As I walked off the job today totally pissed & disgusted—- I needed to regroup.
Probably get fired, but had to take a stance. All bosses get this copy as well as a personal letter to each of them I’ve know them all for atleast five years & the longest 20 yrs.
ATTN: Boss #1
Boss #2
Boss #3
FROM; Bill Wicklund
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First I would like to apologize for walking off site & any hardship that may have created. It was necessary for me to step away & collect my bearing.
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I was brought in to run the waste & vent crew cause of my knowledge & experience. I was asked to run that part of the system in a proficient & timely fashion. As the 1020 fell behind in that task I was asked to make sure that the Vue does not go down the same road. There is nothing I would like better than to be able to accomplish that task. Having said that & this being the start of a new year some changes will need to be made to be able to complete said task.
This is the 16th tower of 12 stories or more that I have worked on & the 9th tower that I have run the waste & vent crew on. In that time frame I have seen winners & losers, I have learned what works & what doesn’t. I have made my career out of keeping things simple & to the point. My general philosophy on that has been, Give me my tools, info, & material & let me do my job. I do not micromanage, nor do I work well being micromanaged. There are three points to construction Fast, good, & Cheap—- pick two. The key to a winner is organization, prefab & maintaining the work to be completed by the scheduled time.
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Let’s start with organization; the key to a winner is having a central storage depot with the ability to move many items to the work area with minimal man power.
Second is prefab, the less time exercised by the field installer measuring & cutting pipe flat out is time saved.
Third is the schedule, having the schedule known creates a bar time frame. Hard to get birdies when you don’t know what par is.
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As I never throw any member of my crew under the bus, nor do I ever like to point blame of any action to those above me or below me. I am a “buck stops here†type of foreman.
To maintain that attitude I have enclosed a plan & a list of requirements that must be met in order for me to obtain the objective. The plan is negotiable, but the requirements are not. I don’t mean to sound like a prick, but I have done this far too long to look the other way & see another job lose money. If you are looking for a directable “yes man†that will take direction & crack a whip on the crew you might want to look elsewhere. I lead with a dangled carrot & reward hard correct work, & replace those that are not cut out for this line of work.
If we come to an agreement on the plan & requirements this job will succeed. If I cannot deliver as set forth I will graciously step down.
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Bill Wicklund
The plan———
Bill’s plan.<!—-><!—->
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1. Install as much 3rd floor waste & vent piping until material runs out.
2. Have one hand move to 5th floor, & install water dams & ABS penetrations pups with riser clamps & flagged covers.
3. Have two hands move to 4th floor & install waste & vent starting in the <!—-> <!—-><!—->North West<!—-> <!—-> corner & move in a clockwise rotation.
4. I & one hand will move to level one, & complete loose ends & install waste & vent piping through level 2 & connect to stubs from level 3.
5. When the rest of level 3 material shows up the apprentice & myself will install said material.
That is my plan until I can gain control of the material & information logistics. Piping will be field measured & cut until there is sufficient evidence that piping lay out is uniform. At that point spool orders will be given to the fab shop in advance for a timely & predictable delivery schedule.
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The DWV install flow chart is as follows:
- Water dams & ABS pups with riser clamp.
- Piping & cast iron fittings will be delivered to the floor after water dam & clean up is completed.
- ABS fittings will move up with the DWV crew.
- Starting in the Northwest corner of the building & moving in a clockwise rotation the cast iron risers will be installed, along with all horizontal DWV that is not in a wall.
- After the cast iron risers are completed the DWV install team will dry fit the in wall horizontal ABS piping. Once each section is done the ABS will be removed & taped to the cast iron riser until the metal studs have been installed.
- As per the schedule dictates once the wall work is to commence the studs will be cut & the ABS piping will be re-installed & capped for test.
The requirements——
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Bill’s requirements.<!—-><!—->
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- All correspondence with the waste & vent crew will go through the waste & vent foreman.<!—-> <!—->
- All material needed (cast iron, ABS, couplings, fittings, & pipe fixating hardware) will be ordered by the waste & vent foreman.<!—-> <!—->
- All waste & vent material will be delivered to a central lay down area.<!—-> <!—->
- All fittings will be kept in storage bins (site fabricated or shop delivered) they will be on company provided casters for floor to floor mobility.<!—-> <!—->
- A field half size set of architectural drawings with reflected ceiling plans will be provided for the waste & vent foreman.<!—-> <!—->
- A field set of install drawings with isometric drawings will be provided for the waste & vent foreman at least 4 weeks in advance of the scheduled time to start on that floor.<!—-> <!—->
- A field copy of the construction schedule will be provided to the waste & vent foreman and any changes will be given to the foreman in a timely manner.<!—-> <!—->
- The 1020 building will have to get their own road guards & shop steward.<!—-> <!—->
- The waste & vent crew will be stationed out of the Vue’s P1 located job shack. <!—-><!—->
- Any of the waste & vent crew manpower to work for another foreman, that foreman will contact the proper channels & not contact the waste & vent crew directly without first obtaining permission from the proper chain of command.<!—-> <!—->
- When the horizontal DWV piping is scheduled to start a portable plasma cutter will be made available to the waste & vent crew. Notice will be given as far in advance as the schedule permits.<!—-> <!—->
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“Why do you hurt me when I do bad things to you?” My youngest son to his older brother
Replies
Bill,
Sounds like one that really needed to be written , if only to clear the air and clean up communication lines.
