glassybaby is hiring in Berkeley, California

[Jordan Kube]

glassybaby is hiring experienced glassblowers in Berkeley, California and Seattle shops.

We are hiring at all skill levels.

Preferred qualifications: 10+ years production glassblowing experience. Must be able to work in a hierarchy on the floor and take direction from the lead gaffers. This is a fast paced job.

Benefits: glassybaby has a base pay plus a very generous incentive program. Glassblowers can make from $25-$45 an hour. As a trimmer I averaged $35 an hour over the last year.

Please send inquiries to: jobs@glassybaby.com

[Pete VanderLaan]

I'll post it both there and in General Jordan. Say Hello to David for me.

[Bradley Howes]

Should the email for inquiries be updated since Mr. Levi is no longer working at glassybaby?

[Pete VanderLaan]

Info update is up to Jordan who I also haven't heard from in some time. I just put up the thread for him. If in a week I haven't heard anything, I'll take the thread down.

[Jordan Kube]

Still here!

I'm the general manager of production now and it keeps me very busy. I'll update the original post. I'm still checking in once and awhile.

[Mary Farmar]

Originally Posted by Jordan Kube

Still here!

glassybaby is hiring experienced glassblowers in Berkeley, California

We are hiring at all skill levels.

Preferred qualifications: 10+ years production glassblowing experience. Must be able to work in a hierarchy on the floor and take direction from the lead gaffers. This is a fast paced job.

glassybaby has a base pay plus a generous incentive program.

Come stop by the shop, apply online or feel free to inquiries to bill@glassybaby.com (Bill Ledbetter, Berkeley Operations).

[David Patchen]

...but beware of the risks of repetitive stress injuries in these jobs. I personally know a few glassblowers who have had to go on disability and/or get physical therapy for their injuries for glassybaby work. Trimming hundreds of cups a shift may screw you up badly. And glassybaby has known this is a problem for years and hasn’t done enough to prevent it. (Like changing their process). In fact they’ve fired workers who have tried to bring it to light and have management address it. Shame on them.

[Josh Bernbaum]

I'm curious why they even punty the things. I haven't seen any up close, and maybe they like to tout the fully hand-finished idea but if the goal is making lots, why not mold-blow and then hot-pop the tops off? Would save some folks' trigger fingers that way too.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Given the complete color range they choose to use with varing levels of mismatch, I suspect hot pops would very possibly become a breakage issue. My work with them allows for easy breaks if the color is monolithic but not so much with other glasses. They would still need a flame polish or belt work after that regardless. Then you have to reanneal. \

Popping off is not quite as simple as it sounds.
Firing workers if true, is a real issue.

[David Patchen]

Originally Posted by Josh Bernbaum

I'm curious why they even punty the things. I haven't seen any up close, and maybe they like to tout the fully hand-finished idea but if the goal is making lots, why not mold-blow and then hot-pop the tops off? Would save some folks' trigger fingers that way too.

Yup--exactly. Or at least alternate with jack and crack to halve trimming. I personally know people with horror stories from these injuries--where they have to take months off of glassblowing, spend a ton of $$ on PT and some still don't recover. It's not worth it to risk your body for someone else's poorly-designed process. Management there doesn't take this seriously enough and glassblowers who have spoken out about the issue have been forced out.

[Pete VanderLaan]

I'd be most curious to know how many people have had great success popping off pieces using a combo of commercial color and any of the cullets out there besides spectrum 2.0 which was really an SP87 clone. The commercial colors do poorly on a diamond saw. I would expect issues with this technique as well.

[Shawn Everette]

The timing of this tread picking pack up is quite a coincidence, since I was just approached by a student starting our programming asking if she could potentially get hired there after we trained her. Asked her how much she liked her wrists?

I found out through her that apparently they may have picked Indy for their midwest logistics hub, as they've now got asks on Indeed for techs and blowers. They sent a rep to my old shop in Columbus about a year ago asking about the flow of blowers in Ohio, but didn't hear anything else about it. They're doing a meet'n greet at Ball State next month.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Class action lawsuits have an interesting way of happening and glassy baby is big enough.

[Shawn Everette]

I pity the person trying to herd those cats, we're a flighty bunch. It probably hasn't made any traction because of the age of the people they're burning out, youth has a hard time distinguishing between bad methods and self deprecation.

