I actually wish I worked the "graveyard shift"

It's weird to me that there is no shift, like the graveyard shift anymore?
Even if I wanted to work at night, I can't?
Instead I have to wake up at the same time as usual this Saturday!
Be there at 7:30 again and then again till memorial day.

I can't wait...

I wish to change things?

There's a chance my Uncle may be buried at Mount Hope. If he did get buried there I guess I get a discount on the vault and I think the internment. I could be a witness instead of always doing the work. But I think if he did get buried there I would have to do the digging and the covering.
I would feel kind of obligated to do so.
But it may be too expensive to bring him that far.
We now have two seasonal employees working with us to help until the fall. I'm not going to say anymore about them. I'll be nice.

I can't wait until Thursday. Thursday I get the day off. The only reason I get it off is because there is one infant burial and they don't need me for that. Plus it's my birthday. I think I'll just sleep all day. I'm so exhausted lately that I can barely think.
It's been about a year and until my vacation I hadn't had a Saturday off. 6 days a week Non Stop.
I've buried so many people personally and dug so many holes I have lost track of how many. That kind of worries me a little. I feel I'm becoming more and more desensitized by it every day.

I know I speak harshly about my place of employment. But I do realize that I'm better off. Not having a job at all, would not be good either? I feel as if I'm stuck, in a "dead end job" is all? I don't want that to happen again or ever. To anyone!

At the same time, I realize people are working hard for minimal pay. NOT RIGHT!People get Labor Day off, but the real Laborer's do not?
Why would they taunt us like that?
Laborer's get no recognition at all.
Barely Any, that is, for a low worker like me...
Laborer's are the backbone of most places of business.
Without them, they would be basically be out of luck.

"Figure it out," they always say that, don't they?...
Here is everything but what you need to finish the job, but make sure and get it done by this date?
The materials we need though, are not there to complete the job?
The date has been moved forward to mother's day? It used to be Memorial day but they decided to change things.
Bla,Bla,Bla.

Complaining, really has never got me anywhere?

Yet I continue to do so??????

We were told at Mount Hope that we have the dirtiest vehicle's out of every park affiliated with us?
That's because we use the vehicle's regularly. We do way more burials than the other parks. If I'm not mistaken, we do the most burials, when compared to the rest...
All I'm saying is that there is a reason why our machinery is dirty?
It has to do with drainage failure. And I might as well mention, flat lands throughout the park does not help...
I would have to begin with, I take it as a compliment! :) Because it shows how much work we have actually accomplished. In every mud splatter there was hard work involved.
There's not much time between changing batteries, switching jumper cables from one vehicle to the next, to start half the equipment, rather than much else, worry about how it looks. Praying that anything works is the key? The Scissor Lift works sometimes? Sometimes? Especially, after it's been rigged so many times? (To where, you would have to know how it's rigged to get it to work properly?)
The Dump Truck is tricky? That's a secret I don't let out to often? Mostly because it's a pain in the arse to figure out!!!

I wont even get into the customer's that are expecting miracles?

Blah,Blah,Blah! I love my job...?I shouldn't complain so much?!?

A lot of people know of the hard times economically we are experiencing in Michigan.

It's really bothering me.

Which is why I cannot understand how people in the same company as me and are doing the exact same job, but they are making more money than me. I'm talking like 6 to 10 more dollars than me possibly even more? If this does not change soon I'm not sure of what I will do? Now that I have more seniority means of course more work. I didn't ask for this but I received just that and at the same pay, but I have no choice? Our particular contract has been void since July 2006 I believe.
The state doesn't seem to want anything to do with us, except to keep us burying people for minimal pay. Until someone buys us, I have no idea when that will be? Since I've been working there all I hear are promises of better things. But I have seen nothing...
The last Union meeting I was at, a guy asked me which park I worked at? I of course told him Mount Hope and he responded "Oh, Mount Hopeless huh?". I now know what he means by that.

There is supposed to be a new guy tomorrow named Ron. Although he is not new, he used to work there for an extended period of time! I can't remember exactly how many years but it is more than a few.
He is still considered the "Low Man" as they say.
I don't consider anyone really lower than me. Only the ones that are higher concern me.
I'm somehow 2nd overall, as far as the grounds crew goes. I could, but I don't tell co-workers what to do. I remember what it's like to have someone tell me what to do at other jobs. I didn't like it and I assume most people don't respond to it very good. It works for me to just ask in a polite way, if they could possibly do something for me.
This job is different as far as the way we deal with each other. It's laid back. Do your job and you won't have a problem. I'm comfortable with everything but the pay. People doing the same job in my company are making considerable amounts of money compared to us at Mt. Hope.