Hope it all gets addressed and you get back to work .
If there was no work available I probably wouldn't have wrote it, but then I would have blown up on the job site & been asked to leave----- I stepped off to keep from blowing my top.
I do have to get a new hard hat I drove mine through a piece of rebar that was sticking up that ripped my pant leg.
I thought age was supposed to mellow me out ;-)
"Why do you hurt me when I do bad things to you?" My youngest son to his older brother
I thought age was supposed to mellow me out ;-)
it will someday...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
As I get older I have less and less patience with idiots.Tigger
at somw point it will be....
"okay" and then you'll drive on and leave them behind...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Bill, Well if it helps any I am sitting at home and have been for awhile because according to my last boss: " Thanks for your efforts on this last job, but You don't fit well with the crew" (After I bailed the job out from the deep pit it was in and kissed a** with the owners to make them happy.) Translated that means I blew up at the Shoddy work , Know it all Attitude and Ignored stupid decisions from the guys sitting behind the desks. I also demanded that if the office or other supers needed to have guys on my crew do something it had to come thru me, friggin guys were getting Nextel calls and disappearing on me with a wave and "I gotta go , "Joe Blow" says he needs help." Sound familiar? Unlike you I have no network here that I can use for work anymore. Changed locals a bit and the scope of work . hard to go forward, harder to go backward.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
HI Jack Thought of today when I saw this pic my daughter took from her apt. in Seattle.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
DAMMMM, I didn't know it blew up! When was that?
(g)Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
"Success is not spontaneous combustion, you have to set yourself on Fire"
I like your no nonsense attitude....
I hope the bosses see the light...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Man, we sorely need a new plumbing contractor up here. You wanna move?
Tempting, but I have made a name for myself in the highrise arena.
I flat out can't compete with the slam bam get it in & get out shops that are out there, well I can but crooked pipes drive me nuts.
I'm just starting to get used to pex pipes & the lovely natural bow that they have ;-)
"Why do you hurt me when I do bad things to you?" My youngest son to his older brother
I hope you didn't send this message yet. It's a great letter....one that should be written, put in the drawer and ripped up in the morning.
Heres what the letter you should send should say.
Dear Boss,
I would love to finish the job and will consider doing so if there is an immediate raise of $200 per week retroactive to Jan 1,2008.
Additionally, some organizational changes must be made immediately.
Bill Wickland
My theory is that if you are going to risk getting fired, there might as well be some possibility of reward. Nothing gets their attention like money.
My Son In Law was facing a situation last month. He called his supervisor and demanded a $4 raise. After discussing it, the supervisor warned him that everyone that has requested a raise has gotten fired and tried to talk him out of it. He told me that in the middle of that conversation, he thought about me and how I approach things and he blurted out "Since I'm going to get fired, I demand $6 per hour raise."
The supervisor balked and then tried to talk him back to $4 but he insisted and forced the supervisor to submit the request.
On Monday, he got his call to the office. They were worried that he was thinking about leaving and wanted to see if he would take $3 per hour and stay on. They also put him into another division so he could get the maximum overtime hours.
If you're going to get fired, go down asking for as much as you think they can stomach. You might be surprised.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
Bill,
I agree with your approach to the problem as it stands. I'd only suggest that, in the future, you not wait until the shid hits the fan before putting your thoughts on paper.
Best wishes for a positive resolution.
I almost walked off a job the other day, contractor not doing his job, terrible kitchen design with half of the needed parts, know it all HO that said no one face nails crown molding.
You did the right thing, sometimes people don't know what they are doing until you tell them you've had enough of the BS. I have to walk away in certain situations before I explode, biting my tongue for as long as I do makes for some very good fireworks if you know what I mean.
I take my job very serious and it sounds like you are the same, when you know the way things should go are far from the way they are actually going it's enough to lose it. Watching it happen on a daily even monthly basis like you say would have me walking to my truck too.
Good luck Bill I hope this works out for you, sometimes the jobs politics aren't worth the strain it puts on your body.
Woods favorite carpenter
one thing I've learned Bill,
the boss is seldom wrong... common sense and being right don't always make a difference,
and hopefully the guy who sees it your way has more pull than the others !
at the very least, you have pissed one of them off !
