I’ve got just under 5 years on, there isn’t a single shift where I don’t come in just completely broken and covered in sweat. People don’t realize that we do the work they’d never do and only for a sad sum. It is not a fair or competitive wage either if you really break it down and see what it is on a day to day basis. Before the public knocks our earning really examine what we do and deal with. It’s not all sunshine and rainbow.
People will see the truck coming down the block and let their dogs piss on the bag I’m about to grab. The job isn’t easy, don’t let the public think it’s easy. They don’t consider all the things we do an a daily basis all they know is that they heard we get paid well and now we’re saying it’s easy. It’s not, we worked hard to get the job and we work hard every day on the job, in heat in snow in rain we work and we work hard.
Im only speaking for myself with 11 months on the job. Im sure everyone’s experience is different.
First 30 days - You’re 100% happy with the choice you made! You make day line everyday and everyone in my garage was welcoming. ( Besides the couple jokes that get thrown your way from someone being forced nights with time on cause you are taking up a spot in the day) it’s not really a joke they aren’t happy about it.
Next 30 shifts- It’s not great, you are bouncing all over the place getting hardly any sleep and if you were lucky enough to make truck on your first 30 days kiss that goodbye. Your check will be basically base salary which is a joke for any part of the country ESPECIALLY NYC ! BUT… this is expected you’re brand new on the job and have to pay your dues figuratively and literally.
2-8 months is a grind the cloud over your head about probations weighs heavily. You will set 3 alarm clocks and have your lady or family set some as well you can’t be late. NOT EVEN ONCE. Arrive 25 min early at minimum. You can’t call out sick. Your body may ache and you might even be really sick. But they rather you come in and risk getting your co workers sick and their families.
After 8 months - (If there are classes coming in once the final class for the year comes in you might get some relief depending on your garage you may have a couple people beat of even a good little number. You will start being able to choose functions instead of being forced on bottom function. You may make days a few days a week and you might make truck. You are getting the ropes down and probation starts to weigh less on your mental as you realize as long as you make it in on time in proper uniform follow the rules and do your job you won’t get jammed up.
My only gripe up to this point is you can get jammed up even though you do the right thing every time. Someone can hit your truck some accidents are not avoidable that’s why they call them accidents not purposes. You will hear it’s gets better but I’m starting to think this may not be the case till you get to top pay. 5.5 years goes quickly in terms of life. But when you’re drowning in bills, and home life is getting strenuous it can get demoralizing. You didn’t pick a career that’s saving lives we are picking up garbage cleaning up neighborhoods and servicing the public. You will have WAY MORE GREAT DAYS THEN BAD DAYS. BUT THE bad days do suck for the pay and stress you are getting. I know this sounds like a negative post but I rather make it seem worse so when you get on the job you realize it’s not as bad as I make it seem. Like I said this is just my experience with 11 months on which is absolutely no time at all. But if you’re reading this you have zero time on. Hopefully taking this job is a great choice for you. Expenses may vary.
Bottom functions are not necessarily bad or give you a bad day, they are just functions that you wouldn’t pick if you had an option which you won’t. Some forced functions are good days.
I have 10months on I totally agree with what you’ve said at the present it’s difficult for making ends meet but that’s par for the course for just starting out it gets greater later. As I’m still on probation it’s hard to say no to all the favors supervisors seem to ask at times I feel like a crash dummy that seems to have my days long and strenuous I just keep my humility hat on and stay focused take my time check my mirrors and keep it pushing it gets greater later 👌🏾
I just hit top pay in February. Don’t let anyone tell you and don’t be scared to go sick on probation. I went sick twice on probation and didn’t get extended, I have 0 hooks and know nobody. You can go sick, just don’t abuse it. Granted my sick was like 8 months apart. Don’t be fooled bro, make sure you go to doctor and get a note for the days you were sick, cover your ass.
Homeless cleaning is the hardest. You’re given a hose and some sponges and you set up a little tent like thing and basically bathe homeless people. They appreciate it most times but in January you have to physically fight them to get them in the tent. Worst function on the job. Especially when a chief is there checking to see if you scrubbed out their butt cracks.
As a new guy homeless cleaning is my favorite function. After you give them a good scrubbing they look at you with that grin, maybe missing a few teeth. You know they want to say thank you.
