auto mechanic

Ratchet

New Member
In my area there are 2 auto mechanics positions open, one north one south of me. I have experience (18 years) and ASE certs. My questions are, do mechanics follow the same dress code as drivers, I have short hair but I have a goatee and one tattoo on my forearm from wrist to elbow (not offensive unless your prejudiced against dragons). I have no problem shaving its my wife thats against that. I have no problem working nights either. Are mechanics left alone or is there a lot of management/employee issues as I've read about in these forums??? Any info anyone might have would be greatly appreciated. By the way these positions are in Texas.

Thanks
 

scratch

Least Best Moderator
Staff member
Your goatee would have to go, and you will work nights until you get lots of senority to go days if it is at a larger facility. Our mechanics wear blue uniforms. The tattoo is probably a non-issue, since you are not dealing with the public, wearing long sleeves to interview may be a good idea. Most work an eight hour shift, not much overtime.
 

ikoi62

Well-Known Member
i dont know where your at but mechanic's can have a beard at least the ones in our hub do. plus most have a lot of tat's..and blue uniforms.
the only people with the no beard policy are drivers and supervisors..and clerks who work at the customer counter..
im a clerk now,drove for 20 years and the first thing i did when i turned in my browns was to grow a goatee.
 
There is a dress code, you have to wear a uniform and they are usually blue. As far as the goatee it will have to go. As far as your ASE that means nothing, you can be a high school drop out and make the same money as any other mechanic. You will also have to work nights and that will last quite a few years depending on where you are and how old is the day crew. I am a mechanic now for 16 years and haven't had any real problems with management. Just do your job don't lie and try not to have any on road breakdowns.
 

helenofcalifornia

Well-Known Member
What area of the country do you live in? It's a different union too. Damn, I hope you are a good mechanic. And I hope you don't mind touching up all the little scratches that might cost a driver an accident if reported to management. Our mechanic gets tips at Christmas from us drivers. We all know he has gotten us out of LITTLE jams.
 

dragracer66

Well-Known Member
Thats 2 to 1 against the goatee. It seems there is a lot of variation in the dress code around the country.
Do you know if you will be a teamster or in the IAM, that could mean alot of difference's. In metro phila we are in the IAM and no beard's or gotee's are allowed we pretty much follow the dress code's for driver's. Now in the north jersey area they are teamster's and I believe they can have gotee's and wear earing's.!!! And here we can work as much O/T as we want. Any other question's feel free to ask I'm a union steward for the IAM.
 

Ratchet

New Member
Dragracer, I am in Texas of the 2 openings I would want to get on in Mesquite just outside of Dallas. I do not know the union.
 

Ratchet

New Member
Helen, Yes I am a damn good mechanic I would rather help drivers that know their trucks with scratches and work nights for a steady paycheck instead of fixing cars for customers that would'nt know if they had a brake problem after they hit a brick wall and then try to sue you for a scratch on the bumper after I fixed the brakes and pulled a brick out of their grill. I'm not being antagonistic it just sucks working for thankless sue happy car owners
 

browntruckmechanic

Well isn't that special ?????????
Helen, Yes I am a damn good mechanic I would rather help drivers that know their trucks with scratches and work nights for a steady paycheck instead of fixing cars for customers that would'nt know if they had a brake problem after they hit a brick wall and then try to sue you for a scratch on the bumper after I fixed the brakes and pulled a brick out of their grill. I'm not being antagonistic it just sucks working for thankless sue happy car owners
I am a pkg mech here at the mesquite hub, we are held to the same apperance stadards as the drivers, company provides uniforms, and air tools due to the water that is in lines and I have also been provided a cordless drop light, dvom. We are on a 2 yr progression program you will start at 70% and 31 days you go to 75%, at 1 yr 80%, 18 mos 90% and top pay is at 2 yrs. Be prepared to work nights for a min of 10 yrs. As for as ASE's I too hold a Master technician rating and it mens nothing to this Company. We currently have no openings a new guy just started last monday, but he has not made senority so we shall see what happens. Our manager is not a people person, Upon her first meeting with us as a work group she told us " WE SUCK ", good thing she is on the way out. Seems out district manager disagrees with her.
 

