Osprey (coastal)

Post by **Scooter** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:08 pm

So what's the deal with the coastal plant with Osprey this year? Come on, I'm dying for some gossip? All I've heard about is lots of snow so far. Should I quit my day job and head west?

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:08 pm

DONT DO IT!! RUN! RUN! RUN!!!
the story is far too long - the moral
RUN RUN RUN
DONT DO IT

Saffa · Post by **Saffa** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:11 am

I'm planting with brinkman in duncan at the moment, osprey is just up the road from us, I went over to their motel last night to visit a few buddies who didn't get on with brinkman... the scope is... 15c for rockey green snarb, we are geting 16c for a mature rocky block, but getting 18c for anything green, they have 2.5 million tree's on the coast this year, suposedly underbid everyone out here, we lost tonnes of work to them!! Oh and they don't give advances, but they'll take you to the booze store and buy you a case of beer which comes of your pay check, weired set up, lots of dodgey planters working for them too!!
STAY AWAY!!!

korno · Post by **korno** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:21 am

I worked for them in cambell river. They low ball and are poorly organized. I worked for them in 2005, we only got 80 cents for coning. Plus you don't get your paycheque until the end, which is illegal. If you do work for them ask for double the advance you want, since they will only give half of what you ask for. we also had three people per hotel room. There work in the charlottes is still half decent though. It's sad for many people without coastal experience this is their only option. Basically a rookie mill on the coast.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:04 pm

Ok, since everyone is dishing...
I have a similar story . My partner was given a foreman position and we ended up on a barge- rivers inslet.( 12 person barge with 24 on it). they told us that we would have direct deposit while we where on the barge. every 2 weeks. after 6 weeks, I fell off a log in super slashy ground. tore my thigh open - the other foreman saw the whole thing. It was a heli- block. there wasnt a first aid kit- anywhere! I had to use a pad & duct tape to cover the wound. I couldnt walk & had to drag my self to the helipad for the end of the day.
I needed medical attention and had to fly out. my partner quit because I couldn't walk- let alone drive myself to the hospital. The supervisor tried to convince him to stay and offered him alot more money - which he turned down then the supervisor's next tactic was to try to fight him on the dock as we were about to board the float plane. They never put any money into our account. checks were late & was grossly underpaid.
the Kicker- they never filed any forms for WCB & I never got any comp for the injury. I was out for a month.
STAY AWAY!! We did tubes for 92 cents and they where to cheap on heliblocks to fly the tubes and stakes to the top of block. Yes, I agree - the charge system they have is very illegal & they r making a profit off of planters. this is probably the worst experience I have ever had in my 17 yr career. LIES LIES LIES.
DONT DO IT. I cant believe these guys still find people to work for them. there is a reason why they place ads in the Province.
Sorry Scooter- I hope this isnt considered slander- cause it happened.

Post by **Scooter** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 1:15 pm

Actually, I need to review definitions for all of this stuff. Slander is technically for spoken word, whereas written info is libel.

Anyway, in order for something to be considered to be libel, it must be "malicious, false and defamatory."

If it happened and you can back this up, then it definitely is not false, therefore it cannot be considered to be libel.

If I didn't know you, I wouldn't risk giving you the benefit of the doubt. However, I know who you are. I don't have to worry that this is a fictitious post by someone hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. I see no problems with your post.

mwainwright · Post by **mwainwright** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 6:44 pm

ha! i was on that barge and i remember that whole scene. classic osprey shit. they sure do suck big boners, but all my best/fucked up stories from the bush come from working with these guys. also i remember miriam wanting or talking about beating up dave sappala and so he started practicing with his nunchucks (spelling?) everyday just to be ready. fucking hilarious.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 7:29 pm

mwainwright wrote:ha! i was on that barge and i remember that whole scene. classic osprey shit. they sure do suck big boners, but all my best/fucked up stories from the bush come from working with these guys. also i remember miriam wanting or talking about beating up dave sappala and so he started practicing with his nunchucks (spelling?) everyday just to be ready. fucking hilarious.

Mike, I was wondering how long it would take before U posted.That guy was a total weirdo..I have never seen anything like it. I did meet Mike who is actually cool & a couple of others that where good people. It was a crazy scene. Apparently the supervisor is no longer there.

theoldman · Post by **theoldman** » Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:39 pm

worked for them in the late eightys when they Greg first started out. doesn't sound like they've changed a bit.hey backcountrysis why aren't you at work yet? even i'm starting monday and you know how much i hate this shit.

