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Furloughed for one week a month.

RM222

Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2023
Member Number
6884
Messages
22
Loc
Pacific Northwest
You guys have seen the news, the IAM is on Strike and Brand B is furloughing all of it's non-union employees, including myself. This is the second time for me in 3-4 years. I'm not singing the blues here, maybe just need to talk. I still get 75% of my paycheck and benefits, plus a week off a month. Honestly it's a good time for a break and I have money saved up. It's a fucking nightmare getting a group of 30 people to discuss/decide on who gets which week off. So-and-so has a trip planned to Cabo, other So-and-so has surgery scheduled, so-and so has a wedding to attend.... My last manager was more of a type A personality, he just assigned the furlough weeks and that was it. This new group I'm in, it's a vote/discussion which takes so much longer.

Also, last time I was furloughed, I applied for unemployment for the first time in my life, ended up paying half of it back after appeals and such. I'm pretty sure my paperwork was accurate, it was either the state of Washington or brand B who screwed something up.

I support the IAM and think they should hold out for everything they can get. I'm still getting paid (less), but from IAM friends I speak with and everything I read in the news, this is going to be a long strike. Possibly into 2025. That's a lot of people out of work or on reduced pay, we will see what happens I guess.

What bothers me is I can't get a second job to make up for the difference without submitting a conflict of interest through HR. I get it, getting a remote job for a competitor or supplier would be unethical, but putting my skills to use in a different facet of aviation or industry in general?
 
and I got in trouble for never showing up on Sunny Fridays in my union :laughing:


dude, you need to make up 25% of your check, I would challenge that to no end, they don't own you , but I was that guy that could find every loop hole in the contract in my shop I was also that guy that made them play by their own rules, and they did not like that

also
mentioned in another thread, I got sent home quite a bit:grinpimp:
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
they don't own you ,
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Not to be an asshole, but obviously they do

"What bothers me is I can't get a second job to make up for the difference without submitting a conflict of interest through HR. I get it, getting a remote job for a competitor or supplier would be unethical, but putting my skills to use in a different facet of aviation or industry in general?"

Who do you think you can thank for that?

And Unions wonder.....................
 
RM222 said:
You guys have seen the news, the IAM is on Strike and Brand B is furloughing all of it's non-union employees, including myself. This is the second time for me in 3-4 years. I'm not singing the blues here, maybe just need to talk. I still get 75% of my paycheck and benefits, plus a week off a month. Honestly it's a good time for a break and I have money saved up. It's a fucking nightmare getting a group of 30 people to discuss/decide on who gets which week off. So-and-so has a trip planned to Cabo, other So-and-so has surgery scheduled, so-and so has a wedding to attend.... My last manager was more of a type A personality, he just assigned the furlough weeks and that was it. This new group I'm in, it's a vote/discussion which takes so much longer.

Also, last time I was furloughed, I applied for unemployment for the first time in my life, ended up paying half of it back after appeals and such. I'm pretty sure my paperwork was accurate, it was either the state of Washington or brand B who screwed something up.

I support the IAM and think they should hold out for everything they can get. I'm still getting paid (less), but from IAM friends I speak with and everything I read in the news, this is going to be a long strike. Possibly into 2025. That's a lot of people out of work or on reduced pay, we will see what happens I guess.

What bothers me is I can't get a second job to make up for the difference without submitting a conflict of interest through HR. I get it, getting a remote job for a competitor or supplier would be unethical, but putting my skills to use in a different facet of aviation or industry in general?
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Use your skillset to make you and your family some $$$. Why be beholden to the union and or the company? They are collectively taking 25% of your paycheck and earnings. Do what you can with the 25% of your time that is now yours again. Not working and not compensated means it is not "their" time.
 
RM222 said:
I support the IAM and think they should hold out for everything they can get. I'm still getting paid (less), but from IAM friends I speak with and everything I read in the news, this is going to be a long strike. Possibly into 2025. That's a lot of people out of work or on reduced pay, we will see what happens I guess.
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As a member of the IAM out on strike, thanks for your support. Most of us that have been there since the 2014 contract extension have been prepping for this contract, stashing away in a separate strike fund. The 96% approval to strike had to shock execs!

As for furloughs and layoffs. Strike or not Boeing is heavy in the middle and needs to do some trimming. For example. When I hired in there were two second level managers and a handful of first lines on the floor running all of equipment services for Auburn and Fredrickson. Now there are two third levels, four second levels and more 1st lines. 1st lines don't even have time to be on the floor because they are always in meetings or working on projects created by the fluff above them. All that and there are less mechs and techs. Each of those second levels has atleast one analyst, and probably biz ops too. Normal companies or structure usually resembles a pyramid. B is a diamond.
 
Jwredneck said:
As a member of the IAM out on strike, thanks for your support. Most of us that have been there since the 2014 contract extension have been prepping for this contract, stashing away in a separate strike fund. The 96% approval to strike had to shock execs!

