Anyone on here have to work over Christmas?

[lemming303]

I just found out today that Chesapeake wants my company to do a well over Christmas day. It's a two well pad that starts on the 23rd. Usually a well takes two days or more, depending on how easily it cleans out. Even if it only took a day for each well, which rarely happens, that would still put us finishing on the 25th. I live in Texas and work in Arkansas. I can have my family up there with me, but I still doubt very seriously that we will be done on Christmas day. It sucks even worse that this is the first Christmas with my son Justin.

What really pisses me off is that I know that all the people who work in Chesapeake's office, and probably even the company rep on location, will be home for Christmas with their family. So they don't care about it, because it doesn't affect them. I wish I could kick someone's ass over this.

[72rtchallenger]

yea that sucks,,I work every day but Christmas  and have for years,,companys dont care as the bosses are off ,,just a number to them and  in there pockets as they reap it and we sow it 

[Moparal]

It happens to me quite often.   This time I leave out on the 27th to. yippie. But the difference is field crew and office personel. Here's a voice from experience... Dont complain to the upper level office personel about it. It will not do you any good. And can cause trouble down the road. Sorry you have to work on Christmas.  I usually take my wife with me when it happens to me. Try to keep your chin up, and make it through the day, then enjoy the family after work. It's all you can do. I would guess that maybe 40 % of worlers have to work, industry doesnt stop process, even a lot of stores and gas stations will be open. So yer not alone.

Christmas is all about the spirit , family and the gift of giving.  So while your working, just imagine giving your company the finger   This thought will come from deep inside, shared with your family and given to your company

[Bullitt-]

Does your employment contract not specify holidays that you get off?... If not the 25th is just another day.  Sad but true.  Would be too bad if your rig had a catastrophic failure on the 24th 

[Chryco Psycho]

Having worked in a oil dominated economy all my life all I can say is get used to it , I have worked or been alone on more christmases than I can remember , the choice here is to make a LOT less $ if you want your holidays respected

[lemming303]

I forgot to mention that my job is a 24 hour job, we don't work 8 hours and then stop, or get relieved by a different crew. Once we start the job we are out there until it is finished. By taking two days I meant that if we start on the 23rd at 6, we usually won't be done until the next afternoon, usually later. Most of these jobs run into the next day, 48 hours after we started.

Yeah, maybe we'll get lucky and have a major failure and have to shut down. I've already been thinking about that, wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit! I keep praying that it will all work out, but it's really hard to keep my head up.

[JH27N0B]

I've been out of full time work for over a year, with little hope of my status changing until I "reinvent" myself after finding myself painted into a corner with my engineering career.
I'd give my right nut right now to have a job that had me working this Christmas!
Actually I did work a bit on a Christmas one year with my part time pilot work.  I had a flight student who was Jewish and asked if I could give him a lesson on a Christmas morning. My plans with family weren't until afternoon, so I figured what the heck.  Needless to say, we had the airport to ourselves that morning for our touch and goes.  I felt sorry for the air traffic controller in the tower, having to work that day and probably bored off his butt to boot!
I've probably flown on every holiday at least once over the years, and probably every day of the year.  With all my free time these days I should go over my log books and see if I have flown all 365 days, it would be an acomplishment of sorts I guess.
When you get down to it, lots of people have to work Christmas, pilots, ATC, police, firemen, restaurant workers, etc.

[Moparal]

I forgot to mention that my job is a 24 hour job, we don't work 8 hours and then stop, or get relieved by a different crew. Once we start the job we are out there until it is finished. By taking two days I meant that if we start on the 23rd at 6, we usually won't be done until the next afternoon, usually later. Most of these jobs run into the next day, 48 hours after we started.

Yeah, maybe we'll get lucky and have a major failure and have to shut down. I've already been thinking about that, wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit! I keep praying that it will all work out, but it's really hard to keep my head up.

I think it's a fedral law that says you can not work over 16 hrs then have to have a mandatory 8 hr break

[DoNotChallengeHer]

I've worked tons Christmas day for over 15 years. This year I work Christmas Eve but have off Christmas day    And right now I'm just glad I have a job, as long as the club doesn't go under. 

[lemming303]

Al, if that is true, we've been breaking the law for a long time now! We usually get a small nap at one point in the day, but it is in the pickup, or the sleeper of a truck. We stay on location until the job is done. I understand those of you who say I should be glad to have a job, I'm just really upset that I won't get to see my family for the whole day of Christmas.

[grimmey71]

for the last 12 years I have had to work just about every holiday and weekend. for a while I was ok with it even oddly slightly proud. But now I am just tired of it, and for a lot of purposes its to late cant go back. thankfully I am not gone for 24 hours or a few days like some and I am thankfull I have a job and holiday pay is good. THis thanksgiving was the worst I work afternoons and my family had to have dinner at 2pm just so they could see me. I really wanted to have a beer and relax but Now I feel as though I am complaining cause at least I got to see them for a few.

[Chryco Psycho]

The oil patch doesn`t worry about laws etc , in Alberta we have some of the wosrt laws involving employee rights as the oil patch donates millions to get partys elected so the law doesn`t effect them or so the laws in place are not enforced well . Every time I have gone to the labor board to get resolution on a legit claim about not being paid I have either lost or won & still never been paid .
 I know in the patch there are times when you just have to get the job finished , personally all I can tell you is to let it slide , take the paycheck & celebrate your christmas a day or two later , the actual date is not as important & spending time with your family at some point , I have had to celebrate Christmas on an alternate day often .
 BTW Have a great Christmas 

[Moparal]

Kevin, in the USA  you either work with MSHA or OSHA safety standards, governed by federal laws.  You cant get away from them. You may be working 24hrs a day, but sooner or later the company will get caught

[babyelephant]

I also work at an airport and they're not shutting down for x-mas. I've been working most holidays for the last ten years and find this quite fine. A lot of extra cash, lazy days (traffic) and in fact I don't care of celebrating x-mas. Anyway I do understand you'd like to be with your family as it should be your son's first x-mas too. I feel sorry for you, but that's how it is working in services on 24 hr duty. Perhaps we earn a good income, but the losses are obvious too. 

[lemming303]

Yeah, the pay is rather good, and I will get double bonus, so that's good I guess. The thing is, this isn't some real critical thing that needs to be done. They have finished fraccing the well, and now they need to drill out the frac plugs and clean the well bore out to put it on production. I don't see why it can't wait one day.

 Al, we work under OSHA, but there is a ton of oilfield exemptions. I'm not sure how the hour thing works, but I do know that it has been done this way for many, many years, and that OSHA has visited our locations before, and it has never been an issue. We have to keep logs as DOT drivers, and I have had jobs before where we showed On Duty for 48 hours straight. If there was any possibility of legal ramifications to our companies, I would imagine they wouldn't allow us to show that on our logs.