made great $$$, the customer/s was happy...
For probably 24-30hrs + or - a couple hrs time, 1/2 of it was standby or oncall
make $4,500+ to $6,000 net...

Oh the good days, my racecar money...

I'm sure glad I'm fully retired now...
I do miss the $$$ a lil' bit, but not the headaches...

 

[cr8crshr]

Night Shift Giving Report To Day Shift...cr8crshr/Bill

Night Shift Jobs - Funny

 

[multimopes]

That above just nailed it, thank you!

I just realized that I have painted a picture that is incomplete and misleading. I didn't always work shifts. Back in the mid 70's, I applied several times to a major American company who shall go un-named. It took me 5 years to finally get in and a year later the government broke it up. I started with shift work (in a union) for a little over 9 years and three strikes. But I finally got into management. I had my own office and one of the best crews working for me and flex hours to boot. I also had weekends & holidays off, just like real people. It was great! I was on call 24/7 but only had to come in once in 11 years. Although it was approx. 135 miles round trip, it was worth every bit of sleep I lost & gas money I spent and cars I wore out. (Incidentally), this only reinforced my allegiance to Mopar as I never broke down in those 21 years. Anyway, the dream ended when the great outsourcing began, and I was forced to take a package that was billed as the absolute last one and they didn't lie. Soooooo, had to get another job for less money and once again shift work. The (only) good thing was it was only a hundred miles round trip. That lasted 11 years and they moved to another state, closing the plant. That led me here which is only 34 miles round trip! Seventeen miles one way. Hell, we had a 17-mile hike when I was a Boy Scout! So, here I am being shifty again and still hating it! If it wasn't rotating shifts, it wouldn't be bad but that will never happen. This type of job, (stationary engineer), is slowly getting scarcer. Many guys in this line of work were BT's (Boiler Techs) from the Navy. Things have changed however & these guys now come out with (Nuclear licenses). You'd have to be a complete idiot to work in an old boiler plant when you can work in a nuclear plant, in a nice, air-conditioned office without much exposure to heat & noise and make twice the pay! Anyway, that's enough! I am blabbed out. I hope that at least it was entertaining. I only hope that I live long enough to retire before I drop dead or something worse!

 

[khryslerkid]

Night Shift Giving Report To Day Shift...cr8crshr/Bill

Night Shift Jobs - Funny

I've seen that guy before on other subjects. Mostly spot on!