Mr. Amazing · Post by **Mr. Amazing** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:18 am

Nah dude, these guys have been weasels on the coast for years... I understand that Osprey also has contracts for maintenance of BC provincial parks, and garbage collection (SERIOUSLY!!!). "Planting" is not their specialty... They seem to exist on the fringe of many fronts. It's odd.

Greg M. · Post by **Greg M.** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 9:10 am

nunchuks!!?? that's fucking awesome..

but seriously I'm pretty sad here right now....

I'm not getting bites from any other shows right now so... work is better than no work ...even if i feel like I'm selling my soul...right?

Maybe that was a question. Any answers from other working folks right now?

mwainwright · Post by **mwainwright** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:16 am

work with osprey is only marginally better than no work at all. but on the bright side, if you do work for them, youll have your own fucked up stories to laugh about some day. if you do go, just remember never to ask simon for a hit off his joint. and never anger him in any other ways either. for your own safety.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:23 am

[quote="theoldman"]worked for them in the late eightys when they Greg first started out. doesn't sound like they've changed a bit.hey backcountrysis why aren't you at work yet? even i'm starting monday and you know how much i hate this shit.[/quote
I am not working because its a shit show on the coast. I was supposed to start in late Feb which turned into the middle of march- I start in the interior in the next week- supposedly.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 10:34 am

mwainwright wrote:work with osprey is only marginally better than no work at all. but on the bright side, if you do work for them, youll have your own fucked up stories to laugh about some day. if you do go, just remember never to ask simon for a hit off his joint. and never anger him in any other ways either. for your own safety.

HAHAHAHA!! Simon!
I LOVE that guy. He is a monster- he's like 6' 7"..I had zero issues with him. Mike, remember that day we where on a block where he thought someone stole his pot? He had a melt down and accused the guy who was sharing a cache. At the end of the day- he found his stash in his lunch box.
He also hated sharing pieces with people & often U could hear him swearing at someone. I personally thought he was a very cool dude. But, If U choose to piss him off- he'll eat U for breakfast.

Greg M. · Post by **Greg M.** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:04 pm

Simon 6'7 ??? maybe 6'3... He's always been super polite, even a few years ago when i met him them... always nice , polite, quiet.
Though admittedly I've never given reason to draw his ire.

Backcountrysis I thought you were moving into healthcare? No more planting? Change of heart?

mcD · Post by **mcD** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:11 pm

Greg M. wrote:Simon 6'7 ??? maybe 6'3?

umm, maybe your thinking of another Simon, because I'm 6'2, and that guy makes me look like a Dwarf. as for asking for a hit off his joint, he rolls em like %60 tobaco anyways, so if thats your thing ask at your own peril. unless your on his piece he is a pretty nice guy though.

Screefhead · Post by **Screefhead** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 12:18 pm

Was this Simon character Lebanese and drive a Mazda pickup.?

And BCsis I remember you from a Fall 05 Little Trees contract. without your nagging camp would have probably been a real pigsty.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:12 pm

Screefhead wrote:Was this Simon character Lebanese and drive a Mazda pickup.?

And BCsis I remember you from a Fall 05 Little Trees contract. without your nagging camp would have probably been a real pigsty.

HAHAHAHA!! It was a freeken mess!! we had a nasty camp! Yeah, I was bitchy cause I started in late January planting & it was September- so, yeah- I'm old school. People used to care about how to keep the camp clean. Not to mention, I had to wash human crap off my dog because people where too lazy to use the toilets at the end of the runway...

GregM.
Simon seems taller that 6'3? but good to know. I swear he's taller than that, My dad is 6'6 and he's about the same height.

Greg M. · Post by **Greg M.** » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:29 pm

backcountrysister wrote:
Screefhead wrote:Was this Simon character Lebanese and drive a Mazda pickup.?

And BCsis I remember you from a Fall 05 Little Trees contract. without your nagging camp would have probably been a real pigsty.
HAHAHAHA!! It was a freeken mess!! we had a nasty camp! Yeah, I was bitchy cause I started in late January planting & it was September- so, yeah- I'm old school. People used to care about how to keep the camp clean. Not to mention, I had to wash human crap off my dog because people where too lazy to use the toilets at the end of the runway...

GregM.
Simon seems taller that 6'3? but good to know. I swear he's taller than that, My dad is 6'6 and he's about the same height.

Lebanese yes, and maybe I'm thinking of the wrong Simon.

