I got out (again)

[PMEL Whore]

OlDave,

Robins actually is organized under the IAM.  I however was not covered by the CBA as I was a supervisor.  But if you read the reply I was sent it appears that they won't be paying out anybody regardless of CBA or not, and I don't know if it is specifically addressed in the CBA.  Can you spell grievance?

[mysterymeat]

You would think that the companies that have had that contract at Robins would treat and pay their employees a little better.     I have heard that a lot jump over to the civil service side of the house.     Also the AF is getting what they pay for.     They award contracts to some of these fly by night companies that come in and low ball the current contractor that try to do more with less and they do less with less and provide an inferior product.  

From what I have seen and heard most of the AMC contract labs are struggling.     I believe Rohmann Services have their contracts.     Dover failed their AFMETCAL audit and was looking for people.     I know Andrews was looking for a site manager for the longest time.     To me that's just sad.  

How they treat the work force does not make them a fly by night company.  
Every contractor that has been here, has had to do more with less.  
Inferior product? The company does not provide the product, those of us on the bench do.   As far as I know, we are using the same K-procedures, T.  O.  s, and standards as you, everyone else in the AF world of PMEL.  

[metrologygeek]

How they treat the work force does not make them a fly by night company.

IMO, how they treat the workforce is certainly a factor in whether I consider them a fly-by-night company. Or, with a lack of any other evidence, how they treat their workforce goes a long way in making up the sleaze factor. There's some in every company, and the goal is to not get too much on you. I'm sure there are companies out there that insist on the highest standards of excellence, provide nothing but the best in equipment and processes, and still treat their people like crap. On the other hand, there are probably companies that are excellent to their employees, bend over backwards to attract and retain the best talent the PMEL pool can offer, but have such a laissez-faire attitude about the work that the lab consistently turns out crap. I think both of these examples are extreme cases, and most companies fall somewhere near the median in that bell curve. From what I know and have heard about SMR, they apparently pride themselves on barely meeting the minimum requirements of the contract while squeezing their employees every way they can, and Whore's experience with them only reinforces this impression. So, in my world, they're at the tail of the curve, which is not a place I'd like to be.

[jimmyc]

Every contractor that has been here, has had to do more with less.   
Inferior product? The company does not provide the product, those of us on the bench do.  [/quote]

i disagree.  they knew what they were doing when they put in a bid for the contract.  the "more with less" was self imposed.  In the end, the company will make their money, normally at the expense of the workers.

[OlDave]

Very well said Geek.
I have heard pretty much the same things about SMR (and feel the same way that you do about them).

[dminesinger]

Every contractor that has been here, has had to do more with less.   
Inferior product? The company does not provide the product, those of us on the bench do. 

i disagree.  they knew what they were doing when they put in a bid for the contract.  the "more with less" was self imposed.  In the end, the company will make their money, normally at the expense of the workers.


[/quote]

In the mid 70's, Collins International had the contract for Kelly AFB in San Antonio, Texas. They low balled the contract to get in the door. Then they pissed off the techs, so that the techs unionized. That brought the wages up. And because of the way the contract was written. Back then the government had to eat it. They porbable do not do that with todays contracts.

[obp42]

Let me start by saying my earlier comments were not meant as an insult to the bench techs who work in contract labs.   I would never roll over on my fellow PMEL techs.   My distrust and dislike is with some of the companies that run some of these labs.   They play a big factor in the quality of the product that goes out the door.   They provide a lot of the tools we use to produce a superior product.   They put out the quality manuals, the forms and many other tools that we need to be successful and put out a quality product.   I don't like companies that push quantity over quality.   I don't like to be rushed to get stuff out the door.   I've worked in blue suit labs and contract labs.   While I was a blue suiter I had to send troops on manning assists to bail out civil service/MEO labs.   There is good and bad in blue suit, civil service and contract labs.   I'm not saying any one entity is better than the other.

Companies like Raytheon, SMR and Rohmann all have a track record of under performing.   They have very bad reputations in the PMEL community and I hate to see when they get a contract.   Raytheon I think has failed at every PMEL contract they have.   The most recent failure was at Feltwell.   Yulista had to pick up the contract to help them out.   SMR has failed at Andrews,  Dover and Maxwell that I know of.   These are the kind of companies that I refer to as fly by night.

[PMEL Whore]

Let me say I appreciate all the comments and PMs is support of my position.  While I am not getting my 5 hours of pay, I feel vindicated in the court of public opinion, it was never about the money.  Based on your replies it is clear that I was not off base in my statement of the companies reputation preceeding them, as many of you seem to have the same opinion, and I don't know any of you.  We'll see how things go here at Robins, AFMETCAL audit in March should be interesting.

[PMEL Whore]

Just wanted to make a post so this thread would pop back up on the front page again.  I referenced it in a post on another thread and wanted it to be easy to find.  Not to mention I want this to be out there for a long time to come.  Not to be childish, but they started it.

[retiredAFinSD]

I agree as we bid
on Tinker and FE Warren and lost both bids to SMR/Rohmann Services and we do not know how they would be able to do job with such a low bid, that is why we didn't even try the Robins bid.

[Broken_Wings]

 Mr or Mrs Whore did you ever get your STD/LTD money?

[dallanta]

Good to hear you are still out there. Don't think I want to get into the contract business again either.  From what I hear they are worse with abusing and trashing the techs.  Tired of that crap.
Looking at property over at Ft Hood.
Later bud

[PMEL Whore]

bumped as promised