Blah, that kid over there means, blah
For the first time in a long time, I can say that my finances are on the increase after what seems like an eternity of barely getting by. Ever since probably two summers ago, I never seem to have any money. When I hinged my income on things like substitute teaching or minimum wage jobs, I wasn’t doing too well. My credit score plummeted; my savings were nonexistent; and even certain necessities were ignored while I seemed to pay bills whenever I could. For the past year now, I’ve been making $9.00 per hour working in a factory through a temp service and supplementing my income with a few hundred bucks a month substitute teaching-a “career” I ultimately decided wasn’t worth my time anymore. I still plan on holding that occupation, and for the next school year, I will work in a similar capacity: probably one day a week with the default “do not give a fuck” attitude. My $9.00 per hour job is also disappearing.
For the past year, I’ve been doing “monkey work” at a place called Ammex Plastics. Nobody knows what that place is, but it’s on Ternes Avenue down the road from Cracker Barrel in the industrial neighborhood. I call my job monkey work, because if they could train monkeys to push buttons and shuffle parts, the place would be filled with monkeys. They make plastic parts primarily for automotive industries. They make some of the simplest parts, such as the vent caps for transmission fluids, plastic components for shocks, door panel brackets, and other parts too numerous to mention. Some of the parts are as small as a dime and are shipped out in boxes by the thousands. There are about 12 machines, or presses, that make the parts. My job was to essentially sit in front of the machine, wait for it to spit out a part, open and close the door, and sit there. It was tedium to the highest degree, and there are a few dozen other people that do the higher-up work. But, my services in that department are no longer needed. Through the temp service, I have been officially employed by the company beginning Monday, July 1. I will no longer be a “press operator” at $9.00 per hour, nor will I be working the midnight shift anymore. Never again-unless I have nothing else to do-will I be a monkey.
I will now be-insert fancy title-a “material handler/logistics operator” in the same building, and I will be starting off working the first shift from 7:30-4:00, although my shifts will change and vary once I’m fully trained. I will also be entitled to company benefits, such as health insurance, 401k, paid vacations and sick days, profit sharing, and a starting rate of $12.00 per hour. That rate is more than most other starting positions within the company. If I was officially hired in as a monkey-working press operator, I would’ve made probably $10.00 per hour. The reason I was chosen for this position is because production is constantly on the increase, and they knew I would be capable enough to handle this position-a position that will mostly include shipping and receiving, final inspections of parts, and labeling and organizing pallets. It was a job formerly held by a guy named John, who was fired about a month ago for a long run of poor performance. I will be the first person that the company has hired in about eight months, and my temp job will be replaced with the next primate on Advance’s list of candidates in need of a job. Ammex rarely hires anyone directly, and anyone employed through the company most likely came from the Advance temp service. I am one of the few who have clung on long enough to the same company to be brought in as an employee, even though I’ve been working at Ammex 40 hours a week since I first started about 10½ months ago.
In that time, I’ve only called off once and left early on one occasion. I only showed up more than 30 minutes late on four occasions-each one because I simply didn’t get up on time to make it in but lied and said I had car troubles. My punctuality is lacking, as I tended to show up 3-4 minutes late almost every day to the point where some were shocked if I showed up even a minute early. But, that didn’t really matter, and I’m sure with a higher rate and more responsibility, I will be more punctual, especially since the supervisors and owner will be there when I come in. Unlike any other job I’ve ever had, the supervisors-Mike and Ryan-and owner-Dave Jr.-are very nice and friendly people, and I look forward to working for them.
The $3.00 per hour raise I am receiving is by far the biggest income increase I’ve ever had. I’ve never made more than $9.15 per hour at a job before, so $12.00 per hour is a huge jump. That equates to $480 per week or $2,080 per month (about $1,600 after taxes). That is about $400 more a month in my pocket, and that will definitely help out a lot. I’m not jumping into spending any of that money, but I would like to live a little more comfortably. I’m doing okay now, but I don’t have anything saved in case something goes wrong. I have a little bit of money in case my car fails again-something that cost me around $270 last month. I also seem crimped on my finances form having recently moved and taken a trip to Chicago. I don’t plan on moving or going back to Chicago soon, so I should be okay. There’s not really anything I need at the moment, although a few luxuries would be nice.