Coaster · Post by **Coaster** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:07 pm

Planters aren't the only ones getting screwed by Osprey. Helicopter companies, barge operators and motels just to name a few have been left holding the bag for bills not paid. Osprey owes money all over the coast and yet somehow continues to operate. We've been turned away from motels because we're treeplanters and Osprey had poisoned the waters. What I don't get is why everyone just wrings their hands and complains while doing nothing about bringing them to account. Isn't Labour Relations going to make them pay wages on time if people complain? The companies they work for may stop giving them work if planters let them know about bad safety performance and about not getting paid. We can all sit by and wag our fingers but if we don't do anything it will just keep happening. It's companies like Osprey that bring wages down for all of us and who give planters a bad reputation.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:47 pm

Next step - who do we send this link to? MOF? all the Forest companies- these guys are worst that Bill Sinclair & I thought he was the devil. I have the "managers'" address in Victoria-( this was 7yrs ago)He may have ripped enough people off to have moved on up. Their "head office is the Parksville Campground.

RPF · Post by **RPF** » Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:36 pm

I'm surprised to learn that Osprey is still planting trees. Last I heard a few years ago was that they folded their planting business to concentrate on their BC Parks enterprise. I'm surprised they started up again and even more surprised that they are finding work. I hired them once for a planting project but never again.

TheHamsterizer · Post by **TheHamsterizer** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 12:25 pm

Scooter wrote:Hammy, I know you're out there ... please, inquiring minds want to know!

I'll write a review when I'm no longer working for them, which will be pretty soon. One particualarily stupid policy they have that someone mentioned before is that they don't give advances, but they'll take you to the grocery and liquor store and let you charge things to the company card. It's like they think if they give us actual money we'll blow it all on crack and hookers. Now I have to trade all my food back to the crack dealers. Some people here started work 3 weeks ago and were given an 'advance' last week, which was a random cheque that was a percentage of their earnings. No pay stub or printout, and nobody could say for sure what the percentage was. You can't call it an advance after 3 weeks motherfuckers! That's called witholding pay!

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:55 pm

TheHamsterizer wrote:Now I have to trade all my food back to the crack dealers. Some people here started work 3 weeks ago and were given an 'advance' last week, which was a random cheque that was a percentage of their earnings. No pay stub or printout, and nobody could say for sure what the percentage was. You can't call it an advance after 3 weeks motherfuckers! That's called witholding pay!

I can understand not giving out advances until someone has put in a few trees as I've seen a few scams, but at the start of the season some people are hurtin' so its a pain when the company doesn't get planters some $$$ as soon as they can. I hate lending out my own $$$ but I've had to before because of slow advances, but come on, 3 weeks? Time for somebody to pay out. And even after a few days most planters have already earned more than they are probably asking for. I've only seen Osprey trucks on the coast so I can't say much about them, but no matter what your advance policy you should be getting $$$ by now. I'd be wanting $$$ soon.

Screefhead wrote:Was this Simon character Lebanese and drive a Mazda pickup.?

mcD wrote:unless your on his piece he is a pretty nice guy though.

Greg M. wrote:Simon 6'7 ??? maybe 6'3... He's always been super polite, even a few years ago when i met him them... always nice , polite, quiet.
Though admittedly I've never given reason to draw his ire.

Haha, seems like everyone knows this guy and I am positive I met this guy once. I pissed him off once on the block and he snapped but everyone got a good laugh as he is quick to be nice. My old foreman talked about him as the crazy lebanese coastal dude that everyone was afraid of. Nobody would go near his piece on one contract except the ol' boss, who was another big crazy coastal planter. I do remember Simon going off about Coastal contractors and who was screwing the industry up so I am a bit surprised to find out that he's with Osprey and wouldn't have got that impression from some of his rants, good guy though.

Coaster wrote: The companies they work for may stop giving them work if planters let them know about bad safety performance and about not getting paid. We can all sit by and wag our fingers but if we don't do anything it will just keep happening. It's companies like Osprey that bring wages down for all of us and who give planters a bad reputation.

Yeah, I would like to see some foresters listening to complaints especially if its safety complaints which is something everyone should be striving to be better at. You don't plant any trees when your hurt or worse and it would make the industry better if something were available for planters to contact. I don't think anything like that exists but it could be a good thing to have, a place where complaints can be received privately to protect from libel but also to secretly keep an eye out as many bad things can happen out there. No agency without experienced silviculture industry workers would know all the abuses, but it would be good to rid the industry of the real bad apples out there or smarten them up. If they some of the complaints turned out to be true then foresters and clients across the province could be forewarned and contracts could be awarded to better companies.

TheHamsterizer · Post by **TheHamsterizer** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:52 pm

keep those of us out in echo bay in your thoughts and prayers... we're doing an isolation boat/heli show with an inexperienced foreman running a 15 person crew. 22-24 cents for old growth cedar jungle gyms. I would be so embarrassed to die working for this company!

