Factory training - should I be paid for for my time?

I always got paid when I attended training at the GM training center. Many times, I got a used car to use for transportation to and from.

OTOH, when I worked for the natural gas utility in Milwaukee, I had to use a vacation day if I wanted to take any training that conflicted with my work hours.

I doubt that it's up to GM whether your employer pay you for training, state law may say otherwise though.

Don C wrote in news:0d979ed6-5307-4ff4-8da3- snipped-for-privacy@u12g2000prd.googlegroups.com:

Hmm. Bad sign here. You're looking at this as having to work for no pay. You're not a real professional, then.

Let's investigate further: Assuming you're 25 and will work until 65, working only 8 hour days the whole time, 50 paid weeks a year, you will work 80,000 hours in your life.

You are being asked to give up 16 of those hours for no pay, or 0.02% of your lifetime total. How much more are those "bunch of on-line classes" eating up?

Me, I'd be seeing this as a golden opportunity to make myself more saleable for more money to prospective employers, even to your current employer. GM is throwing at you information that may be nearly impossible to come by once you're on the outside looking in.

Information is priceless. It, plus work ethic, is what makes a worker worth more than his fellows. Those 16 "free" hours will pay for themselves many times over, provided you have the right attitude.

I agree, but as an apprentice he may need those 16 hours to pay the rent. It'd be one thing if it were a weekend but I would assume that these are weekdays that he won't be getting paid for working at the dealership.

Maybe I'm out of touch, but that is a sign to me that this dealership is unconvinced that the OP is worth the investment. Whether that means that the OP has given the dealership reason to doubt him or if that means that the dealership is cheap and sees techs as replaceable I have no idea, but I don't think that this is a sign of a good employee/employer relationship.

nate

The online training should be on your dime. Trust me you are going to spend the rest of your life trying to keep up with the technology. I've been in my field for 22 years and still spend hours every week trying to keep up with what's new and what's coming.

The 2 days should be on their dime. They should be paying for your time plus all your expenses.

With that said... If they aren't going to pay and you can afford to go then by all means go ahead and go. This training could be the difference between you getting the job you really want and not getting the job. If it was me I would take advantage of this dealership for all the training you can get out of them and then hightail it out of there to another place that appreciates their employees.

Steve B.

Thanks for the responses so far. I totally understand the value of training and that I will need to continue for the rest of my career. I'm just wanting to make sure I am being treated fairly, because the dealership seems to keep changing its position on this. Its odd that they just don't seem to have a "policy". On-line no, hands-on yes. It seems to take weeks to get an answer. Doing the on-line after hours training on my own time makes sense that I don't get paid for that. But it also makes sense that if I'm required to take two work- days off for the hands-on at a GM facility, that they should cover that. The GM said, "that's what you have a credit card for"...

I agree with you 100% (and then comes the big but)

In my opinion you are not being treated fairly BUT some other dealership might not give you any training at all and just leave you in the pit changing oil for the next two years. If you piss this dealership off you will also find yourself either out of a job or changing oil all day.

At this time you aren't at a point where you want to "make waves". Soak up everything they are willing to teach you so that you become a valuable asset for them then make your waves. You seem to have your shit together and I expect you will have a very bright future wherever you end up.

Steve B.

In most every aspect I have been treated well. I am working my apprenticeship under the top dealer tech, and one of the highest rated in the region. I spent all day working with him, which in itself is great training. He and I are the only ones that work on diesel. When a Corvette goes in, they always come to us. I guess what I need to find out is if they pay the other techs. If no one gets paid for on- line, then that's ok. But if some do and some don't, well, then that's an issue. But it certainly seems that the hands-on should be paid since that is during the work week. Thanks

In most every aspect I have been treated well. I am working my apprenticeship under the top dealer tech, and one of the highest rated in the region. I spent all day working with him, which in itself is great training. He and I are the only ones that work on diesel. When a Corvette goes in, they always come to us. I guess what I need to find out is if they pay the other techs. If no one gets paid for on- line, then that's ok. But if some do and some don't, well, then that's an issue. But it certainly seems that the hands-on should be paid since that is during the work week. Thanks

The companies I have worked for over the past many years generally dedicated themselves to continued training for their employees, and it was paid time as if it were regular on the job hours. It is a basic part of the ISO certifications that I have been involved with.

I dont know that there is any law that covers this obligatory, but uncompensated, time. I feel that it is a rather shoddy way to treat an employee that a company would hope to develop and keep.

Still, quality training is a blessing. If I could afford it, I would go with it, learn all I could, and keep my options open.