Spoke with Bill at Swift Bullets yesterday

[JimP]

Working at a feedlot today is very different. The hours can be long at times but the work really isn’t to difficult. Driving tractors, payloaders, feed trucks. If you like cattle it is a great job. But you have to like animals and being outside a lot. Sounds really bad don’t it. lol. I always said I would pay someone else to be able to do it.

Just for the time frame the job that I was thinking about was in the mid 70's

 

[Aaron N]

I may be off on this Aaron, but I thought that I understood that the unemployment figures only counted those actually wanting to work? I don’t think it picks up those who have intentionally sidelined themselves.

No idea, I just wanted to throw a figure out there regardless. I think the figure of people who are actually capable of holding down a job that are in the dole is pretty low.

 

[Aaron N]

I had an HR manager tell me, when I asked about getting a new lineman to replace a retired lineman, that they had gone through 2 rounds of ten. First 10 had all wash out due to no valid drivers license and or failed drug tests. You see it doesn’t make any difference if your state has legalized a substance, no one is hiring anyone who has to operate in a dangerous environment who would test positive should they be involved in an accident. The second group of 10 had the same result minus one and the manager stated they had the job if they passed the remaining written test.
I asked, ok, but what if he’s an a$$hole? Seriously, personality had no bearing whatsoever but it absolutely matters in a crew dynamic.
Our government is turning our young people into unemployable idiots and with medical studies showing a 1 in 4 chance of developing bi-polar disorder with schizophrenia from the modern pot, crazy unemployable idiots!

I don’t know a lineman that CAN pass a piss test!

 

[Aaron N]

Really? Stupid BS more like it. Lots of lazy azzes not even looking anymore. Lots of them want a “living wage” for menial work after smoking pot and blowing off school. Wake up! Lower paying jobs used to push people to want to work harder and be promoted to higher paying jobs. People used to know that entry level jobs were not a goal but a stepping stone while working your way up the ladder of success.

The fact is he says he can’t attract labour. People will will go where they’re valued which apparently Swift doesn’t seem care much about.

As a business owner, I have pulled employees from other companies with more appealing packages whether it be more money or a better appealing shift schedule. If I couldn’t find people to work for me, I’d take a look at what I’M doing wrong and not blaming everyone who doesn’t want to work for me.

 

[Challer]

Fun fact, US unemployment is 3.8% below the historical level of 5.7%. It seems like MORE people are wanting to work than usual.

It's only low because so many people are now permanently out of the market and we don't count those in the calculation

 

[Hunt anything]

It's only low because so many people are now permanently out of the market and we don't count those in the calculation

A better number to look at is the labor participation rate. It’s been hovering around 60% (I think) for a while.

 

[62flint]

The fact is he says he can’t attract labour. People will will go where they’re valued which apparently Swift doesn’t seem care much about.

As a business owner, I have pulled employees from other companies with more appealing packages whether it be more money or a better appealing shift schedule. If I couldn’t find people to work for me, I’d take a look at what I’M doing wrong and not blaming everyone who doesn’t want to work for me.

Just curious, would you mind sharing what type of business you are in?

 

[Aaron N]

Just curious, would you mind sharing what type of business you are in?

We do high voltage operations, testing, commissioning, and maintenance, as well as industrial construction.

 

[Hunt anything]

Sorry @PHOENIX PHIL , I looked back and saw you have already brought this up.
A word about the farm hands people see. Many are illegal but many are H2A visa workers. They really do do jobs that American workers won’t do. We have 10 on our farm and in the last 20 years that I’ve managed the sod harvest only a handful of Americans have applied for jobs and if we hire them they may last a month or so.

 

[Rule 303]

Yup. Offer better packages than other companies in your area, and you’ll never be short manpower. Isn’t that what the free market is all about?

I can see you have lost touch with reality. Not being mean it is just a fact. In to days world where Govts have such good welfare options that many people do not need to or want to work. This is the sad reality. I for one do not condone this and think welfare, at least here in Australia, should be cut by 50%.

