Should I switch companies?

[jdtesluk]

Quit.
Not only you, but each and every person in that rat-bag sh*thole operation should walk out and leave the employer holding his own ass.

Preferably do it en mass at the beginning of the season. Get a job somewhere else with an employer that respects you, and then when this sorry excuse for an employer is fully committed and deposited on his job, have nobody show up, and let him plant the trees himself.

No self-respecting person should work for such a garbage operation in this country.

[theBushman]

Don't go back. The vets obviously figured that part out.

Don't accept excuses for crap transportation.

Don't accept crap quality and stashing. When the company gets busted, they WILL take it out of your pay, whether you even worked that week or not.

The company sounds cheap enough to call collect to make you an offer.

[Scooter]

Again, well put.

Most of my rookies made at least $11,000 and as high as $16,500 gross this season, in a 67 day season. And I consider my camp's earnings to be only average for the industry. Granted, that's more days than you, but they were rookies. I've had tons of Ontario planters move into my camp. If you move out west, the first week will be an eye-opener, but you'll figure it out and you'll be so happy you moved. And besides, you'll almost always get more days.

Do it.

And by the way, we use GPS and all kinds of tricks to prevent stashing. If a whole crew or a significant number of people on a crew are doing it, it's because the company and/or camp management are shady as fuck.

[iwelsted]

You should quit.

By my third year, I was making $300 a day, and that was a couple of decades ago.

If there is any stashing it is a very bad sign. Essentially it is the signal that people would rather steal from the company you are working for than work for a fair wage.

There are a number of companies listed on this site who, although they may not be great, are bound to be better than what you describe. With two years experience you should be a somewhat valuable commodity.

Good luck

[PlantinTaders]

Go public with the name of the company.

We should know what company is letting these things go on, and potential rookies deserve the chance to make a well informed decision and avoid the worst actors.

These forums are read by people, and your feedback could help to make a positive change.

Planters have an obligation to expose shady contractors and their bullshit. If we don't, they will just keep walking over us and degrading the value of our labour.

You should quit.

If there is any stashing it is a very bad sign. Essentially it is the signal that people would rather steal from the company you are working for than work for a fair wage.

Good luck

I think its likely that this situation is more along the lines of "people are not offered a fair wage for their work, and so are stealing from their employer's employer, the licensee"(and its sucessor[s], and the province, and the resources of future generations)

I do not condone stashing under any circumstances. I think its this cycle of positive reinforcement that is keeping Ontario prices low. Shitty contractors want to pad their pockets by cutting extra corners and taking that extra 1/2 cent off the price. This environment cultivates a shitty attitude towards quality and integrity among planters. Lots of these stands won't get to free grow status without more work. Costs go up. Al this data is brought to the bidding table next year.

Ontario is like a post apocalyptic Alberta and North BC where the remnant contractors of the Great Lowball War fight for scrap work thrown down to them by Canfor and Millar Western. The unfortunate winners go to war in the trenches with armies of expendable naive students, fearlessly led by their hardened 2nd year vet foremen on their banana buses.

[Nate]

Talk to a bunch of the people you worked with and try to get a larger northern AB or BC company to take you on as a group. The smaller interior companies won't be interested in such a group, but the larger northern ones might.

Keep in mind stashing is treated more like a criminal offense out west (which it basically is) than the "make sure you don't caught" that it sounds like it was at your old company. If you bring a group, you'll want to have that conversation ahead of time.

[wewdzy]

Last year we had more rookies than vets, only a hand full of 3+ year vets
Start of the year was slow and disorganization
Constant vehicle break downs
two 15 man crews sharing a bus together every day
Quality Crisis
Possible Crew wide Stashing(???)
A few hour long walk ins

Wonder what company this was. Sounds like Treeline to me but could be any company in Ontario I guess

In any case, don't consider going working in ontario again for even a second. The idea that you'll go out west and not know how to plant as well there is total bullshit... This is something foremen at shitty ontario companies tell rookies to try and keep them in their shitty crew (the same thing was being said by foremen my first year in ontario ten years ago ). In reality when you get to BC or alberta you will probably find it easier planting, and you will definitely make more money; I've never heard of anyone making less money in BC or AB then they did in Ontario, I don't think its physically possible. Also, $10,000 in a rookie season in ontario is really good, if you can do that then planting out west in the interior should be a cakewalk.

A bad contract is probably just as likely to happen at your current company then anywhere else so that's not really an issue.