production associate

team member

operator

plant supervisor

maintenance mechanic

Columbia Forest Products

To be honest there are more cons to this job than a chain gang on an interstate highway clean up crew. A few pros while dealing with this job are good benefits and the hours are guaranteed. The pay, while ok, is the lowest paid plant when compared to the pay rate of the other Columbia Forest plants. You will get a good physical work out while on the press, however, the wear and tear the job places on the body is high. That's where it ends as far as pros go. CFP does not care about your personal life. Once you are clocked in you belong to them, personal issues such as family emergencies or if you are sick, they don't care. You will be punished for it, even with the note of a doctor, medical care facility, ect. it does not matter to them. You will still get written up unless you are management. The only thing that matters is a death in your immediate family and that is about it. The behind closed doors racism and favoritism sticks out like a sore thumb and can be observed if one sits back and watches enough. They are an equal opportunity employer but that's it. You are just good enough to work on the floor. The only promotions I witnessed during the whole time I was there where 2 maybe 3 African Americans that where qualified and very capable, while I witnessed countless unqualified and undeserving promotions of Caucasians. It doesn't matter if you have graduate fro an Ivy League school if you are African American, at CFP Chatham, you stand a greater chance of promotion if you are white and/or a family member. Then you will make it, promotion wise, to the top. Not to mention you can be the most qualified educated black male and not get the job, but be the most unqualified laziest ignorant non experience white man can get the jobs hands down. This has been observed first hand. As far as co-workers go there are a lot of okay people but they are stretched far and thin by department and shift, and there is a lot of back stabbing, snitching, two facing and running in the office behind closed door tattling in exchange for job security. As far as unemployment goes, forget it, CFP will do whatever is in their power to keep you from getting it. That money is needed for their lead/supervisor outings such as their expensive lunches, all expense paid golf trips where they are being paid as if on the clock the entire time they are golfing, and their Hunter's Lodge membership expenses. If you are white this is the job for you, if you are white and a family member hey you are gonna make it to the top almost effortlessly. If you are black you might get it and if you do you will just work on the floor and that's bout it. If you are black and intelligent you will get the job, just don't let them know how intelligent you are because they fear that the most. If you are black and a sell out or an uncle tom you will get it and keep it until the need for you is no longer there and then it's over. If you have any kind of serious health issues while employed such as a heart attack or brain aneurism ad have to be out of work, it is advised you start seeking other employment when you are released from your doctor because in the end you will be terminated even if you are under the care of a doctor without unemployment benefits. Yes, this happened while I was there! Also if you have an aneurism while on the job and death occurs, the family will get no compensation as they will deem this as your fault. Yes, this also happened while I was there! So, do you still want the job?

Its just mill/line work. You punch in, go to your station and work until break and return. If you like mindless, repetitive work that offers no fulfillment, this is the place for you! Overtime can be mandatory and give at a moments notice. I have often been diligently doing my work, near the very end of the day and told we are going to have to stay late all of a sudden. Literally a few minutes notice. If you have kids to pick up, or a second job or prior engagements for that day or night, they do not care. 

To be fair, they do often promote from within but it is based on how much current management likes you more than your work performance. They offer profit sharing paid out at the end of each of 10 periods a year based on the company performance and hours worked, stock options, 401k and health/dental/vision/disability insurance. This job probably offers some of the highest pay for unskilled labor but the OTJ training is often rushed and you are often put on the job too early to be competent in your work. This is frustrating for new and current employees.

Workplace culture feels like it depends on who you are, newer employees are often given way more lenience than long term employees. This is because the employee turnover is so high they will now do anything to get people to stay. First shift is the golden child of the mill no matter how they are  performing and second shift is often but on the back burner lacking the support and structure First shift is given. Coworkers generally don't care who you are or how you are doing as long as you are not making their work harder. Management often knows next to nothing about their employees personally and they like to separate themselves. Morale is lower than it ever has been. For a company who says WE ARE FAMILY, you don't want to be part of this family even if the money is good IMO.

I was fired after 30yrs! I filed a formal harassment case against my immediate boss, and as I expected, they found him free of wrongdoing, and I was fired with the year. To this day, I can't give you a definite reason why I was fired, but Oregon is an At-will state, so he didn't need one. When I started in 1986, It was the dream job. Good pay, Good management, and a company that was interested in their people. Over the years, that slowly changed, and now it seems as though they only care about the numbers, no matter what it takes to get them. Safety is lacking, high stress levels are everywhere in both plants, and a generally low level of employee satisfaction is mill-wide. When a new management trainee is hired, I remember the first question that the employees usually asked among themselves was, "who are they related to?" My boss happened to be related to the plant manager by marriage. Years back, the company did a satisfaction survey and it was clear things were changing. I wonder what that survey would look like now, especially with the recent fatality. I was working in my dream position, and had every intention of retiring from that job. I gave them so many years of my life, and when I was fired 10 days short of my 30 yr. anniversary, they didn't even give me my 30 yr. bonus!