As for furloughs and layoffs. Strike or not Boeing is heavy in the middle and needs to do some trimming. For example. When I hired in there were two second level managers and a handful of first lines on the floor running all of equipment services for Auburn and Fredrickson. Now there are two third levels, four second levels and more 1st lines. 1st lines don't even have time to be on the floor because they are always in meetings or working on projects created by the fluff above them. All that and there are less mechs and techs. Each of those second levels has atleast one analyst, and probably biz ops too. Normal companies or structure usually resembles a pyramid. B is a diamond.
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Have you ever considered just doing your job?

Serious question. I don't know what you do, but if you can run the jobsite better than Boeing, why aren't you working for Boeing making bank?
 
Jwredneck said:
As a member of the IAM out on strike, thanks for your support. Most of us that have been there since the 2014 contract extension have been prepping for this contract, stashing away in a separate strike fund. The 96% approval to strike had to shock execs!

As for furloughs and layoffs. Strike or not Boeing is heavy in the middle and needs to do some trimming. For example. When I hired in there were two second level managers and a handful of first lines on the floor running all of equipment services for Auburn and Fredrickson. Now there are two third levels, four second levels and more 1st lines. 1st lines don't even have time to be on the floor because they are always in meetings or working on projects created by the fluff above them. All that and there are less mechs and techs. Each of those second levels has atleast one analyst, and probably biz ops too. Normal companies or structure usually resembles a pyramid. B is a diamond.
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I think that’s all big corps now. I’m constantly amazed at how many new positions get created that don’t do Jack shit except add another layer of bureaucracy. I’d guess 90% of them are touted as streamlining or efficiency positions. If they would just hire more people on the front lines maybe we wouldn’t be constantly trying to do more with less.
 
Pony_Driver said:
Have you ever considered just doing your job?

Serious question. I don't know what you do, but if you can run the jobsite better than Boeing, why aren't you working for Boeing making bank?
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I do do my job. I fix the CNC equipment that makes parts for the planes. I enjoy what I do and have no interest in going back into management. Did that at my previous employer and missed the satisfaction of troubleshooting and repair.
 
I got the 1 week a month furlough during covid, at the time that week was unemployment-eligible and didn't have to look for work, but it paid a bunch less than work.
Only took about two months of that for my employer to figure out that furloughing their customer-facing people wasn't a winning strategy.
I spent my weeks off building my jeep, it was a good time.
 
If I were Boeing I'd be putting any future product lines in SC.

I get that you want fair comp, but that is a company that's hurting bad. You can only squeeze so much out of a company who was already losing a fortune per day before the strike kicked off.

I have family who works for B in Seattle, they weren't caught in the strike but they are looking to leave now before it all crashes and burns.


It's super shitty that they try to limit where you can work while you're furloughed.

Edit: I expect this strike to be the straw that breaks the camels back. Stable business lines like Defence & satellites get spun off the rest of the company gets bought out.
I hope I'm wrong as I always wish the best for American companies.
 
Are you on the wet or dry side? I haven’t talked to any of my friends that are Big B emps. I’m in GA on the dry side and I am getting at least 1 week a month off with the economy the way it is. Trying to pick up my consulting side , because I don’t think GA is gonna come back before I want to be done fixing other peoples shit. I won’t speak bad about the strike, but it does seem to be really bad timing. I do feel like their site here has a lot of chiefs and not enough Indians, but even the Indians seem to work so slow they always have overtime. They spend a lot of time in the cafe onsite…if you’re on the dry side DM me and we can go play in the sand or go fly a plane.
 
Void_of_Light said:
Wasn’t it just ruled than non competes were invalid?
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Sorta, the FCC said they were invalid and not legal and then the Chevron case was ruled on and now I think it's on hold as the agency no longer have that digression in making rules.

If you not working during that week, I'm not really sure why HR needs to even know about it? If I'm not obligated to work for brand b during this week, why am I obligated to sit on my ass and do nothing. I'm not getting paid.
 
RM222 said:
from IAM friends I speak with and everything I read in the news, this is going to be a long strike. Possibly into 2025.
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I hope not. 80% of Boeings titanium comes from my site. We're far enough ahead that it won't affect me until next year though.
 
Bogus One said:
Not to be an asshole, but obviously they do

They only do if you let them. Conflict of interest is, if you are a Boeing employee, and you are working at Airbus on the down time. Or you are buying parts, and you are buying from a family owned business without declaring it.
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You can get a job, you are not an indentured servant
 
Weasel said:
Sorta, the FCC said they were invalid and not legal and then the Chevron case was ruled on and now I think it's on hold as the agency no longer have that digression in making rules.

If you not working during that week, I'm not really sure why HR needs to even know about it? If I'm not obligated to work for brand b during this week, why am I obligated to sit on my ass and do nothing. I'm not getting paid.
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I work 2 other jobs and a small business apart from my main job. HR doesn't know, nor should they need to. My time, I'll do what I want as long as it's legal and doesn't have an impact to my work or the company.

Only did union work ~5 months and it was of no benefit other than stealing 5% of my paycheck. Couple guys got on the foreman's shit list and got fired for bullshit. One guy while running grader slid into one of the work trucks, denting a door. He took getting fired over them taking damages from his pay (illegal) expecting the union would instantly reverse that bullshit.
Nope.. sorry bud, see you. Worked there over 12 years too.
Main reason I didn't continue that place was due to that foreman. Was worse dealing with him than TIs in basic training.
 
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