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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 6:47 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:36 pm
Posts: 166
I work in the print industry, which has been declining due to technology. Think Internet...catalogs all but gone, mailings are down, books in general are down, paper maps, etc etc....

I make a somewhat decent rate, but its the overtime that has made things possible, seriously for 23 years, steady and reliable. My best years here money wise was a 3 year streak ending the year before last. Of course in any situation it is wrong to think that an anomaly could become the norm.

Having said that, no wage increase in over 12 years. Health care cost is CRAZY. I mean 283 a WEEK!!! and I have to have it because my wife has some serious issues. When the Overtime is rolling, I dont think much about the healthcare cost. However, there were some long slow spells this year...got in hot water with my mortgage company a year after buying my dream house (modest I assure you, coming from a Baltimore row house previously)

This year the market has slowed somewhat, and they are clamping down on the overtime hard. There are also trends here that are reducing the amount of work coming through the door that I get to actually do. I looked for a part time job to make up the difference and even started working at a warehouse on the weekends.
I think I applied for 15 part time jobs but there was one full time position that I put in for,sort of just for the hell of it and after 12 weeks of tests, interviews, a breakfast, and a meeting with my would be co workers I actually got an offer. It's a different industry and yet somehow it pays more than what I am making here now after 23 years. (red flag anyone?)

My new job will be as a maintenance tech for a large multinational foods manufacturer. The hourly rate is a bit more, and the health care is cheaper. Its closer to home. They have a PENSION PLAN. (Ive got 24 good years left in me I think)....I can think of all kinds of good reasons I should do it.

I put in my notice last week and the boss hit me with a counter offer yesterday. A pay increase, and a company vehicle (paid gas) and some sort of promise that he will make sure I get enough overtime so Im on track to hit my high water mark year that happened 3 years ago.

In comparing my options so far, I have calculated the cost of healthcare and gas into $$ per hour so to speak, and of course the pay rates....even with the counter offer, the new place still comes out ahead in terms of money in my pocket on a 40 hour week.

I dont care about the car so much, the paid gas would help but it did go into my comparison. As for the promise of giving me that much overtime, how could they even do that? I dont think I can count on that.When we are slow we are slow, sometimes there is not much work to do here, and again, how could one engineer that peak of mine into a plateau? I dont think he can control the forces behind that one.

And, they have overtime at the new place as well. And there is another pay grade I can make at the new place down the road as my skills increase. Here at the old place, I got to think if it took a 2 weeks notice to get a raise after 12 years, theres not gonna be many more.
And, long term....the print industry almost cant do anything but continue to go down, while people will always be eating food.

I am nervous about the new place, lots to learn but also excited...I will be going from being "the guy" to "the new guy" so that will be different. I think the environment at the new place might be better...it is a 3rd shift position, but my kids are all grown and to tell the truth I will see more of them anyway with those hours.

It almost seems that the goal of the counter offer is as much for me to tell the new place no as it is to agree to stay...if I say no to the new place, the perks of the counter could be taken away a year from now....(We have all had pay cuts, etc before.)

And this may be my end run so to speak. I dont know if this place will be here the rest of my working career, Im pretty sure the new place will be, its one of the largest companies in the world. I dont want to be 10 years older and be facing a change out of desperation when they close down here.

Anyway, Id be interested and grateful to hear about any experiences some of you might have had with career changes, jobs in general or just any input or advice.....

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1972 S2 350, 1972 F9 350 Bighorn, 1975 KX400, 1981 YZ465, 1980 XT500 (Built for MX) , 1987 KD80, 1995 MZ Skorpion, TTR 125, 1994 KDX200 , 1978 Mobylette, 1985 KX350R-F91m (Frankenstein) and a Doodle Bug


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 8:37 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:34 pm
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Location: North Central NC
From reading this without any other knowledge, you've made the case for moving to the new job. The "new guy" thing will be gone in a few months. The only thing I can think of to ask is when you met with the possible coworkers, how did the other employees who work there like their jobs, assuming no bosses were around at the time?

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:18 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:36 pm
Posts: 166
They seemed to like it...not a lot of turnover there they told me. My co-workers were sort of grilling me to make sure i would be a contributor and not just along for the ride etc.They told me it gets a little hot in some areas, sometimes you wind up crawling under machines etc...sort of making sure i knew what i was getting into. Nothing new to me really, a machine is a machine as far as I'm concerned.
Oh yeah They also said id likely be on third shift the rest of my life because of the low turnover..you basically have to wait for Someone to retire move to second and then first...and it goes by seniority. I think that's ok..the work week rotates such that i do have some weekends off and some 3 day stretches off.
And the counter was thoughtful given my situation but still....i think more reasons to go.

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1972 S2 350, 1972 F9 350 Bighorn, 1975 KX400, 1981 YZ465, 1980 XT500 (Built for MX) , 1987 KD80, 1995 MZ Skorpion, TTR 125, 1994 KDX200 , 1978 Mobylette, 1985 KX350R-F91m (Frankenstein) and a Doodle Bug


Last edited by 2stroke on Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:29 am, edited 2 times in total.

