Jump to content
panteramatt

need some job advice

Recommended Posts

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.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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. 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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 #. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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!

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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).

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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,

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...