machine operator

maintenance technician

press operator

operator

production associate

TC Transcontinental

PRO: I actually loved working at this job AT TIMES because I'm high energy. Having to keep busy and move around every minute made the 12-hour shift fly pretty quickly.

CON 1: So, you work 4 weeks on days and then 4 weeks on nights. It's not healthy for anyone to do that. There is a lot of turnover at this company and they management can't understand why. I will tell you why. Rotating shifts. No one wants that. 

CON 2:  Depending on your position you are going to have a different supervisor, of course, but for bags, you're not allowed to sit down. For 12 hours... while that's happening you can watch the workers in the extrusion area sitting comfortably in their reclining office chairs. ?? Mentally, it's a real downer.
So they tell you you can take a break. But you must "keep the machine running." That would be great if the machines didn't jam. Or bad products go through while you're not looking at it. Quality is a very big deal, so how are you supposed to take a break while the machine is running and maintain quality? 

CON 3: Inequality. Unfairness. Call it what you will, but some workers tend to get orders that are much, much more difficult than others. I could run an order with 400 bags per box at 26 pounds per box all night long and walk out with a smile on my face. But when you have an order night after night after night that's 200 bags per box at 57 lb - picking that thing up and putting it on a pallet every 5 minutes... well, it wears on you. 
It wouldn't be so bad if the workers truly rotated so you could have an easy job one night and it's more difficult job the next. 
They say they do that, but they do not. Some workers just get stuck getting the same high-maintenance orders all the time. Why? I really don't know. Don't they understand that this is a big cause of turnover? 

Honestly, I quit because I had an injury to my foot and I just couldn't take lifting 57 lb box every 5 minutes for 12 hours anymore. But I stopped liking the job when I got stuck on the old machines with the difficult orders shift after shift.


As long as you are human and have a pulse you’ll be able to get a job here no problem. Training takes about a month after your first week of orientation. You are assigned to be trained by whoever is available it seems. The training is all over the place. You’ll have one person telling you to do things one way, while the next person will tell you how to do it a different way. I suggest try to take a little bit of everything you’re shown and find your own rhythm that way. About a third of the people you will be working with are decent, but some come off crabby or won’t speak. Break times are quiet everyone keeps to themselves and or talk to the few they’re familiar with. Luckily you are allowed to go outside and/ or to your car. Machines run the way the operators feel like running them and most of them run fast so you have to be quick. They hardly help you and will only scold you if you can’t keep up. This place definitely gives an old school feel from the culture to the way the work is done. Their computer program they use for inventory and such is outdated, needs an upgrade to something less 1980s. Some of the machines are pretty old, some are new. Management rarely speaks to any new employees. It seems like their turnover rate has become an issue that everyone at the place doesn’t expect anyone to last so they kind of get ignored for awhile. You will be confused as there’s a lot a helper does at this place, more work than I’ve experienced anywhere else as an assistant. The schedule is hard to get used to as it rotates from nights to days, but they do give you 7 days off each month. I’d say if you’re looking for a job that pays well and willing to work 12 hours either dying from boredom or dying from exhaustion and work as much overtime as you want then this is the place for you. 

Pros 
Good pay , nice bonuses , holidays, benefits, and simple work 
Cleaner to work in than most places I've worked 

Cons 
Management gets to basically pick their own hours and then brag about perfect attendance 
Orders are changed often when right in the middle of something else 
Lack of communication, my managers office is right in from of my work station but sometimes I'll find something out via email instead of face to face 
Machines tend to get broken and this particular place doesn't like to keep spare parts on hand 

While the pay is good , the raises aren't 
It's all based on performance with a rating from 1-5 , 5 being impossible to get unless you're someone's favorite 
They make you join a team meeting every month and if you don't guess what ? It counts against your performance 
Often times the meeting is before or after your scheduled shift 
There isn't any responsibility for what you do, if someone else breaks the rules then everyone is punished 
They've started publicly shaming people for computer mistakes like production entry etc , now everyone can see how incompetent someone is and I don't believe that's right or respectful to the employees. 
This is a food packaging company so we don't want anyone to come in sick but if you call in and even bring a doctor's note you still get punished for being gone or late etc
Overall I could go on and on but it could be a great place to work but with management as is, it's just another temporary job for a lot of people, as the turnover rate seems to reflect. 

