Time, 2pm, I finish work at 2.30pm.
As so often happens a truck pulls in with 10 steel plates for us to unload.
The problem was that each plate was individually glutted which meant 10 individual lifts. Which is crazy. So we decide to remove the gluts first.
The average weight of each plate would be 2 tons. So we begin removing the gluts with the help of forklifts. As we proceed down the stack the weights gets heavier until it is so great that the forklifts get stuck. We access a 5 ton forklift to help remove the forklifts.
During this process the forklift runs out of gas.
Anyway, the whole process of unloading a truck, if not individually glutted would take 20 minutes.
This load took 2 hours. The boss was not happy at the people who loaded the truck and rang them to let them know.
Hopefully this will not happen again. Instead of finishing work at 2.30 I knocked off at 4.15.
Overtime?
What’s a glut?
A glut is a long piece of wood that goes between steel plate so they can be lifted off using an overhead crane.
Yes, overtime is paid. 
Extra cash so that was a plus! I was salaried and sometimes that meant breakdowns for systems that needed 24-hour help for us.
Salaried has it’s advantages but no extra payment for working longer than your contracted hours. One down side of it.
I remember this, I had to do a lot of work when the Factory was shut down and the tea leaf’s were in bed, it suited to be on hourly rate plus overtime because a raise of 75% on the salary rate would have been needed to compensate, white collar, hourly rate, simples.
Yes, makes “working back” worthwhile.
so you had a glut of gluts?
We sure did. With 9 layers glutted, 10 gluts per layer, you do the math.
I am a glutton for math.
No contracted hours in my case. My self and my colleague started company about 50 years ago.
Then you will have no problem “doing the math” 
Can’t be as simple as 20 
Yes, I suppose so. My first degree was electrical engineering. Then mathematics some years later. That was mainly to keep up with the technical aspects.
As long as you get paid from 2:30pm to 4:15pm by the company who sent the plates this late… Then it’ll be good. Double time anyone?
Curtainsider, tautliner, no money for old rope.
This is now a general problem with companies employing people with cost in mind, so therefore unsuitable low paid workers slot in where they do not belong. Correct loading is a skill in itself and should not be left to the non qualified.
If it were me I would make the lorry driver wait until the following day to unload, best way to teach the suppliers to deliver at a decent time .
I do not think I have seen a truck trussed like that for decades.