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:28 am 
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Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 6:37 am
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Location: Rio Rancho, New Mexico
I think you answered your own question. If you re-read your post, the old place basically took you for granted, with no pay raise in 12 years. I would have been gone in 2. And, as you said the industry is hurting, so how will it get better? I think it's a last ditch effort that will probably fall apart as things get worse there.

It is hard to do a total work change, but I think you have been waiting for the proverbial dead end street to open up. Turn left this time, and not right. Good luck with whichever decision you make. :thumbup:

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Twist the throttle, tilt the horizon, and have a great time. What triples are all about...........


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 9:36 am 
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:34 pm
Posts: 9826
Location: North Central NC
You didn't mention the third shift part at first, and that would be an important consideration to me. It changes a lot of things in a person's life. If you're OK with that, then my previous post stands. Also, you made a very good case for not staying in the printing industry, so even if third shift sucks, you're better off there, looking for an 8 to 5 job than staying where you are and looking for an 8 to 5 job.

I guess third shift means low traffic for the drive to work. :)

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If it surges, that's normal, upshift.


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:31 am 
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Maybe I've been lucky but I have never made a job change that didn't turn out to be a good thing even when I took a cut in pay to take it. I do admit that it wasn't all just luck but taking advantage of the new opportunities that were presented.
If you want to be complacent just stick with the old job... if you want to learn more and take advantage of new opportunities go for the new job. Your learned new skills may present new opportunities for the future with yet a better job offer. In any case, it will increase your work history portfolio instead of limiting it to one industry.

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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 10:57 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:36 pm
Posts: 166
You are right. Much like of the mechanical questions I've posted...just putting it down helps...i was seeing stars for about an hour after the counter but i think I've come out of it. Maybe a company h2 might have done it.
The last time i rattled the cage about a raise they told me well i get all that overtime..they say that to others as well. Your raise is your overtime. And when we are slow it's well things are to slow now. Anyway thanks for the input!!

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1972 S2 350, 1972 F9 350 Bighorn, 1975 KX400, 1981 YZ465, 1980 XT500 (Built for MX) , 1987 KD80, 1995 MZ Skorpion, TTR 125, 1994 KDX200 , 1978 Mobylette, 1985 KX350R-F91m (Frankenstein) and a Doodle Bug


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 11:06 am 

Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:36 pm
Posts: 166
mraxl wrote:
Maybe I've been lucky but I have never made a job change that didn't turn out to be a good thing even when I took a cut in pay to take it. I do admit that it wasn't all just luck but taking advantage of the new opportunities that were presented.
If you want to be complacent just stick with the old job... if you want to learn more and take advantage of new opportunities go for the new job. Your learned new skills may present new opportunities for the future with yet a better job offer. In any case, it will increase your work history portfolio instead of limiting it to one industry.

exactly. Its widely held that even in the same industry the way to get ahead is to change jobs every few years...people do it in this industry all the time...would you believe that i had to sign a no compete contract when i started here?! I cant work in the print industry within a 75 mile radius for 1 year after leaving...actually attempts to spell out monetary damages etc...I've been bitter about that for years come to think about it....I always thought id never be able to afford to leave here. I even asked him if i could moonlight at another shop a while back...doing run of the mill stuff..he said no because i know how to do things that this shop sometimes pays us to do.
See...the more i go on it becomes clear.
And you are right about new skills...these will be portable skills so to speak, cross industry.

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1972 S2 350, 1972 F9 350 Bighorn, 1975 KX400, 1981 YZ465, 1980 XT500 (Built for MX) , 1987 KD80, 1995 MZ Skorpion, TTR 125, 1994 KDX200 , 1978 Mobylette, 1985 KX350R-F91m (Frankenstein) and a Doodle Bug


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 1:47 pm 

Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2014 3:45 am
Posts: 796
Location: Cen Tex
+1...you've answered your own question...take the new job.

As you say, print is dying, it's a dead end at some point.

A maint tech is a good job, I've been there. And it can lead to management, that's what happened to me.

New job has a pension? You have to jump on that!
Almost unheard of these days, wish I had one...

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H2B..... H1E..... Z1B ..... RD350...... X6 Hustler..... TS250.... CB750 ..... CB550...... and a Bomber!!


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PostPosted: Sat Sep 30, 2017 3:20 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 6:26 pm
Posts: 901
Location: Zionsville,PA
You answered your own questions with the facts you presented.

1) Print is dying
2) Healthcare costs
3) no raise for 12 years but all of a sudden they can offer one when you give notice?


I'm a machinist and worked for my previous employer for 29 years. I got tired of being lied to ( raises, programming position etc ) and found another job. They offered me a good raise but I had already made up my mind. ( I had told the previous owner "if I give notice, it's too late, I've already made up my mind" )

My new job is beyond fantastic. I work with good people and everybody gets along. I'm more relaxed and am enjoying work once again. There are quite a few folks where I work now that have been there for 30 or 40 years. Until I got my friend Jared in as a welder, the "low man on the totem pole" has been working there for 20 years.

Take the new job and don't look back. Also make sure you leave on good terms too. NEVER burn bridges regardless of much much they may deserve it.

Jeff


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