Good Luck
.
.
.
, wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?
Was recently in a situation where a job went bad. Wound up writing a similar letter, but it was after the fact and the damage had been done. In hindsight, taking the lead and having a discussion might have at least cleared the air prior to the poop hitting the fan.
Good for you for taking the right step early. My only comment would be to make it sound more inclusive, with less focus on you. Perhaps rather than 'Bill's Plan/Bill's Requirements,' something like 'Plan for Success' or 'Requirements for Progress.' Gives it a positive spin and turns it into a team effort (and doesn't make you look smarter than your bosses, even though that may be the case).
bill.... i liked the letter too... but i'm with Jim.... put it where the sun don't shine
and send a version of Jim's
if they ask for a sit-down, you can make all the points that you've made in your letter..
and you don't have to muck things up with anything in writing
godd luck
MikeMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
So what'd you do?
The letters were sent.
That ended up in a meeting at the office with about 7 people, one of which was the senior VP of the company. Our company is pretty big, about 350 field employees with about 85 office workers.
They made some concessions as I did in return. That worked for about a week, then my immediate boss bypassed me & gave some members of my crew work orders.
I went right to the job super, & said if that lil SOB wants to run my crew then fine, I'll drop off my phone & radio & go play installer. He said "hang on lets have a meeting about chain of command"
So the rule is----- He won't bypass me & tell my guys what to do, & in return I won't blow up at him in front of the crew.
That's working pretty good so far.
I have worked "with" him in the past but neither of us was in charge of each other back then.
This is his first job with foreman underneath him so he's not used to delegating through proper channels---- & he's as high strung as they come----- I don't always help matters cause I can be a bit of a smartazz.
Most of my crew know my work history of large jobs & they kinda jab him about my history now & then----- I had to put a major stop to that.
It is going better, but some improvements still need to be made, but now things seem to happen a bit quicker when I put my foot down.---- Time will tell though.
“We need to be a country of tall fences and wide gates.â€
Fred Dalton Thompson
For what it's worth I thought the letter was perfect. M------------------
"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
Thanks.
The only person it offended was the lead foreman ( my immediate boss).
When we had the meeting, the superintendant of manpower kept saying "we need to get things fixed, I can't have my lead ramrod walking off the job"
He brought that up about every 3 minutes.
I have ran work for this company in the past, so it's not like there was some "feeling out" process.
They love my work & work ethic, but me being about as non PC as one could get drives them nuts.
With my company & my jobs being almost all union having a conservative outspoken mouth is kind of a non written taboo.
It's not really my mouth as much as it is my sayings on my work shirts & hard hat logos.
I can't have my lead ramrod walking off the job"
Bingo!
Power struggle. Like 2 elk off in the meadow. Duking it out. You may not see it happening. But you sure as heck hear it. All over the job site.
You are now the King.
You may now have any cow elk you please.
choose wisely
Yeah this is one of those jobs that the on site supervision did not pick the subtier foreman.
The manpower super told site supervision here is your water foreman, your DWV foreman & your lead foreman.
& he is the one that kept calling me when I left my last co in a bit of a fiasco---- I was fishing everyday in the river---- I kept asking if he had a crew for me to run, his answer was "no, but we'll get that setup" my constant answer was " I'm waste high in the river catching kings, call me when you have a crew for me."
They are training the lead (under a site super) to be able to manage some medium size projects on his own. He's smart enough, & knows how plumbing & schedules work. He just needs more people skills, & he really needs to learn to calm down.
I never panic, I just tell the general "we can do that, but it will cost ya" sometimes that's sarcastic & other times it's dead on truth.
Bill, I feel your pain. I've been running framing and rocking crews and have done about 4 highrise condo projects and many loft conversion buildings. I usually do the layout myself.
Even with the best intentions and plans, there are so many friggin' problems (that no one wants to address) and you better not slow down. Just keep going.
Faster harder cheaper deeper!
Actually now I am on a nice 5 story project with the best general I have worked with in years. Actual honest communication going on and an architect that likes feedback.
It all evens out I guess.
P.S.- I haven't broken a hardhat for at least 2 years.<G>
Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.
P.S.- I haven't broken a hardhat for at least 2 years.<G>
ROFLMAO
So as I was getting a "new" hardhat out of the shop, the shop lead says " you're a foreman, you should have a white hardhat". I'm like ok whatever I just need a hat to make it in to work that day.
All our hats on site are gray, the site super says " you need a gray hat like everyone else", my response was "what, you got something agaianst white? You racist dastard".
I could really care less what color my hardhat is---- I'm going to load it up with stickers anyway.
I do prefer the ones that can take the ear muff clips----- those hide my IPOD & earphones ;-)
I've taken to puting an mp3 in my hat also. Here is what I'm wearing these days
View Image Mike
Trust in God, but row away from the rocks.