Might be loosing my job....

Straight from the Courtesy Honda rumor mill....many of the "real" techs want to get rid of the express techs (aka trainees) because they/I are sucking up ever-so-precious work. Most of which includes oil changes, rotations, balances, etc. Team leaders, service advisors, etc had a meeting today and they will be coming to a conclusion next week. This is just great, I can't even find an internship...you know a job where the employer pays you in lashings? I know it's going to happen....looks like I may have to go back to delivering pizza. At least I'll be in a reliable car this time around.

I'm only like one test away from being a full service honda tech, but once I take it I have to take on all the responsibilities that come with it. I really despise warranty work and don't want to deal with the headaches while still in school, BUT i still think it's too late to do this :(

Papa Joe's deliver's dinner entreeeee's as well!

sorry to hear that.

You should let as many people at the place know you want to be a full tech(if you do) and push for it.

Yeah, go for the full tech thing. And learn how to spell "lose" instead of "loose"

Of course, Pizza delivery is not a bad job while in school. You can meet some cute girls...

Good forums and good english are not mutually exclusive.

long day at work, 6-5 and then had to take two online test for school, give me a break!

Jobs come and go, after a while you get used to it. I went through 4 jobs last year alone. My current job is decent enough, but the work depends on contracts. Our equipment is outdated and worn out, we can't compete with companies that spend the money for nice equipment and take care of it. Every day I go to work I wonder how much longer the ride will last. Good thing is that I'm learning new job skills that will help get me employed somewhere else. I would try to get on as a full time tech if I were you. There are always parts of the job that suck, but looking on down the road, the experience will look good on a resume. Two guys I went to high school with work as full time techs. It took a few years to earn their stripes, but now people actually fight to get them hired on. Not many jobs where you actually have employers come looking for you.

Is there enough work to keep everyone busy or are there techs sitting around doing nothing for half the day? I assume Express Techs don't make nearly as much money as a full tech, so I really doubt the guy in charge of running the service department is going to want his high dollar help doing the basic work like oil changes and tire rotations when he can pay someone half as much to do it. I'm guessing your job is safe, and that if full techs are sitting around doing nothing, there will be a reduction in full techs, not express techs.

Bob

Datsun1500 wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: I'm only like one test away from being a full service honda tech, but once I take it I have to take on all the responsibilities that come with it.

Don't want the responsibility but want the job security? You don't want to take the next step, but think it is unfair that the guys that did get to keep their jobs... that makes no sense. As an employer I want to hire the guys that are committed to their career not someone that isn't. BTW I have a small wiener.

......I'm not looking at this as a career, it's a job while I'm in college. Why? It pays well, I know how to do it well, hours are flexible, and I don't have to deal with customers directly. I don't do all of the same work as a full out tech, but I am the only one on the express team that has all of their certifications, tests, etc. I have taken all the tests as a safety net, main reason being, if I don't have any luck find a job out of college I can finish it up and move on and have a decent paying job...BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE A TECH FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

We are busy enough that on Sundays where we are only open 5 hours the 4 techs that are there all turn over 10+ hours. Weekdays everyone breaks even and rarely is there anyone sitting around. We just have a bunch of greedy a-holes that want to do all the work and think that the only things we should do are oil changes, unless of course they are soo busy they can't get to anything, then it's ok that we do all their warranty work, or their gravy. But I'm one of two people certified to do PAX tires in the shop, and I get paid 1.5 hours for each tire plus another 1.6 for the alignment, and these guys still bitch about me doing that big of a ticket, yet they aren't even capable of doing it....These are the guys pushing to get rid of us.

On a business stand point it would be retarded for the dealership to get rid of us. As someone else mentioned it would cost more for the dealership to have the tech's doing oil changes and so on, plus why would you stop working on a timing belt that pays 6.5 hours to do an oil change that pays .5? Then the waiting time, etc. But my bosses aren't the brightest peanuts in the turd....

If only there were some type of organization that worked to try and keep people's jobs from being eliminated.

Wally wrote: If only there were some type of organization that worked to try and keep people's jobs from being eliminated.

