# Bah! Humbug! Stomach flue, no contract--Gonna eat some worms!!!



## Brian Rupnow (Sep 10, 2008)

Or something like that. The engineering contract that was supposed to come through last week has gone astray somewhere. I've spent the last 4 days hovering within running distance of the can with some damn stomach bug. I just sent out 101 emails soliciting contract work from engineering and manufacturing companies in my area. A sign of the times is that 20 of them bounced back as "undeliverable"---which means that they have either gone out of business or changed their email address. I spoke to one of my long time customers this morning, and "Yes, we have lots of work---We'll call you right back after we have a meeting to set up job priorities"---That was 8 hours ago. Maybe I'll run away and become a male stripper----


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## tel (Sep 10, 2008)

Brian Rupnow  said:
			
		

> Maybe I'll run away and become a male stripper----



Strewth mate - can you post a list of venues, so we can avoid 'em?


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 10, 2008)

Jeez, Tel, I was thinking of asking you to be my agent---


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## Kludge (Sep 10, 2008)

Brian Rupnow  said:
			
		

> Jeez, Tel, I was thinking of asking you to be my agent---



I was just reading that Australia has a shortage of the male of the species. You may be able to do quite well there. ;D


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## ChooChooMike (Sep 10, 2008)

All the Aussie men are in Las Vegas in the show *Thunder From Down Under*..... :big:

and we're not talking about the noisy, gaseous kinds ....  :


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 11, 2008)

Well the flue seems to be clearing up---guess I didn't have Listeriosis after all!! As for the male stripper thing---remember back in the 1950,s all the circuses would have a dancing bear--about the same, I'd say. On a more serious note, the downturn in the economy here has brought all things automotive to a screeching halt. Although automotive only accounts for about 35 percent of my work, everything else is slow right now too. Its a strange time of year--all the junior techies are going back to the fall school term, and all the companies that build custom "things" are looking at their budget to see how much project money is left for this fiscal year. Looking back over the year so far to see what I've done already--A set of roller presses with die knives inset into the rollers to make jigsaw puzzles---A bit of work on an underground mining machine---A bunch of manipulators for General Motors (These are devices with air assisted counterbalances to let a man pick up really heavy items and install them on autos on the assembly line--as in seat assemblies, rear axle assemblies, gas tanks, etc.)---A spill proof dogs water dish for a local inventor---A system which raises and lowers the head on a very tall light post to change the big bulbs at ground level,---a machine which grinds up computers to reclaim the materials they are made of, a set of semi automated drilling and tapping stations for drilling and tapping aluminum extrusions,--- and the infamous "cookie dough machine" which has a hopper filled with 1200 pounds of cookie dough, a set of extruder rolls, a set of extruder dies for different size cookies,a flying shear, and a belt conveyor, a robot to place sheets of waxed cardboard on the conveyor to place the cookies on---with 3 seperate servo drives and a PLC to synchronize everything. Hows that for diversity??? I had a bid in on some special heat treat fixtures for a company that makes hardened drill rods for the mining industry, and it was supposed to morph into a purchase order last week, but either they didn't like my price, or their head office refused to fund it. At the moment I'm setting here rather frustrated, because I've phoned all my regular customers---who all have "work pending" but nothing right now. This week I have nothing. Next week 10 people will all call at once and all want their machine done before anybody elses.


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## Stan (Sep 11, 2008)

The manufacturing industry in North America is hurting for various reasons but all boiling down to the basic, non-competitive with other countries.

I was surprised this summer to see Buzz Hargrove accept that fact, but still many members of his union voted against his recommendations. This week the Simmons Mattress plant closed during a three week strike. Will unemployment insurance be better than the wage rate they were getting. Likewise, Boeing is on strike costing the company $100 million a day. With the US economy struggling, that is a significant loss of export dollars.

I think there has to be a major change with labor and management working together to produce quality products at affordable prices. It is just not reasonable for a senior executive to get $10 million a year and semi skilled labor to get $100 thousand.


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## tel (Sep 11, 2008)

Brian Rupnow  said:
			
		

> Jeez, Tel, I was thinking of asking you to be my agent---



OK mate - stock the stretch limo up with Glenfiddich and cigars and I'm on me way!


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## ksouers (Sep 11, 2008)

Stan  said:
			
		

> ... semi skilled labor to get $100 thousand.



Where do I sign up? I'm a computer programmer with 20+ years and don't make anywhere near that.


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## dsquire (Sep 11, 2008)

Stan  said:
			
		

> I think there has to be a major change with labor and management working together to produce quality products at affordable prices. It is just not reasonable for a senior executive to get $10 million a year and semi skilled labor to get $100 thousand.



Just curious, what is your definition of "semi skilled labor"?

I know a lot of people that I would consider semi skilled or better that never have to write any numbers like that on their Income Tax Forms.

Cheers

Don


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## baldrocker (Sep 11, 2008)

Bloody Hell Tel
Whats wrong with 4x
Baldrocker


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## Stan (Sep 11, 2008)

Canadian auto industry peg their assembly line workers (semi skilled?) cost at $75.00/hour including benefits. Work it out for yourself!

ksouers: You point out part of the problem. Many highly educated and highly skilled people make much less than the unionized assembly line worker in the manufacturing sector. Remember when your parents told you to get a good education you wouldn't have to work with your back?


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 11, 2008)

Stan---The dollar value that they "peg" their workers at and the dollars per hour that people working on the line make are two widely different things. I know a lot of "semi-skilled" workers and none of them are making that kind of money. Yes, if you count unemployment insurance premiums (the portion paid by the company), pension plans, sick days, holidays, etcetera, it comes to a rather startling number, but what are the workers earning?? If you take out paid overtime and base it on a 40 hour week, then I think perhaps $60,000 a year tops for a man with 15 years seniority.


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## tel (Sep 12, 2008)

baldrocker  said:
			
		

> Bloody Hell Tel
> Whats wrong with 4x
> Baldrocker



 ;D Takes up too much room in the limo. AND you spelled it wrong - *X X X X*


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## baldrocker (Sep 12, 2008)

Oh Dear
Back to the Vic Bitter
BR


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## Stan (Sep 12, 2008)

Brian: You are correct in that base pay in the auto industry is $30.00+/hour. When it is time to negotiate wages, the union insists that all the benefits are part of earnings and any attempt to reduce benefits is considered to be a reduction in salary. I am sure you watched the fight in the US auto industry this summer. 

If you want to look at a different industry. The oil industry in the Alberta Tar Sands pay $100K plus for truck drivers and tradesmen make 'big' money. These figures don't include benefits. Is $100K for a truck driver rational?

Regardless of wages, cooperation between labor and management is necessary. When the Japanese auto manufacturers came to North America they insisted on using Japanese managers and Japanese labor practice. They may be wrong, but they produced a quality product that the market bought. The Big 3 still doesn't get it and now they want (and getting) the taxpayer to fund their mistakes.


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