BLACKBOX

Life is a Highway...
first thing i did when i turned in my browns was to grow a goatee.[/quote]

THAT'S RIGHT! YOU GROW THAT GOATEE YOU REBEL ROUSER YOU!!
 

Overpaid Union Thug

Well-Known Member
In our district mechanic wear blue or tan colored uniforms. They even have a blue t-shirt/blue shorts uniform they can wear. I don't know if they can have facial hair or not. I haven't seen any with facial hair yet. Mechanics shouldn't have to shave. They don't "greet the public".
 

rod

Retired 22 years
I always felt sorry for our mechanic. One guy - 28 trucks (some of them total pieces of crap). He had one stall of our building but it wasn't partitioned off so he had to spend most of his evening laying on a cold floor having melting snow and ice fall on him. Also he had to put up with a certain percentage of drivers that thought their 25 year old pkg car should handle like a Cadillac. I always tried to maintain a good friendship with him because he was the one that had the can of ups brown touch-up paint available.
 

dragracer66

Well-Known Member
I am a pkg mech here at the mesquite hub, we are held to the same apperance stadards as the drivers, company provides uniforms, and air tools due to the water that is in lines and I have also been provided a cordless drop light, dvom. We are on a 2 yr progression program you will start at 70% and 31 days you go to 75%, at 1 yr 80%, 18 mos 90% and top pay is at 2 yrs. Be prepared to work nights for a min of 10 yrs. As for as ASE's I too hold a Master technician rating and it mens nothing to this Company. We currently have no openings a new guy just started last monday, but he has not made senority so we shall see what happens. Our manager is not a people person, Upon her first meeting with us as a work group she told us " WE SUCK ", good thing she is on the way out. Seems out district manager disagrees with her.
Notice the key word here in this paragraph is "her". Unless she is or was a kickas$ mechanic she doesn't belong on the shop. All this company seem's to do anymore is look at what degree you have stick these idiot's any where in the company and expect them run it. What happened to having people run dept's they are experienced in? And don't get me started on these supervisor's who learn how to drive a tractor trailer from a book and then go out and teach new people how to drive or better yet tell a 15-30 year driver what they are doing wrong!!! Give me a break!!!!
 

browntruckmechanic

Well isn't that special ?????????
I have 30 cars assigned to me, and 29 outstanding drivers, but there is the one exception. This nut job has made it his personal goal to write up something everyday. I have spent over 25 hrs to date walking down to the center to write scratches noted will touch up at pmi in the dvir book. As if I don't have enough to do. Our we have had to install 7 ignition switches in the same pkg car 7 days in a row ( driver takes keys home, and of course driver is blaming carwash for losing keys ). What I have the hardest time understanding is why are feeder drivers treated like royality, at out hub,outside automotive there are 2 stop signs at the crosswalk to redtag area. I have been in the crosswalk pushing a tire to tire dump and have had the tire knock out of my hand by feeder dept. Called feeders, and ups hotline, after investigation I was told I was at fault and there is not a problem. Even though I have a data base of vehicles that run the stop sign, even have video of a feeder driver blowing the stop sign, was told that is an isolated incident.
 

dragracer66

Well-Known Member
Be thankfull for "Nut Job" driver's they are job security, I love it when ever they hire a new one!! I only need 12 year's so I say bring them on!!!! I would get your steward or B/A involved with the traffic problem, maybe if they could witness it with you it might get better attention when you go to the feeder manager with your B/A with you!!!
 
R

ROCKETMAN

Guest
Shave The Go Tee Get He Job You Will Have Plenty Of Time To Grow It Back. when Yourunder A 800 Changing A Drive Shaft no One Would See Your Cool Gotee Anyway Good Luck.
 

browntruckmechanic

Well isn't that special ?????????
I am a pkg mech here at the mesquite hub, we are held to the same apperance stadards as the drivers, company provides uniforms, and air tools due to the water that is in lines and I have also been provided a cordless drop light, dvom. We are on a 3 yr progression program you will start at somewhere around the 17.00 range . Be prepared to work nights for a min of 10 yrs. As for as ASE's I to hold a Master technician rating and it means nothing to this Company. We currently have 2 openings . Good luck..
 
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