panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 So Im a chassis mechanic and have another job opportunity. I like what I do now and my bosses love me. The new job is for a forklift road tech. They offered me 4$ more an hour and my own truck. I was ready to jump ship til they told me they only give .25 on the $ to 4% for 401k! Thats HORRIBLE and I have a pention at my current job. With that being said, Im in the union now and hate it, my working conditions suck, I have to deal with lazy coworkers, and really stupid truck drivers, I have to drive 40 minutes over a crappy bridge and through the hood. On the other hand I get unlimited O.T. right now and Im not sure if I get o.t. and this job but think so but it would be nice to not be at work all day. So basically Im looking for advice and suggestions. My buddy works at this new place and he said he LOVES it there thats why I applied. The company is MHS, maybe someone around here has some insight on them. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
capt14k 2,052 Posted April 9, 2017 How many years do you have vested in your pension and how many years til you can start collecting it? Reason I ask is there may not be a pension when you retire. See the Teamsters. I would say unless you are close to retirement take the new job. Be glad the company gives anything towards your retirement. Invest the extra $4 an hour and you will come out ahead. Invest the value of a truck and you will come out way ahead. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Ive only been with my current company for 2 years. I loose my pension if I leave before 5 years. I considered that already. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Heres a list. Tell me what you think. Current Job Pros: Union Unlimited O.T. Pension Cons: Union Dealing with Insubordinate coworkers and some of the drivers Harsh environment sometimes Drive Tolls and fuel cost MHS: Pros: Own truck= No wear+tear on my stuff, tolls, or fuel $4 increase Bigger bonuses Pay for my boots Dont have to deal with insubordinates anymore No union dues Cons: TERRIBLE retirement not sure on the o.t. availability dont get paid for the first and last half hour of traveltime Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 It would appear you've made up your mind Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vicious 138 Posted April 9, 2017 Take the pension money and roll it into the new 401k, or cash it out and have some fun. Just make sure you make contributions that put you where you need to be.I have a pension and deferred comp. You can't depend on what they are going to give you. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 No I havent thats why Im getting opinions of others. I had my mind made up til I tialked to them and they told em about the retirement. Also, during my interview they made it sound like they paid me from th etime I left my house til the time I returned but thats not the case so its making it a little harder for me. Im not a fly by my pants kind of guy. I take my career serious. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Take the pension money and roll it into the new 401k, or cash it out and have some fun. Just make sure you make contributions that put you where you need to be.I have a pension and deferred comp. You can't depend on what they are going to give you. I will get NO pension if I leave my current job. NO payout, NOTHING Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EX Carnival man 223 Posted April 9, 2017 Think retirement, retirement, retirement. Try to put as much away as you possibly can. I come from a family where most of us own our own business. We have no 401K. My dad when I was 18 made me open an IRA.. He taught me to save for my retirement. My dad was a workaholic. He worked 7 days a week until he was 76. I watched him a man who could do anything slowly die from dementia. The last year of his life he was 80 and able to do very little. As I watch I thought to myself he was right. There's going to come a day when I too am going to be unable to work and generate any income. You have a hard decision to make. Whichever you choose put as much away as you can. We all get old. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 How much do you spend on gas and tolls to work? Add that in. I knew a guy that worked for Mhs or lift? He had a lot of flexibility during work Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 How much do you spend on gas and tolls to work? Add that in. I knew a guy that worked for Mhs or lift? He had a lot of flexibility during work About $50-$70 a week in travel expenses depending on what vehicle I feel like driving that week. What do you mean by flexibility? DId he get ot? My buddy says the company is very family oriented and actually care which means a LOT to me as Ive always worked for big corps where your just a #. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Think retirement, retirement, retirement. Try to put as much away as you possibly can. I come from a family where most of us own our own business. We have no 401K. My dad when I was 18 made me open an IRA.. He taught me to save for my retirement. My dad was a workaholic. He worked 7 days a week until he was 76. I watched him a man who could do anything slowly die from dementia. The last year of his life he was 80 and able to do very little. As I watch I thought to myself he was right. There's going to come a day when I too am going to be unable to work and generate any income. You have a hard decision to make. Whichever you choose put as much away as you can. We all get old. Yes I completely agree. I have around $150k saved so far. If I take this job I will take the 4% out and invest another 10% in the retirement fund I setup for my wife. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
