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OK so after getting in the field of auto repair I see all the bad it has to offer. Such as a tool bill that never ends. Around here a top of about 20 per hour and the most serious how hard it is on your body. I went to the doctor today for a deep cut I received on my finger about a week ago. It happened at work and wouldn't stop bleeding the manager said put some super glue on it to stop the bleeding. No biggie. Well as of three days ago it has become swollen tender as all [censored] and now the pain is throughout my hand. So I go see a doctor who wanted me to go straight to urgent care or er. I begged him to see me as a hospital visit is alot more costly. He did and gave me meds and said absolutely do not work for at least 3 days. I asked what happened if I did and he said it'll get worse and I'll need iv ect. So I called my service manager to tell him and he told me I absolutely cannot miss even a day of work. I explained to him the situation and still he said be here at 8 sharp no matter what. ...... what have I learned being in auto repair seems to be a joke the pay isn't very good its hard work and you don't always get treated very well. Bad part is I love working on cars but I hate all that goes with it. If I could just fix cars without the drama and [censored] it would be wonderful. Anyone else's career field like this? Anyone else work for company that made you hate something you once loved?
 
move to Canada buddy. We get paid lots and don't work that hard. a first year mechanic starts around 30 ish. a heavy duty mechanic makes about 50 to 60$ an hour after school is done. superlube starts at least 15$ most of the time 17$
 
Sounds like you're paying your dues. I have a lot of respect for good techs, and there are good indys who get >$100/hr outside of the dealership type operation...

But lower-end, non specialized techs are a dime a dozen, unfortunately. And that's nothing against auto repair, this is the case in any trade and any professional field too.

So the real question is what are you doing to differentiate yourself? Being a quitter when you just incurred massive debt to get into a field isn't exactly the smartest move, IMO. What are you going to do instead? As I recall, you're divorced with one kid and one infant, and a wife with a marginal job, who probably is mooching massive child support, and a new car you are also probably I debt for.

Will a court even let you quit your job?

I'll ask again, what are you doing to differentiate yourself in your skills and capabilities? What kind of job do you have? Dealership, corporate place, low end kind of place like mineke?

Good luck, I hope for the best.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
I go see a doctor who...said absolutely do not work for at least 3 days...I called my service manager...he said be here at 8 sharp no matter what

Did the doctor give you a note to give to your boss? If not, why not?
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Sounds like you're paying your dues. I have a lot of respect for good techs, and there are good indys who get >$100/hr outside of the dealership type operation...

But lower-end, non specialized techs are a dime a dozen, unfortunately. And that's nothing against auto repair, this is the case in any trade and any professional field too.

So the real question is what are you doing to differentiate yourself? Being a quitter when you just incurred massive debt to get into a field isn't exactly the smartest move, IMO. What are you going to do instead? As I recall, you're divorced with one kid and one infant, and a wife with a marginal job, who probably is mooching massive child support, and a new car you are also probably I debt for.

Will a court even let you quit your job?

I'll ask again, what are you doing to differentiate yourself in your skills and capabilities? What kind of job do you have? Dealership, corporate place, low end kind of place like mineke?

Good luck, I hope for the best.


I don't want do quit but it may be worth giving some thought to night classes for a different career
 
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: ram_man
I go see a doctor who...said absolutely do not work for at least 3 days...I called my service manager...he said be here at 8 sharp no matter what

Did the doctor give you a note to give to your boss? If not, why not?


Yea I have a note my boss said that he didn't care and that the doctor doesn't know anything.
 
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So this is worker's comp and you need the doc to get you into that system and give you the form that reads "no work" though realistically you'd get "light duty" since you still have one working wing and you'd be sweeping floors till it heals.
 
Let me tell you in my area the is alot of people out of work and very minimal jobs with a decent starting wage. I am glad I am content with driving older vehicles and saved enough money to put 27% down on my house so my mortgage is manageable. Not that I like or want to be frugal but in this day & age --- you have to be realistic!!
 
Live and learn.

Wherever you are working sucks bad. You have a badly infected cut and you absolutely cannot even miss a day of work? Yeah, they suck at running a business. Those types of places never get better. If they are in a situation where they can't allow one person some sick time, they are screwing up majorly in some way. It indicates they do not give a flying feces about your health, personal time, work/life balance, etc and the business is poorly managed and running on the absolute bare minimum of labor at all times.

What's exceptional about this is they are denying you sick time when a doctor has said you MUST have sick time. I have never had a company do that to me. I have had a major cut on the job, worked the rest of the shift, then went to a doctor the next day. Doctor said NO work, [censored] job said okay and gave me days off, no questions. They may be violating some kind of labor law by denying you sick time when a doctor says you must have it.

