Electrician Talk banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Anyone familiar with the Fleas?

202K views 118 replies 61 participants last post by  Kevin 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been a union member for 28+ years and have never really encountered any fleas. I have heard about them and heard stories but never actually met anyone who claimed to be a flea.. I am wondering if they still exist. Comments and stories appreciated.
 
#5 ·
Is that how it is spelled?

From what I understand the fleas started out as a group of IBEW members who would help a brother who is on the road. Then they evolved into a radical group that starts trouble on the large jobs. I have even heard of violence and vandalism.
 
#19 ·
That is a "free mason" symbol.

Various free masons in history:
George Washington
James Monroe
Andrew Jackson
James Polk
James Buchanan
Andrew Johnson
James Garfield
William McKinley
Theodore Roosevelt
Howard Taft
Warren Harding
Franklin Roosevelt
Harry Truman
Gerald Ford


I don't think many of these folks were "masons", in terms of the building trades.

 
#32 ·
I wanted to be part of a secret society so I looked into the Masons. If you look deep there might be some weird stuff, and it was a lot of work, and a big sausage fest.
I live waiting for the day when I can join a secret society that has ten babes to every guy, and we have huge drunken orgies drenched in Wesson oil. I'll probably die waiting for that day, and you know, it is kept a deep secret because before you know it there would be a bunch of wierd dudes scaring off all the hot babes. :(

Kind of like this forum, there was a bunch of hot babes here, until you dudes showed up. :no:
 
#36 ·
FLE's are still around,many of them. You will find them active on larger jobs with alot of electricians, especially one with Travelers. I wont say alot, but if i did comment it would be a negative comment. The Ba and all his assisants in my local are FLe's.
How about you comment?

This thread is about FLE's, but it's nothing more than idiotic jokes. There is no real information about FLE's here.
 
#43 ·
Repost from May

First off FLE stands for Federation of Linemen and Electricians

Its an informal fraternal organization of traveling construction electricians that has probably been around as long as IBEW itself. FLEs do not engage in collective bargaining and the IBEW hierarchy has actually branded the FLE as a subversive organization. (Although Ed Hill is an Honorary Member)

While FLE does not engage in collective bargaining, nor act as a reform group within the IBEW, it does aid its members, encourage them to file grievances. They are seen as radicals and trouble makers by contractors and if a man is thought to be a FLE he will be laid off or fired on the spot.

My uncle has a similar card and I have heard the stories... they are trouble makers.

Drop LawnGuyLandSparky a PM, I suspect he is a FLE and could even tell you about the secrete bump handshake.
 
#51 ·
No FLE out there is going to tell you that they are a member.

It stands for Federation of Lineman and Electricians.

They are the Original Union.

Best brothers you can ever have.

You have to know what to look for.

If you ever see an IBEW bug with a left hand raised instead of the right hand...there ya go!

That's all I'm telling on a forum with non-union boys on here!

~Joe
 
#52 ·
Some of the old timers were telling me about fles. basically it refers to guys who just jump from job to job usually powerhouses or jobs of equal size. they usually just live in motorhomes and dont pay taxes (claiming zero i guess?). But the guys ive talked to say theyre whole familly travels with them.
 
#55 ·
Some of the old timers were telling me about fles. basically it refers to guys who just jump from job to job usually powerhouses or jobs of equal size. they usually just live in motorhomes and dont pay taxes (claiming zero i guess?). But the guys ive talked to say theyre whole familly travels with them.

Each case is different as with all travelers.
Fleas do not always travel Brother.
But they will certainly talk on line about a big power house job coming up in a certain area and tend to saty at the same hotel or campground.
They manage to get top work together on the job and often one makes forman and the pulls strings to get certain men on his crew.

The contractor sometimes does his best with them just like New York contractors and unions delt with a certain other group when they had to so the job would run smooth.

But it is not always that powerful. Each situation is different. Like anything else, when people tell strories, they tell mostly the colorful and sensational parts because is more interesting thatn two hear two fles when to Boston to work the Big Dig and feed their falimly. They didnt have too much influence with us locals, but some of the southern hands feared or respected them for sure because they knew they hade to go back home down south sooner or later. Now thats not a very exciting story, but a very true one.
 
#53 ·
fleas do not advertize




Bro,
Members of the Fleas do not advertize.
I once traveled to West Virginia and had Dyed in ther Wool old Time FLEA for a roomate and he never told me! I had asked a similar question that you asked while a me and a group of good Southern Boys were eating some BBQed fish and hocks and other stuff that was new to me and all of a sudden they all stopped talking. Then one of them said "Should I fill young Boston In"? (Iwas in my Forties at the time.)
And then the guy says,
"You been hanging with one since the day you got here Boston!"