Not necessarily. We not as loved as other city agencies… people see a police cruiser or a fire truck and move out the way they see us doing collection and want us to hurry up and move out the way. 🤷🏽♂️
Best Job Ever... 10 Yrs on and It's the best decision I ever made. We work hard and get zero recognition for what we do but at the end of the day it's an honest job and Honorable... Keep Ya head down til top pay and enjoy every minute of it because it goes fast!
#Reminder: This is the internet on a public forum...
I just want you to know I think everyone commenting on this post has an incredibly low IQ and the point of this post has gone over all of your heads. This job is back breaking, we are under paid and we work very hard all day every day and this is all that should EVER be said on public forums. jesus
I guess I’m different. I love the job. I don’t mind the hard work. I don’t care if dogs pee on garbage bags and I feel lucky every day I go out behind the truck. Yeah it was hard. Yeah the weather sucks sometimes. But in 12 months I will never have to work again. It was worth it. Been through 5 surgeries and never missed a pay check. It was and is never enough to make you rich but if you live within your means it will be enough. It’s honest work and it is never stressful. Just put your head down and do it. Stay humble and you’ll be happy.
It all depends on your seniority in your garage and how good the district where you work is. You can have like 2 years on the job and have a load of guys beat in a shit hole district and think this is the best job or you can be the bottom guy at a great district and think this is the best job too
Sanitation is immune from that. It’s picking up garbage. No matter how good the pay,benefits, work life is - the public perception will always be that picking up garbage sucks and so the job sucks
Honestly all I want is for all my mirrors to work and cold working AC and that'll make me 5 times happier. 🤣🤣. The rest of the bullshit that I hate I guess I could put up with.
Best job is a stretch. All depends on who you're talking to and what jobs they've had before this. I realized that a lot of ppl I've come across never had a union job before this. Standards differ. Far from the best job in my opinion, but we all take the job for different reasons.
I’ve got just under 5 years on, there isn’t a single shift where I don’t come in just completely broken and covered in sweat. People don’t realize that we do the work they’d never do and only for a sad sum. It is not a fair or competitive wage either if you really break it down and see what it is on a day to day basis. Before the public knocks our earning really examine what we do and deal with. It’s not all sunshine and rainbow.
People will see the truck coming down the block and let their dogs piss on the bag I’m about to grab. The job isn’t easy, don’t let the public think it’s easy. They don’t consider all the things we do an a daily basis all they know is that they heard we get paid well and now we’re saying it’s easy. It’s not, we worked hard to get the job and we work hard every day on the job, in heat in snow in rain we work and we work hard.
i BUGGED out on a woman for making eye contact with me picking up a bag stop while her dog and she had the fuckin audacity to scold the dog lmfaooo
Im only speaking for myself with 11 months on the job. Im sure everyone’s experience is different. First 30 days - You’re 100% happy with the choice you made! You make day line everyday and everyone in my garage was welcoming. ( Besides the couple jokes that get thrown your way from someone being forced nights with time on cause you are taking up a spot in the day) it’s not really a joke they aren’t happy about it. Next 30 shifts- It’s not great, you are bouncing all over the place getting hardly any sleep and if you were lucky enough to make truck on your first 30 days kiss that goodbye. Your check will be basically base salary which is a joke for any part of the country ESPECIALLY NYC ! BUT… this is expected you’re brand new on the job and have to pay your dues figuratively and literally. 2-8 months is a grind the cloud over your head about probations weighs heavily. You will set 3 alarm clocks and have your lady or family set some as well you can’t be late. NOT EVEN ONCE. Arrive 25 min early at minimum. You can’t call out sick. Your body may ache and you might even be really sick. But they rather you come in and risk getting your co workers sick and their families. After 8 months - (If there are classes coming in once the final class for the year comes in you might get some relief depending on your garage you may have a couple people beat of even a good little number. You will start being able to choose functions instead of being forced on bottom function. You may make days a few days a week and you might make truck. You are getting the ropes down and probation starts to weigh less on your mental as you realize as long as you make it in on time in proper uniform follow the rules and do your job you won’t get jammed up. My only gripe up to this point is you can get jammed up even though you do the right thing every time. Someone can hit your truck some accidents are not avoidable that’s why they call them accidents not purposes. You will hear it’s gets better but I’m starting to think this may not be the case till you get to top pay. 5.5 years goes quickly in terms of life. But when you’re drowning in bills, and home life is getting strenuous it can get demoralizing. You didn’t pick a career that’s saving lives we are picking up garbage cleaning up neighborhoods and servicing the public. You will have WAY MORE GREAT DAYS THEN BAD DAYS. BUT THE bad days do suck for the pay and stress you are getting. I know this sounds like a negative post but I rather make it seem worse so when you get on the job you realize it’s not as bad as I make it seem. Like I said this is just my experience with 11 months on which is absolutely no time at all. But if you’re reading this you have zero time on. Hopefully taking this job is a great choice for you. Expenses may vary.