This is my 100th post to this site.

It's been a long road to be where I'm at.

I'm now the Steward for our particular graveyard, called "Mount Hope Memorial Gardens."

I've been the Steward for over a month or two, which consists of negotiations on how much they pay. It also touches on grievances that a certain employee may come up with, that employee can go to me for any complaint within 2 days of the incident. Instead of always going to the boss, which sometimes may feel more awkward. They can come to their Steward. Even being new to it I have to negotiate with people higher up. Medical,Dental as well. Soon to possibly take over is David Shipper a known person to already have cemeteries in the United States. His lawyer is real good! I give him props on how he handles the whole situation. He may be a good battle, when I speak through him.Right now we are really short on workers. It's tough working at a job that barely provides the proper tools and equipment to do the job. But as soon as the backhoe broke down we got a replacement within a couple hours. Good job on getting what we needed there. That day was last Friday March 14. We worked a half hour later than usual. The last hour and a half, was one of the longest parts of the day in a long time. The feeling for me was that day, is my last and it was never going to end...
Certain days are like that though, right?
Anyways, I feel pretty stressed out so far the way this job is going.
I start my vacation yesterday but still I'm unsure if they need me at my job?
I've been holding out this vacation for about 6 months now and I feel I need this!

I'm second guessing myself on if it's even legal for me to take a vacation, short maned and all? I should know this being the Steward?
I feel bad for them working without my help. I thought about calling and knowing for sure if they need my help.
I've really put up with a lot as far as this job goes. But they have me right where they want me? I can't quit knowing it's so hard to find a job in Michigan which is, or was, number 1 in the United States hardest to find a job!On top of that, two city's that I heard were also the worst in the United States were two that are in Michigan.
Which I would think most people would see these things and not want to move here?
I don't blame them. Businesses included.
So I see it as David Shipper is taking a chance as well by buying us after the reputation we've had as a company?
It goes too deep? I could go on for a long time but I have decided I'm done for now.
If you've read this far, seroiusly thanks for reading!!!

Layoffs are not funny.
The 23 year old that works at Mt. Hope is looking forward to marriage but suddenly,without notice he gets laid off.

Not fair and for no apparent reason? He is one of the best workers!
Apparently all the parks are doing the same thing, or so I hear anyways.

We try to warn customers that their headstone will sink, but they would rather have it out there. Makes our job a little harder trying to dig them out.

Of course they never listen...

The snow evaporated so rapidly, that it left over 50 sinking graves behind. Every spring is time to fill graves that sink, which is almost inevitable at our cemetery being that it is wet most of the time. But obviously this weather was premature and unexpected.

So there is not much we can do.A lot of the graveyard looks like this below.

And the weather predicts more rain to come?

What a mess that's going to be!
Below is "Trinity"
A newer garden.

Things are back to normal with the backhoe operator in action again.
Although I did get good reviews, when I was actually digging and then burying.
But I kind of had the opportunity to where every
family I buried happened to witness? Which is not a opportunity I wanted to face?
Just a little stressing for me...
Without notice, the family wants to see where their loved is going to be set into the ground.
I've got the record I think of a beginner, while a family witnessed. I can only think of maybe one, possibly two times? Where a family or funeral director did not witness. But it's not usually just a funeral director who witnesses?
It's almost always, the whole family!
Well, I guess as I was covering up a particular grave in a garden called Prayer. About 50 people were watching and one guy told one of the other co-workers that he maybe as good as me some day? Not knowing of course that I rarely operate the backhoe.
I clearly heard one of the witnesses say "good job" a few times while he motioned towards me with a thumbs up.
There was a bench that was in the way and when I got out to move it one of the family members insisted on helping to move the bench with another co-worker.
(My chest was sore so I was glad not to pick up anything heavy if I didn't have to)
I'm usually the dump truck operator. But any task in front of me with some practice I tend to thrive.

Not to be too full of myself though, I thought I did a good job!

My boss acknowledge digging two graves before first break is pretty good!
A lot of workers before me would milk it till lunch He said.
I think I may have job security as long as I can show up on time, more often?

Plenty has happened since the last time I posted. But only some of it is interesting. Believe it or not working at the graveyard is not the most exciting job in the world?

Lately we've been short handed because the backhoe operator has been in rehab and should be back tomorrow. (I've actually had to use this thing once?)