Fun With Co-Ops

The plant where I work has a co-operative agreement with one of the local universities, in which engineering and business management students can work there.  They get practical experience in an actual work environment, and somehow it counts towards their degree.   I don't know all the details, but it's been going on several years now.

One of these college students started working with my line today.  He said he wanted to know every order that had something wrong with it--not enough parts, parts bent wrong, etc.--so that they can find out what the problem is and fix it.  After I stopped laughing, for which I am very sorry, we got down to work.

He asked me how often parts shortages happen.  I said, "Every order.  Every day."  At that point, my group leader Rod walked off laughing.  Red didn't believe me (his real name is Blake, but hey, Red is a step up from what we had been calling him, which was Opie), and told me to call him every time I had a part come up short.  By lunch time, he was rolling his eyes, too.

So, Red was jotting a note down and I asked him, "You're a college student?"  He nodded, and I said, "And you spell like that?"  Red answered, "I'm an engineer.  I only have to do math."

Before I left, I asked Rod if "Dear CoWorker" would be back tomorrow.  He looked thoughtful for a moment, and said he didn't know.   Then he got it, laughed, and said, "He's going to have a time with her!"

I'm bringing my popcorn for that.




Oh, but Red did like my cookies.