Weblog: Ospika: Second shift
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The second shift is done. This one went much faster and better than the first. My feet actually hurt more this time around, probably because I am working harder and faster. Last shift my feet would hurt a lot in the evening, but by morning be fine, but now they hurt all the time. It also hurts when I bend two of the fingers on my right hand at more than a 90 degree angle, and I have a rash on my right outer thigh where the saw harness rubs against my leg. My knees hurt a bit in the evening, but are fine by morning. Otherwise, I'm doing well. The last few hours of every day seem to be going especially well, that seems to be when I can forget about my discomfort and totally focus on the work. I'm still eating a lot, and now I'm hungry at breakfast as well, so I must be doing something right.
On the first day of the shift, we worked for 7 hours without breaks to finish the block we were on. Afterwards, we headed to a different block and did about an hour of work there. I like the new block much better. The first block was all uphill, but this one has more variation in its terrain and vegetation, and is just more aesthetically pleasing (though the view isn't quite as spectacular). The brush is much older and there's a lot of aspen, so we're cutting a lot of much bigger trees down. Some of the bigger aspen are about 25cm diameter at the base and 15m tall.
After the first shift we all went from training wages ($80/day) to level 1 ($90). After the first day of the second shift, some of the guys went to level 2 ($115), but I wasn't one of them. Everyone went to level 2 on the second day, though.
One of the guys on our crew quit on the first day of the shift. The two of us had been discussing some of our grievances with the way the company does things while waiting for the truck to leave, and then something that Vincent said while we were driving to the block put him over the edge, and he quit on the way. He walked back to camp from the block (about 9km) and I guess took the plane to Mackenzie that day, because I didn't see him again. This guy was the one who was on the bus from Vancouver with me, and also one of the last I would have expected to quit. It seems like a lot of my favorite people are leaving. Another guy on our crew almost quit after the 7 hours straight work, but he calmed down later.
The main problem I have with this company is that in every case they will "do the math" to get more work out of people. For example, we have to work 9.5 hours a day, but that time only counts when we're on the block doing the brushing. That means the time we spend setting up our saws, hiking into the block, loading up gas/blades/herbicide, etc., doesn't count as work. Most of our 30 minute lunch break is taken up getting to and from the truck and restocking supplies, leaving only 5 to 10 minutes to wolf down our lunches and rest. I guess it won't bother me so much when I'm making more than minimum wage (if I count all the hours that I consider to be work, though even by Apex's counting it's not much more).
Most brushing companies do piecework. That is, each brusher is assigned certain hectares to complete, and is payed a certain amount for each hectare. Each brusher works alone on their sections. The more I work here, the more I think that system is superior to the one Apex uses (where brushers work in a line and are payed a day-wage that is subjectively determined by the foreman and supervisor based on productivity). Piecework has the disadvantage of being uneven. Some hectares are easier than others, but you're payed the same. In the end it evens out, though. It has the advantage of allowing each brusher to work in a way and at a pace that they are comfortable with. If I want to take more breaks but work longer, that's okay. I guess the way Apex does it, it does push you to work at a certain pace. Piecework also lets you be more flexible with the way you approach an area. I've found that sometimes it can be much more efficient to clear out one area to make room to allow bigger trees to fall in their preferred directions, but when working in a line that often is not possible. I may well be wrong, though, since Apex has lots of experience and they probably have a reason for the way they do it. Apex takes care of a lot of things that with piecework you have to do yourself, like sharpening blades.
A new guy joined our crew on the third day. He is from Quebec, speaks little English, just arrived at the camp the day before, and hasn't brushed before. Lucky him, he only has to work two days before he gets a day off, not four and a half like the rest of us (again, not counting the training day as part of the shift is typical of Apex).
It was inevitable, but there are some politics developing within the crew. In particular, two of the guys are butting heads all the time. I like them both, and I'm not taking sides, but if I ever have to, I know which side I'd be on. One of the guys has an incredible attitude. Of everyone in the camp, he's probably having the most trouble with his feet, but every morning he's out there ready to go, totally gung ho. It's inspiring, and I probably would have come much closer to quitting if he hadn't been on our crew. The other is always complaining.
The guy in the room next to me, who is not a brusher, snores really loudly. Actually it helps me sleep, because for most of my childhood I slept next-door to my dad, who is also a big snorer. A couple of nights ago he fell asleep with his TV on, though, and I couldn't wake him up. It's not easy to get to sleep listening WWE wrestling.
It occurred to me at dinner that everyone working here is white. I wonder why that is.
The weather continues to be good. One day it rained just a little bit, which was perfect to keep me cool.
Yesterday I was out of sight of the others and in the middle of changing my saw blade when lunch break was called. As a result, I didn't see which way the others went and hiked down the hill to where the truck was in the morning, only to find that it was no longer there. I figured the truck was moved to a point closer to where we were brushing, since it was quite a long walk all the way there, so I headed up the logging road and took the intersections in the logical directions, and was met by the truck coming toward me to find me. By the time we turned around, drove past the lunch spot, and turned around again, I could easily have walked all the way. Turns out the truck was parked only about 50 metres from where we were brushing.
At this point, I'm thinking that I'll probably leave this job on August 25th when the contract expires. I can just barely see myself surviving for the three months, and if I had to do this longer than that I'd probably quit right now. Also, leaving then allows me to spend the last bit of the summer on Vancouver Island. Maybe I'll go back via Prince Rupert and take the ferry to Port Hardy (something I've wanted to do for years), then spend a few days on Hornby Island on my way south to Victoria. Anyway, that's the thought that's keeping me going. Of course, by August 25th I may change my mind and stick around longer, especially if I'm making good money.
This work is affecting my sleep in strange ways. There are times when I dream of brushing. In one dream I was being chased out of some kind of wierd toxic car scrap yard near a university by security guards, and when I woke up I realized that the main security guard had Tom's face (Tom is the supervisor, and a intimidating looking guy). Sometimes when I'm half asleep and changing positions on the bed, I imagine that there are trees and brush on my bed, and I have to clear them before I can move. Also, especially just after stopping work, every time I see something vaguely tree-like in shape my mind automatically wants to cut it with the saw. That includes people's necks. It's disconcerting, to say the least.
Today, more resting, reading ("Slowly down the Ganges" by Eric Newby), and watching movies (first half of "Undercover Brother", which isn't nearly as funny as the second half, "Donnie Darko" for the third time, which I've just added to my favorite movies list, and "The Jerk").
I've tried it every day since the last day off, but the phone still doesn't work.
Posted on Thu, 12 Jun 2020 at Ospika Camp, BC, CA (altitude 716m) (map/google earth)
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