Some Bad News, Some Good News and an Interesting Proposition
By Marsha
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
Midland, Michigan
June 2, 2016 8:37am CST
I get all the lovely night time shifts because I'm the last one that became full-time. Even though I now have more seniority, in a sense, than the part-timers that began before me, I'm the last on the totem pole of full-timers and therefore I work later shifts.
There's been talks for the last few months about corporate allowing us one or several more full-time workers. That would mean that part-timer people would be invited to work full time hours. If that took place, I'd be bumped up a bit. I would still work the second shift work by choice since I run a business, but I wouldn't have to work as many midnight shifts if any.
Then we heard that the union worked it out with Meijers to allow more full-time workers in all the departments. There was never a question of whether we'd get any ourselves in the service department, but more how many would move over.
Well, we were all surprised when we found out that we wouldn't be getting any at all as they said we had too many already. So, it will still be up to me to cover the midnight shifts for the three people that work the midnight shifts and they all get five weeks vacation plus personal days off. That's almost half a year of me working midnights. I just finished a portion of a week on that shift and am heading into another week of the same thing.
That means that I sleep after supper for two to four hours if I can and then work the 11pm-7:30am shift, and return to bed until about 12-1pm. Work windows or related work and start over again.
I'll tell you the other news another time, or this will get a bit longer than most of you like.
In my picture above, I was trying to 'draw' a butterfly with my mouse.
10 people like this
8 responses
@LadyDuck (502812)
• Italy
3 Jun 16
@MarshaMusselman You did the right thing to ask and I hope that they can understand. When the years passes it becomes even more hard to manage those shifts.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
9 Jun 16
@LadyDuck They've been allowing us a few extra hours in between the days when we work a night shift and then the next afternoon, which is great. It looks like it will continue in that vein.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
2 Jun 16
I've always been a night owl, Anna, and when not working the next morning it not uncommon for me to be up until 2am anyway. So, working the night shift isn't that hard even when I've not had that much sleep. It's hard to have to get back up and work again the next day, or when they schedule another shift the following afternoon.
I told them I can't do that anymore when the two shifts are too close. My mind can handle it, but it doesn't give my knees enough time to heal up when asleep. THey've adjusted it a bit once, we'll see if they remember the next time again.
2 people like this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
2 Jun 16
Artistically, that's a pretty picture. I'm supposed to be full time where I'm working. They've hired way too many new people and it has hurt most of the people that have been there for awhile. I have complained and will likely find other work before next spring. I don't need to go through this again. Just when I thought we were starting to get ahead I end up having to fight to get enough hours of work to survive.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
2 Jun 16
Generally we won't ever lose our hours as full-timers as they make out our schedules first, but there are times when they will screw things up and mainly when I'm put on a midnight. If I work a normal week, but midnight on saturday, it looks like that counts for the current week on paper, but it doesn't and then I'm short hours.
I asked to work the holiday this week and to have five days. rather than four or six, but even though on paper they gave me five days, one is for midnight on Saturday. I'd asked to work the holiday, but the manager gets confused about which midnight shift relates to that, and gave me mon night rather than Sun going into Mond. I had her change it, but in the process lost my normal sund shift. It turned out that I only had three days this week not five, so I had to pick up hours for tonight which is normally a day off.
At least I don't have to beg for hours as a full-time employee. Hope things work out for you on that count.
1 person likes this
@koopharper (7599)
• Canada
2 Jun 16
@MarshaMusselman Thanks! Has been a huge frustration this year.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
6 Jun 16
I always have said that I could never work that shift. However, I have never had the need to do so.
1 person likes this
@suziecat7 (3349)
• Asheville, North Carolina
2 Jun 16
I don't know how you do it. I've just recently gone to part time work after years and years of full time. I hope you get enough sleep.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
4 Jun 16
I've mostly worked part-time most of my life. A few years ago, I was wondering if we'd ever get ahead, and I believe God opened the door for this, for me. Until the door closes again, He will give me strength to continue.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
2 Jun 16
I'm not a type-A personality, in that I'm not always working. Many when not working a job with be busy with housework or something in the house too. BUt, I've been taught how to work by my parents, and until we get caught up with hospital bills and such I don't have much choice. My family has already helped us out a lot more than most families do with bills, and I don't want them to feel obligated to continue to do that, so me working these two jobs keeps us in the black for the most part.
I'm hoping to finally retire within six more years, when I'm seventy, if i can hold on that long.
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
7 Jun 16
Thanks for the hunt and graphic compliment. If you'd ever want to try your hand on these types of graphics I can provide the link for you.
Just got done sleeping 4.5 hours, the most I've slept at once since last Thurs for some reason. I've been waking up earlier than my alarm, getting up for a few minutes and staying up for different reasons. I may take an additional day off tomorrow, but may stay with my mom since we're moving her to a new location. If we do windows it won't be until late afternoon, so I'll be sure to sleep again first.
1 person likes this