Just then my Roomate comes around the corner and says "Hangin with Who?"
And they all stopped talking again. The next day Someone told me.

The fleas are on a lot of Power House Jobs. They seem to love them and help each other get work at the power houses. They often try to group up on these great overtime type jobs. Many times they become foremen and even General Foremen. They are mostly down South. The younger ones or ones on their initiation probation or whatever ofen hold raffles on the job...or sell tee shirts featuring different big jobs or electrical events, or hold events that charge admission fees.....

the extra proceeds after the prizes which we are told goes to "The sick and Needy"
Im not sure, but suspect these sick and needy actually are sick and/or needy but are also Brother Fleas.

In some unions down South and in other areas the Fleas hold office in union halls too. From what I understand, according to Old Time Fleas, the dunamics of the membership has changed over the years, which isn't surprising when you consider those same changing set of dynamics have changed in the general electrical non FLEA population.
There are some that do not really know any FlEAS but talk trash about them. All I can say is that this little group I hung out with treated me well and cooked a lot of good food.
I realize that bunking with one of the more respected members may have

helped in that area, but just the same I have nothing bad to say.

LAST THING, THE fleaS ARE THE ONES THAT UPHOLD THE TRAVEL LAWS WHEN ON THE ROAD. DONT EVER LET ONE FIND OUT YOUR DOUBLE BOOKING HA A, OR BRINGING YOUR OWN POWER TOOLS TO WORK, OR GOING TO LUNCH LATE, OR ANY OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.
THIS IS WHERE MOST OF THE PROBLEMS START IF ANY
THEY TEND TO TAKE THESE MATTERS INTO THEIR OWN HANDS. WHILE THAT MAY NOT BE RIGHT ....IF YOU ARE NOT ACTING LIKE A RAT, YOU HAVE NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

Hope This Helps
Bostonpaul
 
#58 ·
"They are the Original Union".

Actually the first Union for Electricians was the United Order of Lineman of North America founded prior to 1890, Denver had Lodge #1, though there were Electricians in the Knights of Labor and Lineman in the Telegraphers Union previous to this.

As an aside when researching IBEW in Denver I found that the United Order of Lineman of North America in Denver had their meetings the same night and the same building as the new NBEW (National Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - before they went International), then within 1 year they were no longer active in the Denver area. We actually owe them a lot - they were active in founding the building trades, member education and helped set up heath benefits with local hospitals and death benefits for members killed on the job.
 
#60 ·
I recently had a JW on a short call who claimed to have travelled to the overtime jobs on powerhouses and refineries for years. The only reason he had taken my call was because he was taking an evening welding class near the job site. He was getting a welding certificate to bid on special calls for the "big projects".

One day we were on a roof, just me and him by the way, and he mentioned travelling and all his friends who would stick together and even slow big jobs down if they were mistreated. I suspected he was a FLE and he seemed to had been testing me a little with it. When his short call was up we talked a little while. He told me he would tell his friends on the road that I was a good guy to work for and they should take calls for my contractor if they were looking for work. I suspect again but never asked.

The following week another JW on the job confirmed he was a FLE. He had run into him travelling before and just straight up asked him about it.

They are just some good ole boys who stick up for each other on the road and do not want to be mistreated on construction projects. If you treat your workers right then it doesn't matter who they are they will get the job done.
 
#61 ·
I have read post of speculation of what the posters believe to be real and or true about a secrete society that's been here from the inception of electrical unions (or so I am told) I have also traveled for 25+ years across the USA with good brothers I would suspect to belong to this organization and not ONCE did I ever hear or witness any to slow a job, contrary their goal was to give a fair days work for a fair wage in a journeyman like fashion. Yes they did raise money for those in need, all IBEW members not just those who were considered a part of their group. Now I did not work all jobs in Boston but the ones I did work in the Big Dig era had a heavy influence of what I thought to be good brothers, and they were from all across the USA and Canada. From what I have read in history of the IBEW our roots of OUR IBEW founding fathers stem from the Knights originally. I have helped sell t-shirts and raffle items for many years because I have personally seen the donations go to help those in need that I know had nothing to do with any fraternity. Now if y'all (yes I am from the south, so I guess that makes me one too?) figure out what these critters are doing to harm OUR IBEW and can show proof I am willing to listen.
 
#63 ·
I've met good one and bad ones. They will do anything to help other electricians, but I have not witnessed any actions that help their employer, you know, the people that sign the checks. Yes, there are some that will do a great job and some that just cause problems. Its the troublemakers that give them all a bad name. The troublemakers might as well be longshoremen, because give all unions a bad name.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top