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 8:53 am

TheHamsterizer wrote:keep those of us out in echo bay in your thoughts and prayers... we're doing an isolation boat/heli show with an inexperienced foreman running a 15 person crew. 22-24 cents for old growth cedar jungle gyms. I would be so embarrassed to die working for this company!

Oh Hammy,
Jump ship!! Now!!! The interior is totally going on- Like I said before - Run Run Run!!

I would be embarrassed for U , Too!

Mr. Amazing · Post by **Mr. Amazing** » Tue Apr 21, 2009 9:06 pm

Hammy, check Ben's facebook postings! Way better work available till May 10...

steve · Post by **steve** » Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:36 pm

oh ya simon's a cool guy for sure. i don't remember him being stingy with his joints ... i'm pretty sure we shared a few ... his job is his career though and he takes it very seriously so stay out of his way! that said though, I usually found sharing a cache with him very motivating.

as far as osprey goes nice people, laid back, but the prices were too low.

backcountrysister · Post by **backcountrysister** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:07 am

steve wrote:oh ya simon's a cool guy for sure. i don't remember him being stingy with his joints ... i'm pretty sure we shared a few ... his job is his career though and he takes it very seriously so stay out of his way! that said though, I usually found sharing a cache with him very motivating.

as far as osprey goes nice people, laid back, but the prices were too low.

R U serious? they rip people off and they freaking break labour laws all the time. I know things are tight but come one- In fact they just lost 20 % of their work ro Evergreen - get the facts straight

Greg M. · Post by **Greg M.** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 5:08 pm

backcountrysister wrote:
steve wrote:oh ya simon's a cool guy for sure. i don't remember him being stingy with his joints ... i'm pretty sure we shared a few ... his job is his career though and he takes it very seriously so stay out of his way! that said though, I usually found sharing a cache with him very motivating.

as far as osprey goes nice people, laid back, but the prices were too low.
R U serious? they rip people off and they freaking break labour laws all the time. I know things are tight but come one- In fact they just lost 20 % of their work ro Evergreen - get the facts straight

They "lost" the work or gave it up or what? Island timberlands? more details please.

steve · Post by **steve** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 10:08 pm

well i didn't work with them for very long, just a bit last spring while I was waiting for the interior to thaw out.

in that time though I was paid the right amount and on time. my crew boss and supervisor were friendly and they pretty much just let me do my thing.

as far as my experience goes, my only gripe were that the prices were too low.

i have definitely heard their reputation and i don't dispute it, but i can only speak from my own experience there.

The_Bearslayer · Post by **The_Bearslayer** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 8:58 pm

The Bearslayer decrees thus:

- Simon's tall, he wears no gloves and for that matter no watch because "[his] hands tell [him] when it's 5:00." The rumors that he smokes/has smoked dope are true.

- Osprey planters in Duncan were making less than 100 dollars a day as recently as a week or two ago, no kitchenettes and barely any supervision. They were happy to have it because there was virtually no other work around then.

The_Bearslayer · Post by **The_Bearslayer** » Tue Apr 28, 2009 9:03 pm

The Bearslayer now deigns to address Greg M:

Osprey had way too many trees on the Island and bid too low to have any hope of retaining planters once interior contracts commenced. Also, their QC coning show just got started and siphoned off their best planters.

TheHamsterizer · Post by **TheHamsterizer** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:13 pm

The_Bearslayer wrote:The Bearslayer decrees thus:

- Simon's tall, he wears no gloves and for that matter no watch because "[his] hands tell [him] when it's 5:00." The rumors that he smokes/has smoked dope are true.

- Osprey planters in Duncan were making less than 100 dollars a day as recently as a week or two ago, no kitchenettes and barely any supervision. They were happy to have it because there was virtually no other work around then.

his hands steer him wrong, I recently watched him bag up 350 at 4:45, and then watched him walk back to the truck and waited as he re-bundled about 250 trees at 5:15 or so. I guess I should have told him something when he bagged up, but it's none of my business really.

TheHamsterizer · Post by **TheHamsterizer** » Thu May 07, 2009 8:18 pm

The_Bearslayer wrote:The Bearslayer now deigns to address Greg M:

Osprey had way too many trees on the Island and bid too low to have any hope of retaining planters once interior contracts commenced. Also, their QC coning show just got started and siphoned off their best planters.

I resent that. They have best planters? Do they even have any planters? You can't siphon an empty tank. A coning show is Osprey's best contract, why am I not surprised.