[Sky Campbell]

It just seems to me as individuals we have the choice to take on a job or not take on a job. GB offers a opportunity and for some that’s a dream job for others it’s disability in the waiting. We aren’t all built the same and just because someone has weak wrists doesn’t mean someone else doesn’t have the strength to not destroy their body doing the same job. I just hate the law suite happy ideals that seem to be supported here. You can pretty much pick any industrial trade and find fault in ergonomics. We are in a field that requires strength stamina and enough of a brain to not destroy ourselves.

My simple mind thinks like this:
Local feed store needs someone to unload 50lb feed bags. Strong you man says hell yes and makes it into a great job for himself. Another man makes it into a permanent disability.

Was the disability the fault of the feed store owner?

Please don’t misunderstand I’m not saying as a owner of a business they aren’t responsible for the safety of their employees but if the job description says unloading 50lb feed bags it seems pretty clear to me.

[Shawn Everette]

The problem seems to be that the company has a history of firing people when they bring up a problem, and repetitive stress injuries are a part of glassworking that should be addressed rather than punished. If its a singular instance, it might not be your process, when it keeps happening, your might want to look deeper.

[Pete VanderLaan]

I'm with Shawn. Hiding disability issues is a major problem. Think big tobacco.

I do think the opportunity for someone to invent an electric pair of trim shears is a very real opportunity.

[Shawn Everette]

Originally Posted by Pete VanderLaan

I do think the opportunity for someone to invent an electric pair of trim shears is a very real opportunity.

They're hiring for R&D too...

Looks like a blanket search for talent in locations in the midwest and east coast. Mostly places that are close to schools, fresh meat markets.

[Pete VanderLaan]

young people assume they're indestructible and the pay is attractive indeed. Seattle? Berkeley? Sounds nice.

Legal negligence occurs when you know something is wrong and you don't do anything to mitigate it.

I was just recalling something I haven't thought of in decades. Does anyone remember when they used to make candy cigarettes for children? They came packaged just like Dad's smokes.

[George Vidas]

Originally Posted by Pete VanderLaan

I do think the opportunity for someone to invent an electric pair of trim shears is a very real opportunity.

$80 new on fleabay.

[David Patchen]

Originally Posted by Sky Campbell

Local feed store needs someone to unload 50lb feed bags. Strong you man says hell yes and makes it into a great job for himself. Another man makes it into a permanent disability. Was the disability the fault of the feed store owner?

Please don’t misunderstand I’m not saying as a owner of a business they aren’t responsible for the safety of their employees but if the job description says unloading 50lb feed bags it seems pretty clear to me.

Agree with your premise except if the local feed store owner knows that the way he's asking the employees to unload the bags consistently injures them over the years *and* despite knowing there's a problem in the process, fails to act. He also requires employees to sign non-disparagement agreements to access their their disability benefits.

Glassybaby has opened themselves up to a legal risk by not taking employee injuries seriously enough. These are not cuts or burns that heal in a week--I know a number of people who have trouble turning or holding tools even after months of PT. If there's a class-action suit against them they will have earned it.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Originally Posted by George Vidas

$80 new on fleabay.

****
Now that, with some nicely redesigned blades and a bit of a heat shield would be a tool that would be fun to evaluate.

[Pete VanderLaan]

Originally Posted by David Patchen

Agree with your premise except if the local feed store owner knows that the way he's asking the employees to unload the bags consistently injures them over the years *and* despite knowing there's a problem in the process, fails to act. He also requires employees to sign non-disparagement agreements to access their their disability benefits.

Glassybaby has opened themselves up to a legal risk by not taking employee injuries seriously enough. These are not cuts or burns that heal in a week--I know a number of people who have trouble turning or holding tools even after months of PT. If there's a class-action suit against them they will have earned it.

****
The bulk of the businesses I see that move heavy stuff have spent a lot of time designing bracing for their employees to minimize injury. I think of the guys who offer to remove your dead fridge or washer when you get a new one. I've been impressed with the thought that goes into that. That's true at places like Home depot as well but not as much as I suspect they should.

If Glassy Baby grosses enough to draw attention, I suspect they will get that attention in ways they won't like.

[Mark Rosenbaum]

Originally Posted by Pete VanderLaan

I was just recalling something I haven't thought of in decades. Does anyone remember when they used to make candy cigarettes for children? They came packaged just like Dad's smokes.

Yup, and bubble gum cigars!

[Pete VanderLaan]

Looking back at it, that's just really amazing.