I feel I was bullied the entire time I worked here pay is great benefits great that's the only good thing I experienced I felt like if I looked at someone the wrong way they would make fun of me and or I would get wrote up for stuff that made no since. Worked there for awhile and felt like everyone had it out for me unless they where on a different shift. It's not the whole place just certain few that make it almost impossible to feel good about yourself and make progress at your job really only 2 people tried to help me and actually teach me and I worked hard everyday and stayed in one spot for months and was told when I got hired you rotate and this and that. Never happened but always did what I was told move from different machines everything everyday but say if I don't progress I'm gonna be let go at what job which one? Because I seen people get hired and couldn't even throw a piece of ply wood I feel I got fired because they want everyone on the shift to be their friend or personally know them it's sad that I worked for days always trying to do my job but get moved back and forth and get blamed for it. If you don't train someone don't come at them the wrong way when its not to your liking people have kids and have life's to you can't just hire and fire people for looking the wrong way. I loved working here have a lot of friends and family that work here I just hate that happened to me. 

The money is appealing, but you will quickly realize its not worth it. That's the main reason they're always on indeed. they treat their associates like garbage and criticize them when they cant complete an impossible task. They request speed in replacement of quality, then when quality is low they whine about quality. There is zero consistency. Management will lie to you in your interview, and just in general. Management doesn't care about you and often talk down to you like you're inferior. Your problems don't matter. You could be shot in the hospital and it would count against you. They play favoritism with specific employees, their word will always be prioritized over yours, even if you are right...

I mean I could go on for hours writing this. I only got on here because I seen they still cant keep associates and figured I would give you all a heads up before applying, that way you don't waste your time either. I cant stress how terrible of a place this is to work. don't let them sell you this job like its the best around. They're really good at that. Trust me it is far from it.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Job to quality of life ratio is perfect, rarely have to work Saturdays. Properly trained, and the company follows through for 90 days with all new hires, and then beyond. They feed us often and the food is good. Everyone with the same job title makes the same money so there’s no jealousy between coworkers, everyone comes in the door making top pay for what they’re hired for. There’s a chaplain on site. Faith based facility. The only thing I don’t like is it’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter but I have plenty of warm clothes to wear and you can wear shorts and tank tops in the summer so long as your attire is not offensive you can wear whatever you want. Best company I’ve ever worked for 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Taping veneers, and 3 ply runs crazy fast. Forklift driving is VERY fast paced 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Family atmosphere any concerns I’ve brought to management’s attention have been addressed immediately. Very safe place to work 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I either pair up veneers or drive forklift it switches every other day. Breaks every 2 hours no smoking

There were numberous occasion where management would pick there old working buddies or their fathers fishing buddies for advancement, not the employee that worked hard everyday and worked there longer than the "good ole boy". It was a good place to work benifit wise and pay was good but the book will be thrown at you if your not the "good ole boy". Breaks were only 10 mins a peice with a 20 min lunch in a 12 hour shift. If you get sick better make sure you save your personal days cause you will have to use them instead of having sick time to take care of a cold or other minor medical issues. They run off the point system you are only allowed 8 call offs a year. It takes a full year from the date you received your point for it to come off. If you get all eight points you point out. If a family members is sick or in the hospital they don't have anyway of letting you off unless you use the personal time you were given to take care of them unless you are the primary care giver. If you like to have a fast paced, bust your rear end, work day then that's the place for you.

So the Job isn’t terrible.. That is until they start sending you in 10 different directions and all those directions need to be done at once.. The level of experience in each shift is poorly balanced.. most shifts have less than a year total experience between all drivers..Tue job is very overwhelming with little to no help or training .. it is what I was told is a Baptism by Fire .. every night after my first week I looked at the door and just wanted to walk out until one night I finally did.. While I was on vacation they lost 15 people across the board 3 of them on my shift they allow their leads to bully employees and the supervisors are allowed to hire their friends and then give them the easy work.Saftey is the Bottom of the list for this plant as well.. I have never worked in a place that was so unsafe.. everyday I just knew something was going to explode and it did.. Fires pretty much monthly and the other Drivers were very unsafe.

CFP practices in favoritism and nepotism. On any given day I would arrive to work with a team of 5. The team should rotate positions every 30 minutes, as it is hard on the eyes and back. However most days this rule was not enforced as two girls would complain to their supervisor if they had to move. I learned it didn't make any difference to complain because things never changed. The hardest part of the job is working with people who feel they are entitled. The last few years I was employed I worked with several serious injuries and medical conditions. My employer refused to work with me by not allowing me to return to work on a light duty basis, forcing me to use up my FMLA and providing them with an excuse to terminate my employment. The only part of my job that I enjoyed towards the end was the end of the day. In the beginning I loved going to work, it is where I met my wife of 22yrs. But I no longer feel that they care about their employees.

You ready to give 150 % and not get any recognition for it? Then this place is for you.
Everyone talks about everyone and even if you didnt say something people gonna say you said stuff anyways (part of what "you" said will be written in the paper you get coached on dont worry). Also you will get trained improperly.  Wanna learn how to estop a machine and how to properly turn it back on? Youll be shown about 4 weeks after you started working by yourself but you wont know where all the estops are til 4 months in. Everyone also gets lockout tagout training but guess what your not gonna know what things are called (or told how to properly lock somethings out cause somethings aren't part of your role but youll be shown to do things the wrong way by people around you and people in higher positions) and youll know when you did it incorrectly when you get escorted out and terminated from the job.. but you can apply again in 6 months. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Production associate 6 salaries reported	$20.33 per hour
Team member 1 salary reported	$14.50 per hour
Operator 2 salaries reported	$19.65 per hour
Plant supervisor 1 salary reported	$82,500 per year
Maintenance mechanic 1 salary reported	$25.22 per hour

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