In the balance…the day job

I’ve never worked for such a big company before. I’ve worked as a glassblower, with my sister and father. I’ve worked as a dog walker for a very small business. I’ve worked for a studio that made bracelets and vases out of veneer- again very small 8 people involved max. I’ve worked a handful of other jobs along with my freelance pet portrait painting gig- even smaller operations than the above. Almost all of my jobs have had very little contact with others during my work day. I could easily go hours without talking to another human.

Very little of my previous work experience prepared me for this job in aerospace. I had the skill set but that’s about it. I’ve adapted to  talking to MANY of my coworkers throughout the day and I feel I am better for it. But on the flip side I’ve learned how frustrating it can be to work for such a big business.

Building private jets requires a lot of people, a lot of parts, and a lot of space (not to mention a lot of $$). It also requires a lot of paperwork. If there is the tiniest problem, there’s a form for that. And because of all of these people, parts, spaces, papers, and problems the whole thing is a huge orchestration! From an employee standpoint; It’s far from perfect and it’s far from personal. But it’s a very good business.

All this to explain that because the company is so big and has so many priorities, rules and paperwork; structured chaos if you will- my job is in the balance. I was laid off last November for three months. The rumour mill at work has been churning out all kinds of juicy info about our jobs for months now- but here’s the short version:

In two weeks I, along with potentially 50 other contractors (in order of seniority), MAY be given our white cards and permanent employee status. (with this I’d get benefits, a union, and more job security plus paid vacations)

OR

In two weeks I along with all of the woodworking contractors (more than 50 ppl) MAY be laid off. (with this I’d lose my seniority, have no re-hire date given to me in advance, and there’s the possibility that they wouldn’t hire me back at all (at least 20 people didn’t come back last time))

 

Which will it be? I’m trying to stay optimistic but kind of preparing myself for the worst at the same time. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know! Wish me luck!