I work in the auto industry here in Ontario, Canada. Assembly line worker. Been full time 27 years. 30 and out for me, I can't wait to retire.
4500 employees, we got locked down mid March. March 20th around there I believe. Laid off until our first day back June 1st.
I thought that was too soon to go back. Too many people. We get temperature scanned and complete an online survey every day which is new for us. Masks are mandatory. Currently doing 10.5 hour shifts in conditions that are 10-15 degrees hotter inside than it is outside. No type of air conditioning at all. I'm in the paint shop where the paint ovens are always blasting.
There's no types of heat relief or anything like that. You just work and suffer in the heat. It gets pretty unbearable at times.
I'm in coveralls, safety boots, and now masks which I don't oppose. I'd prefer the safety of masks. I have a high seniority job, there's only one other person on my line that i work with and she's about 10 feet away from me. A lot of our plant is people shoulder to shoulder and I'm glad those days are behind me. I wouldn't want to work that close to anybody in the covid days.
We have a contract coming up in September. Rumors are coming out that we don't have any product planned for beyond 2023, so rumors are swirling that our plant will be closed. I'm supposed to retire May 2023, or if they offer a buyout I'm definitely going to consider it if they top up my pension and give me a bonus to leave. My commute is 80km to work 80 km home, so it's a long day. I'm exhausted.
Since I'm in Ontario, EST most Flames late games for me start at 10 pm or later, so on day shift I'm always in bed, my wake up time is 3:45 am for a 6 am start. Usually in bed no later than 8 pm. Or If I'm on afternoon shift I'll just listen to the game on my headphones. Basically can only watch weekend games. I used to be on the midnight shift for 7 straight years and I could watch the first period at home before leaving for work.
Anyways, we're back to the grind, building tons of cars and with the economy in a crisis, I have no idea what we're going to do with all of these $40k-$70k cars that we're building. Maybe stock piling for a strike or for another wave of the pandemic in the fall. I honestly have no idea.
I do feel safe at work some days, other days I don't.
It's 4:30 am, time to hit the road. Have a great day gang, stay safe and stay cool.
Cheers.