T Bill 649 Posted April 9, 2017 Counting on a pension from someone else is a risky idea. Ask the retirees at GM. You have two years in at an employer you hate, poor working environment, supporting the union who could care less about you. My vote, take the offer! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Thanx BIll. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel 7,157 Posted April 9, 2017 I won't pretend to know anything about chassis mechanic jobs! But, my general advice to anyone serious about their career is to look beyond the immediate roles on the table. Assuming you have some years left in your career... where's the best opportunity for professional growth? You resent your slacker coworkers - that tells me you're a hard worker. The fact that your bosses love you back that up. So, have you fully leveraged the respect that have for you? Are you on track to being a "boss" too?... or perhaps in some kind of lead/trainer role? Have you even had that discussion with them? Do those roles even exist in either place? If not, which company seems to be on the better growth path? This is the perfect time to dig up all that info. I fact, I would suggest you have that discussion with both companies... "Now I know what this job looks like... but as a hard worker and someone serious about my career, I want to know what could the next one look like?" "Who has progressed in this company?" "What was it about their skills and talents that stood out to you?" "Is there any additional training or certification I should be looking at in order to progress?" If so... "Would you be willing to pay for all or some of that?" The answers you get may make your decision much easier. (Be subtle - don't tip off your current employer that you're looking or have an offer. In my experience, I've almost never seen that work out well). Good luck! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Thanx Mrs peel I knew you would have some good insight. I feel since I work at a large terminal, there's only so much growth there. My current boss started where I was at but he's young and devoted. This company seems like I could grow with them since their family owned but I don't know for sure just what my buddy and the 2 people who gave me the interview and the tests. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrentonShooter 22 Posted April 9, 2017 My opinion is this. You already know what you have on your current job. Pension and lots of overtime is great. Hostile insubordinant coworkers you will find everywhere you go. Retirement is very important now of days. You might compromise your future for a couple more bucks an hour and a truck. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs. Peel 7,157 Posted April 9, 2017 Personally? I wouldn't take a job unless I had those answers. You could reach out to whichever interviewer held the highest level in the company. If they were the same level, reach out to the one you "clicked" with the best... say you're very interested in the opportunity but have a few more quick questions to discuss in order to make a firm decision and could you pop by early this week and spend a few more minutes with him. Give him several days/time that would work - and let him pick one. (You want to do it in person, if at all possible, so you can see/read his face as he's giving answers. We all have a natural instinct to pick up truth vs. lie. So, trust your gut. Keep it brief too - respect his time. Ask for 20-30 min and do not let it go over the allotted time. THANK HIM for the additional time. Tell him you'll give him an answer within 48 hours... and then do that. You want to come off as serious, not high maintenance - not like you're stringing them along). If nothing else, by asking strategic, forward-focused questions... you will immediately distinguish yourself as a serious guy who's looking to work hard and progress with the company. Frankly, that puts you on the map.... as not just another guy looking for an extra 4 bucks an hour. And, honestly, I don't really see a downside to that! Edit: You said this about your current job: I feel since I work at a large terminal, there's only so much growth there. When you say "feel" - that tips me off that you may not have really asked the questions there either. Otherwise, I think you would have said: "I know there's not much growth there." You're not asking enough questions IMO. And that's why you're struggling with this decision - you have insufficient information. You're asking US - people on a gun forum - questions, which is fine... but you really need to be asking more questions of THEM (current and prospective employers). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 My opinion is this. You already know what you have on your current job. Pension and lots of overtime is great. Hostile insubordinant coworkers you will find everywhere you go. Retirement is very important now of days. You might compromise your future for a couple more bucks an hour and a truck. Ah but with this job I'd pretty much be my own boss. I'd leave my home and go by myself to the clients site and fix the lift. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 And yes Mrs peel I do feel I need to ask more questions. The reason I came to the people on this site is because most of you have been in the game longer than I and I ALWAYS receive great advice and leadership on this forum. And the reason I even came on here to ask is because I'm 80% sure it's the right move but I need to be 100% sure, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 Need to ask Mhs about overtime. Vehicle in your case adds another $1-$1.50 per hour per normal work week. How much OT do you get at current job? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 10-15 hours Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 How much OT is your friend getting? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 He doesn't get any as he's a painter there. I'm sure as a tech I get o.t. it's just how much. He asked another tech there and he said he don't ever want to work o.t. Buddy said he don't even want to work 40 hours so that doesn't help me at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YankeeSC 1,204 Posted April 9, 2017 I think the increased pay/bonus and use of a truck make up for anything you might be losing at the current job. Go for it, and open your own retirement account to keep up with the savings with the added income. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 Sounds like not happy at current. Take a chance. I would allow current employer chance to counter offer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 That's the thing Zeke they can't. The pay scale is determined by the union. I know they would but they cannot Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeke 5,504 Posted April 9, 2017 Asst working super? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Nope. We basically don't even have a boss as I never see them til I need them Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
panteramatt 27 Posted April 9, 2017 Well I'm 38 and healthy Mechanically skilled Own my home Married with no kids Only debt is my mortgage bit I do spend a ton of $ on my hobbies Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites