Thinks are changing. And for me for the better. I’ll have to start this story off by going back a bit in time. And I’ll try to keep this all as short as a story covering 10+ years can get. Have to mention this is a story about my job. If you want the really short version this is it. I’m finally switching positions in the factory. Getting out of a job I never wanted and no longer feel safe in. So the longer version is…..
Quite a few years ago we had this guy who was, to put it politely, a problem. He’d stand around all morning. Claim he got sick and go home. Leaving a days work sitting untouched. I had worked on a glass drill like his years before. So I volunteered to learn the new drill. Just so this work would get out the door. This problem guy got fired. For being a problem. Now there is a need to know some details. In our factory we have a bidding system. When a job position needs to be filled a notice goes up on a bulletin board. People then can fill out a job request form to fill that position. That didn’t happen. I was told because I already knew some of this job I now have this job. I didn’t want the job. I told my boss I didn’t want the job. Didn’t matter. The job was mine. Now to jump to around two years ago. I was working with an electric hand held tool. Because the drill uses a lot of water the floor was wet. I kneeled down onto my left knee. I don’t remember screaming. Or hitting the floor. When I came to I was in the middle of a conversation with a co worker. No idea what we were talking about. All I remember is my right hand. The hand holding the tool. Getting shocked. Turns out I melted the rubber off the cord under my knee. Someone had repaired the split shielding on the cord with electrical tape. Long story short I’m fine. But not happy. I had to fill out an accident report. This report simply swept this incident under the rug. Claiming it was my fault for not checking the cord. Changes have been made. Now all the cords on all hand held power tools get replaced. Weather they need to be or not. Little solace for me. I swept the incident under the rug and kept going. Now it’s a around a month ago. Changes were made in a safety procedure. What was done before made you completely safe. This was a way to add to it. Not any safer. Just something new. Hard to explain with out going into full detail. I’m a creature of habit. I looked to see the safety procedure practiced for years was done. Without any thought of the new procedure I went to help someone. This was seen and caused an uproar. I even heard rumors of me loosing my job over this. Nothing happened. Except for me. It’s had to explain what it feels like to open an old wound. One you kept yourself from dealing with. In a nutshell. I had 110 electricity go through my heart. This was swept under the carpet. I was completely safe but forgot a new procedure. The world is coming to an end. I’m a guy. I don’t know how to explain how I feel. Unpleasant is the best I can come up with. A different position came up for bid. I got it. For the first time in years they are finally letting me leave a job i never asked for. Nor wanted. The down side? It may take up to seven months to train someone to do my job. At least that is what i was told. The people in the other department. The department where my new job is waiting for me. They are screaming it will only take three weeks. So sometime between three weeks to seven months from now I’ll be a lot happier at work. Same pay. Keep my four weeks of vacation. Be on second shift. Been there before and liked second shift. And I’ll be over what I’m feeling now. I’ll be happy. And that matters more to me than the rest of it. Yes. Incase you were wondering. If I didn’t get this position I would have quit. Over twenty years in one place. But I would have been happy anyway. And in the end that’s all that really matters.
