Lost Another Job

This one feels personal. This factory is known for hiring anybody. Everyone said I was a shoe in. I was the only guy that got fired, and five weeks is past the introductory stage, but before they'd have to make a decision based on whether or not they wanted to give me benefits, so it's a weird time to go. I asked the agency what the reason was, and they said the company only said they "didn't feel I was a good fit".

I think I know why it happened. My coworker and trainer for the new machine... Urg.. I'm not going to name names, but I'm going to strain my privacy policy just for this man. It's still hard to talk about, but it's also hard not to, if that makes sense.

Well, this guy was a middle-aged man and a master of the puppy dog face. He had no ambition in life other than to please authority. People weren't generally aware of his existence. When I first met him, I believed he was the sweetest, purest, most innocent man I'd ever met in my life. He spoke very little English and I don't think he was interested in training anyone. He never taught me how to put any of the inserts, or how to do the OPC, or how to fill my QB card. The first day I worked with him, I did one incredibly easy job. The next, I did a different one. On the third day, I did both jobs at once, and also, two more that were more difficult and which he never taught me how to do. It's a good thing I already knew them from the other station, but he didn't know that.

If I asked him a question, instead of answering me, he'd more likely do the job for me. And not just do that job, but every job until we were through with that part. And he never repeated himself. Whenever he asked me to do anything, he would say "Will you please" first. Probably buy me coffee, too.

All this makes you think that he was just shy. Probably self-conscious about his English, and not wanting to be the one to tell me to do anything I didn't want to do. I'm not going to harsh on him too badly for being an ineffective teacher. That's sort of a branch skill you don't usually need for a factory job. The only person I'd harsh on for that is a teacher.

But after awhile... you began to saw that his need to be seen as a "good boy" in the eyes of the authority could come off as kind of selfish. For instance, one time he dropped a gauge. It stopped working, and he asked me to go ask the lead hand to fix it. It's not like the lead hand was very far off, or that he was busy and needed to keep working, but rather, he wanted it to look like I did it.

Well, I thought that was kind of a dick move, but since he'd been there longer, it looks worse for him to make a mistake like that, so I covered for him.

One day, he told me we'd leave half an hour early. I thought it was out of character for him, so I asked him twice to confirm that's what he meant. He was closing in on the end of a 12 hour shift. There was a bug going around and I think he'd been feeling under the weather since the beginning. He looked dead on his feet. I didn't want to be the wet blanket that told him no. I got my coat, my backpack, and my QB card. I asked for his help filling out the card, just so that there is truly no misunderstanding based on language, and he'll see exactly what I'm doing. I had put down my time accurately on the card, but I saw he'd put down his full twelve. I do half of the same job as him, so we have to stop working at the same time. If we put down contradicting times, I'm selling him out. I ask him what to put down, and he tells me eight hours (he worked his first four hours with the other guy who does my job).

So I go and put my QB card, and I run into the supervisor. I thought that might happen. If you're going to skip out, don't do it so late in the day. There's no supervisor for Nights... It was the Day Shift supervisor. He goes, "You're leaving already?" I say "Yes" He says "Why?" I say "He told me to".

Supervisor sounds satisfied with that and dismisses me. Wasn't much else for me to say. Soon as I was caught, there was pretty much no way to protect my coworker. I can feel my false QB card itching, but I can't do anything, because it's already been submitted.

Next day, my trainer approaches me:
Him: Why you leave early?
Me: You told me to.
Him: No.
Me: Okay, I believe you didn't mean to. It must have been a miscommunication.
Him: No.
Me: I'm sorry, I mean, we didn't understand each other.
Him: No.
Me: I asked you twice.
Him: No. Supervisor ask me why you leave early. I don't know. I come back and you're gone. I don't know where you go.
Me: I'm sorry, I don't want you to get in trouble for my misunderstanding. Do you want me to talk to the supervisor and tell him it was my mistake?
Him: Don't talk supervisor. I'm not in trouble anymore. You have to work eight hour. You work only seven.
Me: Seven and a half.
Him: No. Why you go home early? I never told you to go home early.
Me: We didn't understand each other. I think you say go home early, but it's not true. I ask you twice if I go home early, but you don't understand me.
Him: No. I never tell you go home early. You never ask me go home early.
Me: Are you calling me a liar?
Him: No.
Me: Do you think I would leave if you told me not to?
Him: No.
Me: So we didn't understand each other.
Him: No.
Me: Are you saying I'm lying?
Him: No.
Me: I ask you twice.
Him: No. You have to work eight hour. You only work seven.
Me: Seven hour, thirty minute.
Him: No. Why you go home early? I never tell you go home early. You never ask me go home early.
Me: You ask same question, you get same answer.

So he kept asking me the same questions, and getting the same answers, until the bell rang for work to start. He spoke to the other guy who does that job, telling the story like it's a joke, and in his version. All throughout the day, he keeps reminding me to work eight hours, and to stay in the factory. And he's real nice about it. He buys me coffee, speaks even more formally when making requests...

Aaaaaand the next day is inventory. And guess what? It's not just the time on my QB card that's wrong, but also the part production, because he worked a twelve hour shift whereas I only worked eight. He told me to put down the same number as him.

Sooo, don't you think it's a little suspect that the one day he gets me to put the wrong number, the next day is inventory, and he knows this but doesn't tell me?

The man wants to be alone. He doesn't want anyone but authority to know of his existence. He wants to be a good boy for the higher ups. He doesn't mind sacrificing subordinates for his reputation.

In the eyes of my supervisor, he had to decide weather it was me or him that was lying. And with that guy's habit of widening his eyes, and staring at you pleadingly, just looking for a bit of understanding... That puppy dog look he'd fix on the lead hand every time he broke something and wanted it understood that it wasn't really his fault... That look he fixed on ME every time he responded "No" in that dialogue up there... Well, to my supervisor, he probably saw me as a guy who cut out early, tried to take credit for more parts than I did, and when I was caught, I threw this sweet, innocent old man under the bus. I'd probably hate me, too.

And now, tonight, there's going to be word on the factory floor, when my previous coworkers look to my station and see it empty. They'll look for an answer, and you just know something's gonna catch, and I don't know what it's gonna be. That... drives... me... CRAZY!

But heeeeey, guess what? I have a pair of their reusable gloves. I have a key for my lock to the robotic arm. Maybe they'll need that back, but I doubt it. They probably have a copy. I've got a stamp, too, to signify which parts I've done. Even if they don't ask for them back, maybe I'll swing by and offer them.

I've got a new job, though. Agency offered it fifteen minutes after they told me I was fired.

Thing about Linamar is, they've single-handedly pulled Guelph out of the recession. They have seven branches and work through an agency. This means that if they lay you off after three months, you won't stop working for them. You'll just get rotated to another branch. In this way, you can work permanently for Linamar as a temp.