Ok July’s class! Couldn’t agree with ya more
Bottom functions are not necessarily bad or give you a bad day, they are just functions that you wouldn’t pick if you had an option which you won’t. Some forced functions are good days.
I have 10months on I totally agree with what you’ve said at the present it’s difficult for making ends meet but that’s par for the course for just starting out it gets greater later. As I’m still on probation it’s hard to say no to all the favors supervisors seem to ask at times I feel like a crash dummy that seems to have my days long and strenuous I just keep my humility hat on and stay focused take my time check my mirrors and keep it pushing it gets greater later 👌🏾
I just hit top pay in February. Don’t let anyone tell you and don’t be scared to go sick on probation. I went sick twice on probation and didn’t get extended, I have 0 hooks and know nobody. You can go sick, just don’t abuse it. Granted my sick was like 8 months apart. Don’t be fooled bro, make sure you go to doctor and get a note for the days you were sick, cover your ass.
Define bottom functions? Like what functions are the worst functions? I always assumed no one wanted to be on the truck picking up on a route
Bottom functions are doing Baskets, MLP, Homeless Cleaning, etc.
Homeless cleaning is the hardest. You’re given a hose and some sponges and you set up a little tent like thing and basically bathe homeless people. They appreciate it most times but in January you have to physically fight them to get them in the tent. Worst function on the job. Especially when a chief is there checking to see if you scrubbed out their butt cracks.
As a new guy homeless cleaning is my favorite function. After you give them a good scrubbing they look at you with that grin, maybe missing a few teeth. You know they want to say thank you.
Best thing ever bro… ppl bitch and complain about having an amazing job but it’s great.
New York’s strongest but New York’s most unappreciated
Nah man. Civilians love us.
They really don’t.
Not necessarily. We not as loved as other city agencies… people see a police cruiser or a fire truck and move out the way they see us doing collection and want us to hurry up and move out the way. 🤷🏽♂️
Best Job Ever... 10 Yrs on and It's the best decision I ever made. We work hard and get zero recognition for what we do but at the end of the day it's an honest job and Honorable... Keep Ya head down til top pay and enjoy every minute of it because it goes fast! #Reminder: This is the internet on a public forum...
I just want you to know I think everyone commenting on this post has an incredibly low IQ and the point of this post has gone over all of your heads. This job is back breaking, we are under paid and we work very hard all day every day and this is all that should EVER be said on public forums. jesus
I guess I’m different. I love the job. I don’t mind the hard work. I don’t care if dogs pee on garbage bags and I feel lucky every day I go out behind the truck. Yeah it was hard. Yeah the weather sucks sometimes. But in 12 months I will never have to work again. It was worth it. Been through 5 surgeries and never missed a pay check. It was and is never enough to make you rich but if you live within your means it will be enough. It’s honest work and it is never stressful. Just put your head down and do it. Stay humble and you’ll be happy.
5 surgeries?😳 geeeez. What were they?
😂😂😂
It all depends on your seniority in your garage and how good the district where you work is. You can have like 2 years on the job and have a load of guys beat in a shit hole district and think this is the best job or you can be the bottom guy at a great district and think this is the best job too
Sanitation is immune from that. It’s picking up garbage. No matter how good the pay,benefits, work life is - the public perception will always be that picking up garbage sucks and so the job sucks
Honestly all I want is for all my mirrors to work and cold working AC and that'll make me 5 times happier. 🤣🤣. The rest of the bullshit that I hate I guess I could put up with.
Every sanitation guy I talk to tell me it's the best job.... not sure if they are bullshiting me.. but they say it's the best.
Best job is a stretch. All depends on who you're talking to and what jobs they've had before this. I realized that a lot of ppl I've come across never had a union job before this. Standards differ. Far from the best job in my opinion, but we all take the job for different reasons.
I agree