Coaster · Post by **Coaster** » Fri May 08, 2009 10:46 am

Timberwest took Ospreys trees and gave then to another contractor because they didn't show up to do them. From what I hear it was a small contract and nowhere near 20% of their work, more like 5%. We had one of their planters come and work with us. He had been making $300/ day working the inlets for Interfor but couldn't make the grade with our crew as he wasn't used to getting checked. I guess if you can make $300 while getting paid 23 cents in nasty heli slash, nobody is checking you.

Saffa · Post by **Saffa** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:43 am

Hey does anyone know how much work these wankers where able to get this year??

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:41 pm

rumor has it these guys are paying 13 cents on the coast with a 2 cent incentive to be paid at the end of the season. Is this even legal? Does anyone want to comment?

Evergreen · Post by **Evergreen** » Sat May 01, 2010 12:26 pm

Bonuses for staying until the end of the season are not legal. Any bonus that discriminates between people doing the same work for a reason such as quality or leaving early is not allowed. If this sort of thing is reported to the proper authorities, they have the power to audit the offending company and then require them to reimburse all of the planters, not just the one who made the complaint.

Captain Slashpile · Post by **Captain Slashpile** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 10:30 pm

I worked with simon a lot this year. great guy. slept in this little car. reminded me of that simpsons episode where the huge guy gets out of the tiny car "are you making fun of the size of my automobile?" I had to help him finish one piece and the dude plants a lot, but he used some jedi mind fuck on me so i couldnt plant near him. smokes a ton.

kenax · Post by **kenax** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 5:08 pm

With the permission of Scooter I just copied updated information from this thread to the Treeplanter’s Database found at http://hardcoretreeplanters.com/ to make it easier to view comments by treeplanters and compare treeplanting companies against one another, in the hopes that they will treat and pay their planters better.

shawniganlaker · Post by **shawniganlaker** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:43 pm

2012 Cockspray update...Heard they won 2 spring contracts with Timber West in the South but shit the bed in the Fall and lost the work. Anyone hear this ?

Avoid At All Costs !!! You'll only be supporting a parasitic entity. A parasite that lives off unfortunate out of work planters grasping at straws. You'll never be able to get clean !

mwainwright · Post by **mwainwright** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:21 am

the upcoming 2012 planting season here on haida gwaii is fast shaping up, and the most recent development is that the teal-jones group has told the local contractors to go fuck themselves because osprey gave them a price they couldn't refuse. surprise! i believe that contract is somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000+ browse protectors, plus who knows how many straight trees. i bet they'll have to stash around 20% just to make a profit.

fuck you pete, and your minion pierre.

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 12:40 pm

I find it crazy how almost everyone I know is aware of their "ethics" yet they can still somehow convince foresters to give them work.

I wonder how they are going to stash the cones.

Brandini · Post by **Brandini** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 12:55 pm

I'm an interior planter and did a shift this fall with osprey, figured I wouldn't listen to gossip. Of course I wasn't impressed, and left with many others, such turnover! They were paying 16 cents on a super low bid campbell river job which dragged on, and failed blocks on the previous Alberni contract. They must be bleeding cash.

Rainman · Post by **Rainman** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 2:01 pm

Osprey is not a young company. They have been up to no good for as long as I can remember.

mwainwright · Post by **mwainwright** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 6:15 pm

Rainman wrote:.

I wonder how they are going to stash the cones.

probably burn them in an oil drum. this happens more often than you would think.

Brandini · Post by **Brandini** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:19 pm

Brandini, did they pay properly on a bi-weekly schedule?

I was paid on time, in full, by what seemed like reasonable people. My breif experience. My foreman mentioned there had been holdbacks for the Charlottes work in the past.

Tnalp · Post by **Tnalp** » Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:28 pm

Who wants to work for Jones on Haida Gwaii anyway!! Just a complete joke. The "fuck you" that they said was directed to which local contractors by the way? Excluding your boss..

Also speaking of your employer do you realize he came and brought the spacing prices down in Terrace last Fall where a bunch of "locals" had a good thing going. That ground you were on was normally paid at least 1000 $ a Ha, but i guess the client just could not refuse the low prices!! "A professional spacer should make more than a planter" (quote) Anyone there average over 400 $? (excluding the hourly rate paid for the 80 + Ha of rework!!) This is some serious double standard fucking shit!! Don't get me fucking going!! Un-fucking-believeable

Post by **Scooter** » Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:27 am

Ok, let's summarize.
1. Prices suck in some places.
2. Osprey pays on time, sometimes.

I'm going to lock this thread before it gets too out-of-control.

Happy holidays, everybody.