I like working on cars, but I refuse to work on other people's cars except for a handful of family members who know it's really just an excuse to drink beers in the driveway. I do not accept money for automotive repairs. I keep it strictly casual and have learned to throw in the towel before I think I should on cars that do not belong to me. Working on other people's garbage [censored] cars sucks, and I will not get wrapped up in whatever car drama they have going on. I have lost all respect for people who don't have a clue about their cars, at least when it comes to me working on them. People get all panicky and worked up about their cars being broken because they don't understand what's going on and just want someone to fix it cheap and fast. I'm not going to get involved with that, period. A lack of planning on their part is not an emergency on my part, period.

I do still have a day to day need to be involved with mechanical things, so I find parts to be my happy medium. When someone wants a hooptie diagnosis, I usually play dumb and point to the service department.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: ram_man
I go see a doctor who...said absolutely do not work for at least 3 days...I called my service manager...he said be here at 8 sharp no matter what

Did the doctor give you a note to give to your boss? If not, why not?


Yea I have a note my boss said that he didn't care and that the doctor doesn't know anything.


Not trying to get all lawsuit happy, but isn't this a pretty serious issue? Its not like you hurt yourself playing backyard football.. you hurt yourself AT WORK.
 
Originally Posted By: ram_man
Originally Posted By: Tegger
Originally Posted By: ram_man
I go see a doctor who...said absolutely do not work for at least 3 days...I called my service manager...he said be here at 8 sharp no matter what

Did the doctor give you a note to give to your boss? If not, why not?


Yea I have a note my boss said that he didn't care and that the doctor doesn't know anything.


If the doctor said you can't work, then you can't work...period. If they make you work anyway, that's illegal. Report them to your Workers Comp office. If they fire you because you didn't come to work, that's also illegal. Then you sue the pants off them.

Actually, you probably already have grounds to sue them since they didn't allow you access to proper first aid and your injury got worse as a result. I'm not a sue happy person, but if they're going to do this to employees then they deserve it.
 
Ram call in sick and take down notes of any comments made to you by management, they are pushing you out the door. Go back after doc gives you a go ahead to return. Don t need to lose a finger or worse hand to infection. Your boss is not interested in your welfare and future,take care of yourself,
 
I can't express how good LE is. The salary, plus the OPTION for overtime and compensatory leave earnings is always available. On top of that, you get a "ticket to the best show on earth". That is the stupidity of people these days and the antics some have. LE is demanding, stressful, and dangerous, but boy does it give you the favor back. I would highly recommend looking into LE.
 
lots of good information above. Working for others is the way for them to get the credit, and most of the money. If you like cars jump to another place - more friendly - and think about a niche market you can do from home or elsewhere. I ran into a middle aged woman at UPS pickup some years back getting a box from Eastwood Tools. Said she went back to voc. school, did well in auto body. Hubby worked elsewhere, but they had a 2 car garage and were very discrete. I said I could use some body work, and she was just starting out, although a star student. 2 year waiting list. A guy near where I work fixed cars in his privacy fence back yard, used to be an A+P mechanic. Great 911 engine guy. Same year service.More $$ than airlines. Guy at work spends lots of hours at work, no time for anything else. Used to do full brake jobs on side, (really parts swapping) said made good $ being waaay cheaper than Midas, Firestone, etc. Still gets requests. He did a few full resto. on 1 specific type of sports car, would do more if he had time. Kids not interested, but he will make $125-35K this year, blue collar, lots of hours at regular job. Has Good insurance, but so does wife. for you perhaps an Indy to start, preferably with more interesting stuff to experience.Remember Obamacare may be a flop, but it will still be something, not likely to die, so you may have ins. if you migrate to your own job or partnership.Be good and reasonably priced and you have an edge. A real home handyman could be good also, but if you like mechanical why change. Remember too that mechanical includes plant maintenance.
 
You need to file a workers' compensation claim. That is what it is there for. The company is required to have work comp insurance and they cannot refuse to let you file a claim. If they do, then you need to hire an attorney. Also, you should not be paying any of the related medical bills...the work comp carrier will pay them all as a part of your claim. So report at 8:00 like you were told, go to human resources, tell them you would like the paperwork to file a workers' compensation claim, show them the doctor's note, and do not go back to work until you are released to do so by a doctor.

I am not a fan of hiring an attorney for a work comp case (I work for an insurance company, after all), but one reason to hire one is if you are getting jerked around by your employer. And they cannot fire you for filing a claim. Well, I guess they can, but then you can sue for wrongful termination. There are all sorts of laws against that.

And once your claim is closed out, it might be time to find a new job.
 
Originally Posted By: Eddie
What is an "Indy" shop? Seen it mentioned several times as a go-to shop. Ed


Independent.

It means the shop is not associated with a chain franchise, dealer, etc. Mom & pop type places. Some franchises may pass as indy shops due to the independence and flexibility of certain franchises...IE Jim Bob's NAPA Subaru Yugo Mitsubishi service center.
 
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