Break time

[37 chief]

Working in factory jobs for at least 50 years or more I learned a new phrase break time. Morning and afternoon. Usually lasted 15 minutes, but sometimes a lot longer if the BS talk was interesting. Today around 9:30 I get the urge for a cup of coffee. I guess is it is a habit I picked up in my factory jobs. While mowing, I only stop when I am about ready to P my pants. , or to clean the radiator screen. Stan

 

[Fixingfarmer]

There are a couple local businesses that actually have hours posted not open for 15 minutes mid morning and afternoon and a lunch hour around here.

Lord help you if you show up while they are on break but I get it. I brought them my piece of 1 3/4” plate to bend not like I could bend it myself I can wait a half hour.

We had breaks where I worked when we weren’t in season. It is nice to get to know your coworkers and have a coffee in the morning. Afternoon break sometimes got skipped workload depending it seemed like it would stretch on too long and we wouldn’t get anything done by time to go home in the winter

 

[rrlund]

One of the Oliver dealers here closed from noon to one for lunch. Locked the door and went home.

 

[Gambles]

One of the Oliver dealers here closed from noon to one for lunch. Locked the door and went home.

My itty-bitty home town has an Ace Hardware store with three employees. Weekday hours are ‘till 5:30, Saturday ‘till noon, closed on Sunday. Several times a month, they are closed during the noon hour. Which CAN be annoying, until you just have it in your mind never to go there during the noon hour.

 

[300jk]

Working in factory jobs for at least 50 years or more I learned a new phrase break time. Morning and afternoon. Usually lasted 15 minutes, but sometimes a lot longer if the BS talk was interesting. Today around 9:30 I get the urge for a cup of coffee. I guess is it is a habit I picked up in my factory jobs. While mowing, I only stop when I am about ready to P my pants. , or to clean the radiator screen. Stan

I’ve worked road construction for the last 29 years. Sometimes take morning break if what we are doing will allow. Over the years have had morning break and afternoon break. Usually when it’s real hot and we could use it. No real lunch break. When paving now mount up at 6 am or so. Stop whenever done. Could be 10 pm or later. No stopping. On a non paving job I sure like a morning break and leave after 9 or 10 hours .

 

[Newgenerationdeere]

Working in factory jobs for at least 50 years or more I learned a new phrase break time. Morning and afternoon. Usually lasted 15 minutes, but sometimes a lot longer if the BS talk was interesting. Today around 9:30 I get the urge for a cup of coffee. I guess is it is a habit I picked up in my factory jobs. While mowing, I only stop when I am about ready to P my pants. , or to clean the radiator screen. Stan

That was the best part of having a town job break at 10 am dinner at 12 and break at 3 . Sometimes not a lot got done if the shop was slow

 

[showcrop]

I’ve worked road construction for the last 29 years. Sometimes take morning break if what we are doing will allow. Over the years have had morning break and afternoon break. Usually when it’s real hot and we could use it. No real lunch break. When paving now mount up at 6 am or so. Stop whenever done. Could be 10 pm or later. No stopping. On a non paving job I sure like a morning break and leave after 9 or 10 hours .

After selling the distribution business that I had started and run for 25 years, I went to work for the primary manufacturer that I had bought product from. I also went to work for a small excavation company owned by the sons of an old friend, driving one of their tri-axle dump trucks. The dump truck gig was part time as needed and it wasn't tough to merge it with my regular job. I liked best the days that we were paving. It was usually commercial parking lots, and like roads once you start you keep going. I liked it because instead of just holding a steering wheel as when hauling materials, when I arrived on site and they didn't need my load right away, I would hop out and perform various jobs that needed to be done to keep the job moving along. I often served as mediator between the asphalt plant and my boss, because he would always delay as long as possible making the call on what load would be the last one we needed, while the guys at the plant always wanted to know when we would be taking our last load so that they could get the plant shut down.

 

[tom upton]

Working in factory jobs for at least 50 years or more I learned a new phrase break time. Morning and afternoon. Usually lasted 15 minutes, but sometimes a lot longer if the BS talk was interesting. Today around 9:30 I get the urge for a cup of coffee. I guess is it is a habit I picked up in my factory jobs. While mowing, I only stop when I am about ready to P my pants. , or to clean the radiator screen. Stan

Where I spent 99% of my working life we had a 10 minute paid break in the am, and a 10 minute break in the afternoon. Surprisingly not a requirement under the employment standards act in Ontario. All an employer has to give is a 30 minute unpaid break for every 5 hours worked. That being said all of the fabrication shops I am aware of give at least two paid breaks and an unpaid lunch break.

