b"\x1b\x1a\x19 \x1f\x18\x1d\x17\x16Machinists CornerBENEFITS OR LACK THEREOFA s readers of this columnthe benefits for regular laborersprevious job. Not! I wasnt paid know, Ive worked for severalat the plant. Eventually, I reachedweekly either. Monthly! I had to not manufacturers over my career:salary status at the company when Ionly stretch my paycheck but adjust some good, some not so good.became the machine programmer.to the government taking a bigger One thing that they have hadIn addition to the benefits listed,percentage due to the size of the in common, though, is they allI received what was similar to achecks. Sure, I got a refund at tax provided benefits in some form. modern 401(k) program. I couldtime, but I needed money when I Early in my career, I worked atcontribute up to 7% of my salary,was paid. I stuck it out for a couple a company in Chicago for a fewand my contribution was matchedof years there and then moved on. years that paid well and had great100%. In retrospect, I was an idiotDuring those years, people changed benefits for that time. We hadat the time to leave. Ah, the youngjobs for even a quarter more an hour something like 12 paid holidays,and the restless. and didnt think twice about it.terrific company-paid healthI left that company to work as anThen, I worked on contract for insurancebut no dental or visionapplications engineer for a machineseveral years. I got decent pay but coverageand a pension plan paidtool builder. I took the job assumingno benefits to speak of. If I took off 100% by the company. Those wereI would be paid biweekly like mya day, I didnt get paid. If I wanted Mill-Rose. the Big Name in Tiny Brushes.Mill-Rose is the nation's largest manufactureroftwistedwire brushes, large and small. Real small.We'vebeenmaking brushes since 1919. Millions of them!In every size, shape and materialimaginable.Wealso custom design and manufacture special brushes. T: 800-321-3533 [email protected] www.MillRose.com A Century of Brushmaking Excellence26JULY 2019MachinistsCorner.indd 26 6/14/19 3:41 PM"