My advise for anyone seeking anything more than a paycheck is to avoid working here. The biggest problem here was that the entire management team is completely incompetentfrom top to bottom. That is what happens when you only hire and promote people into management based solely on nepotism and favoritism. I've seen many way more qualified people be skipped over for management positions, and family members with no experience at all be hired. The plant manager is mostly to blame for instilling a work camp type culture where you are just a number to them to make them money. The people who have been there the longest and have the most experience have it the worst. They get treated like the work horses and get talked down to and treated like garbage when they rarely make minor mistakes. There is no accountability from anyone in management when it comes to anything at all, it will always be an operators fault sadly. Most operators dont last long because of this reason, and because of the short amount of time they give new people to learn very complicated machines. In conclusion quiting this job was one of the best decisions I have made in my life.

It was really difficult working here most days, especially when I was new. The workload is pretty demanding and you will be busy for 12 straight hours. The overall vibe here is very odd. No one really talks to anyone and it seems like everyone is scared for their job. You could hear a pin drop in the break room every single day. Most operators won’t help you much, if at all. There’s 1 guy who’s a designated trainer that you work with for the first month or so and he’s only with you about 50% of the time. Still, you’ll be expected to keep up and not slow down production. It is 100% true that you will most likely need a referral to get a job offer. They’re always short staffed, but seem to only hire 1-2 people at a time. This forces others on mandatory OT which also drives down morale further. Expect to be scheduled at least 1-2 days of your off days every week. 

I would go to my assigned work area and begin taking stacks of finished printed papers from the end of the press and stacking them on skids to await shipping. I may be involved in cleaning or maintenence of the press as well as assisting in setting up the press for new jobs or quality control on the product.
I learned a lot about the machinery and practices of the printing and print advertising industries.
Management gave ample opportunities for training and advancement, which I greatly appreciated.
My co-workers were generally helpful and supportive, giving me the opportunity to learn from their experience and expertise.
The hardest part was the long hours and difficult physical demands.
The best part was successfully being part of a team that worked on the largest, most difficult, fastest press in the shop, and doing it well.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time at TC. Most of the employees are friendly, most of the supervisors and TAs are helpful and fair. I feel I had adequate training and was appreciated by management. Excellent pay and benefits. However, be prepared to work a lot of 12 hour shifts to cover people that take off and they work a lot of weekends. Don't expect to stay on the shift you were hired to do. They really don't tell you during interview process that you will be expected to work whenever they decide they need you, 24/7. I have no problem working overtime, however I don't agree with being expected to rearrange my life because they decided they need me to switch to a different shift. Unfortunately it just didn't work out for me.

What is the best part of working at the company?
They really do care and understand the employees have lives outside of work and accommodate as best they can.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The personalities/attitudes of some of the other employees. But you have that everywhere. I personally experienced a couple incidents and spoke openly to my direct supervisor and he worked to resolve it effectively. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Overall it was very comfortable and supportive 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Consistently completing tasks but not overwhelming

From the time i would clock in i would be placing all news papers into Printing machine and stay close by in case anything went wrong during the process.

I learned how to Operate on the machines at the job and how to Make the newspapers and Print them out.

Management was great.

Co-workers were wonderful and very hard working.

The Hardest part of the job was when the machines would break down it would sometimes slow down the process of printing out the rest of the newspapers.

The most enjoyable part of work is knowing that i was working as hard as i could to be a great employee and to make sure managers were proud of me.

After working here it is safe to say that tc doesn't care,  respect, or honor you as  person let alone a valuable employee. The building is in a free fall with tc allowing and encouraging the termination/eliminations of long tenured employees and not encourage ANY internal promotions always getting outside help that knows nothing about the actual business of printing. The balance between work and personal life is nonexistent with mandatory OT (50-60) weekly,  not to mention the constant change to work schedule (8-12hr).To any who try to work here good luck you WILL leave frustrated everyday with no will to live or work

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Machine operator 29 salaries reported	$20.71 per hour
Maintenance technician 23 salaries reported	$32.20 per hour
Press operator 17 salaries reported	$23.94 per hour
Operator 8 salaries reported	$24.50 per hour
Production associate 2 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour

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