 

[Tim in New York]

Factory I worked in during college days (late 70's) had breaks at 9 and 2:30. I think they were 10 minutes - just enough time for snack. We worked 7 to 3:30. In the winter we would huddle around the large heaters and summers sit outside on empty rope spools.

 

[300jk]

After selling the distribution business that I had started and run for 25 years, I went to work for the primary manufacturer that I had bought product from. I also went to work for a small excavation company owned by the sons of an old friend, driving one of their tri-axle dump trucks. The dump truck gig was part time as needed and it wasn't tough to merge it with my regular job. I liked best the days that we were paving. It was usually commercial parking lots, and like roads once you start you keep going. I liked it because instead of just holding a steering wheel as when hauling materials, when I arrived on site and they didn't need my load right away, I would hop out and perform various jobs that needed to be done to keep the job moving along. I often served as mediator between the asphalt plant and my boss, because he would always delay as long as possible making the call on what load would be the last one we needed, while the guys at the plant always wanted to know when we would be taking our last load so that they could get the plant shut down.

Paving is crazy for sure ! We have 30 tri axles, 3 live bottoms, and a couple rock trailers. Boss got sick of dealing with outside trucking. I know all about figuring the last load or so. Sometimes wait a while but usually not too bad. By that time the boss has a truck or 2 at the plant on standby for the end. Things get crazy for sure ! Last year we were doing 6500-6800 ton per night. Shoulder paver and mainline paver. As one of the 3 rollers we were scrambling !

 

[Tony in SD]

I have only had one job with scheduled breaks and only 2 jobs that I worked by the hour. Didnt like them and both lasted less than 3 months.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

When I started at my job in '73 there was no "break" but for two ten-minute sessions you were allowed to smoke at your work station. You could still go get a coffee at the vending machines and take a S***t if you had to but the foremen watched for abuse of the privledge. Big change from the UAW shop I worked at before. I spent a couple of weeks in a shop in Wisconsin. We were lifting a die on the overhead. I turned away for a few seconds when I looked back everybody was gone and the die was left hanging. Everyone was gone and the whole place quiet. Wow, break time and they didn't even take time to set the die down. Working late one afternoon, really hot, went to the break room. Three walls of vending machines and none would take my quarters. Guy told me they would only work during lunch and break times.

 

[chvet73]

Was the foreman of the frame shop in a furniture factory for a few years. Probably the worst job I had. Owner was a complete jerk. He’s one of the people who would have starved to death if Daddy hadn’t owned the factory before him.
But I digress, we did have bell driven breaks. And the foreman all got together in our lunch room during them. I’m quite sure as we usually extended our break all of the line employees took advantage of it too.

 

[Keith True]

My friend went to work in a cardboard box factory in 1973 when he graduated from high school.The bandsaw he ran had an ash tray,cup holder,and a shelf for a deck of smokes cast right into it.It was made in Japan.He could smoke all day if he wanted.That all morphed over the years into something different.First change was,he could only smoke at designated times.Then he could only smoke in the break room.Then he had to smoke outside,by the back door.Then it went to having to smoke in his car,in the parking lot.At some point it went to no smoking on the premises.For a while he would drive a couple hundred feet to another parking lot,After a year or so of that he was informed that if he left the premises he had to clock out,and then back in.Previous to that you were paid straight through,your breaks and lunch breaks were paid.It took from 73 to 98 for all that to happen,but in the end it became a non-smoking shop.When he left there in 1998 there were 38 employees,and only three were smokers.When he started there in 73 he said it looked liked the whole workforce smoked.

 

[petertay]

First job I had after leaving the farm was night shift in a print shop. 12 hour shift. It midnight, I expected people to take a break. Nope. Well maybe at 12:30. Nope. Finally I asked someone when do we eat? “We don’t get breaks.” Everyone worked the full 12 hours without a break. But w e did get overtime after 8 hours, so the pay was good.