Welfare payments are supposed to be a safety net to assist people in need. Not a livable wage.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

as others have pointed out, north fork is filling the demand. The market works.

No idea why Swift can’t hire right now, but it really doesn’t matter. If there is a demand, someone is going to step in and make a buck.

 

[Scott CWO]

We do high voltage operations, testing, commissioning, and maintenance, as well as industrial construction.

You’re in a different league. Sounds like skilled labor and more technical work than bullets.

 

[Aaron N]

I can see you have lost touch with reality. Not being mean it is just a fact. In to days world where Govts have such good welfare options that many people do not need to or want to work. This is the sad reality. I for one do not condone this and think welfare, at least here in Australia, should be cut by 50%.

Welfare payments are supposed to be a safety net to assist people in need. Not a livable wage.

I’m not too sure how things work in AUS, it a quick search, I’m sure there’s more that I’m missing, shows a monthly support income on $860 a month if you’re considered employable, and $1099 if you’re deemed disabled in my province in Canada. I wouldn’t consider these a livable wage by any means.


Sure we all know of a friend of a friend of a friend who’s making six figures from the govt, but what’s the reality. I’ve known one person on disability and let me tell you he sure as hell wasn’t meeting any sort of standard of living,

As for foster parents, it costs money to raise kids. You’re either paying an orphanage (are those still things?) to do a crappy job, or pay foster parents who hopefully raise those kids like their own. Either way it’s gonna cost the tax payers.

 

[Aaron N]

You’re in a different league. Sounds like skilled labor and more technical work than bullets.

It’s all supply and demand. Same for you, if you don’t keep competitive with other outfitters, eventually your camp staffs loyalty will wear thin.

Funny enough, I can’t seem to find any sort of ads where swift is actually attempting to hire workers….

 

[sureshot375]

Fun fact, US unemployment is 3.8% below the historical level of 5.7%. It seems like MORE people are wanting to work than usual.

That’s not what that means. Unemployment is the number of people who are unemployed and looking for work. It does not account for the millions who have no interest in working.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

It’s all supply and demand. Same for you, if you don’t keep competitive with other outfitters, eventually your camp staffs loyalty will wear thin.

Funny enough, I can’t seem to find any sort of ads where swift is actually attempting to hire workers….

Exactly!

On most company websites you can find a link for “Careers.” Nothing on the Swift website.

 

[Scott CWO]

It’s all supply and demand. Same for you, if you don’t keep competitive with other outfitters, eventually your camp staffs loyalty will wear thin.

Funny enough, I can’t seem to find any sort of ads where swift is actually attempting to hire workers….

It’s not all the same and you don’t know what Swift pays.

 

[Aaron N]

It’s not all the same and you don’t know what Swift pays.

Obviously not enough to attract workers. But it doesn’t really matter because it doesn’t look like they are hiring any way. I guess it’s easier to allot your manpower to your top selling lines, and blame society as the reason to ignore your more niche product all while padding the bottom line.

 

[mdwest]

In a town with a population of less than 1000 I doubt you need to advertise for labor online… everyone for a 3 county radius knows Swift is there and knows when they’re hiring…

No one is moving to a rural location like that for an unskilled labor wage/position… I’m sure they are reliant on people that live within a reasonable distance of their facility (+/- 50 miles?)…

Even for a company the size of mine, that hires most of its HQ team as teleworkers, we rarely rely on online or web based sources… word of mouth and our current workforce (their networks) are we find most good people..

Our contractors (work through us, but for the government, typically on govt job sites or outside of the US) is a different story… while we also get a good number of those people through our current workforce networks, we do recruit a lot of those guys through our website, online platforms like LinkedIn and ClearanceJobs, etc..

 

[Scott CWO]

It’s all supply and demand. Same for you, if you don’t keep competitive with other outfitters, eventually your camp staffs loyalty will wear thin.

Funny enough, I can’t seem to find any sort of ads where swift is actually attempting to hire workers….

Thanks for your advice. Now we all know to contact you for advice involving all industries and situations. Good to know.