First the bad news... In the state of Florida, which is an "at will" employment state, there really is no job security, except that which you create yourself. In fact, any employer can can anyone at anytime, with or which cause or even explanation. dont tell the employers this, but technically, they can fire someone and not even have to provide a reason for it. to make matters worse, when said fired employee applies for a new job, and the new potential employer call the last one, the last one can tell them anything want, including things like "that one was horrible, lazy, etc, etc. and its completely legal (no defamation applies as its considered "opinion" under the state laws.) check it out, its all true...so unless its racial or sex discrimination, there is no recourse...

But there is some good news. employers are really paying attention to who's bringing home their bacon now, since its always so lean. so if your the one who working hard to make them money, it almost a given that they'll keep that person even over someone who's technically more qualified, because the bottom line is who's helping pay the rent...

down here we create our job security by making ourselves more valuable than the rest of the people we work with. So if your providing a steady income for them, reliable and not complaining (being positive goes a LONG way! even if you have to fake it!) A person with aptitude can always be trained to do another job when needed. the dude whos bitching and moaning but can already do the job, is probably at much higher risk for being gone than things first appear... job class ranking (via seniority, training levels, etc) is allot more important to the employee's, than the employer in most cases, and its allot easier for them to bring "up" someone to level they need than to fix a constantly broken high skill level person, those are the ones who'll go first when the time comes, in most cases anyhow..

DirtyBird222 wrote: Weekdays everyone breaks even

As a Master tech with 16 years in the business I can tell you that breaking even means there isn't enough work to go around. In a well run shop breaking even is what you do when times are really tough. If I wanted to break even I'd go find a salary job doing fleet maintenance. That being said your job MAY be in danger if you're the one standing around. Flat rate techs, while more expensive than you, cost nothing to have stand around. If you're hourly and doing nothing you are costing the company money. If you're looking to be a full tech as a fallback anyway, now is a great time to step up to the plate.

Wally wrote: If only there were some type of organization that worked to try and keep people's jobs from being eliminated.

Like the one's working for the employees at GM, Ford and Chryslerberus...?

Get your tech certification. Just because you do doesn't mean it's what you HAVE to do "for the rest of your life".

The guys that can do the MOST jobs for the same "low" price are the one's that the employer will want to keep the most. Every "other" job you can do makes it so he doesn't have to hire "another" employee to do it, which costs a gawd awful amount of money, when he can have you do it for the "same low price" he's already paying you.

The more tools you have in your proverbial tool belt, the more attractive you are as an employee, now and LONG into the future.

Junkyard_Dog wrote:

DirtyBird222 wrote: Weekdays everyone breaks even

As a Master tech with 16 years in the business I can tell you that breaking even means there isn't enough work to go around. In a well run shop breaking even is what you do when times are really tough. If I wanted to break even I'd go find a salary job doing fleet maintenance. That being said your job MAY be in danger if you're the one standing around. Flat rate techs, while more expensive than you, cost nothing to have stand around. If you're hourly and doing nothing you are costing the company money. If you're looking to be a full tech as a fallback anyway, now is a great time to step up to the plate.

I work flat rate too, and I meant to say even on slow days everyone breaks even. We've got guys busting out 120 hours of work in a pay period even with how bad things have been lately. And in bad times would you rather break even or be under?

If I was getting paid hourly I could care less about the freakin work I do, and honestly right now I'm happy if I break even, it's enough to pay my bills and put some money away. When I was working at Chevy and thought I wanted to do this as my career, I got paid hourly, but I was a part-time express tech and part time "trainee." Since I worked hourly I would do all kinds of work there for whoever was mentoring me that week and letting them clock it out on their time since it didn't matter what I turned. BUT at Honda I am working on Flat Rate, which is why I have taken all of Honda's certifications and ASEs so I can do as much as I can if needed, other than that, I'll do oil changes and tire rotations all day so long as I can break even. BUT if it is busy and I can turn rotors and the customer is waiting and you can't get to it soon, why not just let me do it? These guys don't care about the customer, they care way too much about who is doing the work. I'll find out today what the deal is, luckily I have found something temporary with my ex-girlfriend's parents!

Get the tech deal.

You'll have be a tech and have a college degree. I smell service engineer or many other oportunities. Put it on the resume, pimp it to Honda = Profit. Seriously.. Get it and use it to your advantage by leveraging your skills and degree together to make $$$$$

What is your degree going to be in. I'll find some job postings to make you happy..

Ohh and i got connections at Honda R&D and Honda Manufacutring sites....

I agree. A college degree and a tech certification FTW!