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Can I own a residential construction business if I am in the IBEW

6K views 48 replies 20 participants last post by  Bad Electrician 
#1 ·
I have a chance to get on the IBEW and was wondering if I could legally operate a business doing none-electrical work in residential construction.

As far as I understand you just can't legally work in any field that is electric related.

Thanks
 
#6 ·
I know of 3 different guys in my local who do exactly that.

One has a driveway sealing business, one does light residential landscaping all summer and plowing in the winter, and the other build baby barns and small sheds.
 
#9 ·
deffinetly not bashing unions, i been taught by some of the best! but ive also been around enough to go through the 'workin out of the union can get you banned' to the same people doing under the table work that they dont want others to know about. all due respect, when times are hard you gotta do what you gotta do!;)
 
#11 ·
Why would you want to ? you will make more as an IBEW worker
It's never a bad thing to have multiple sources of income and options. You never know what the future will bring. Besides that it could get me through lay offs, tax write offs, potentially open up the doors for other things down the road. I also invest in real estate, something I am slowly building on.

Do you pay Union wages in you RCB
No it's not a big business. Me and my brother are the owners and only employees. The only help we ever have is a young kid who just wants to make a few bucks here and there. Just something we always done on the side.

So judging by the responses it appears that it is legal to run a registered company and work for the IBEW as long as it isn't electrical work.
 
#12 ·
It's never a bad thing to have multiple sources of income and options. You never know what the future will bring. Besides that it could get me through lay offs, tax write offs, potentially open up the doors for other things down the road. I also invest in real estate, something I am slowly building on.



No it's not a big business. Me and my brother are the owners and only employees. The only help we ever have is a young kid who just wants to make a few bucks here and there. Just something we always done on the side.

So judging by the responses it appears that it is legal to run a registered company and work for the IBEW as long as it isn't electrical work.
What is it with tradesmen and "tax write offs" obsessions. Tax write offs are expenses and losses for a business. They result in a net loss after taxes. Both are bad and things you don't want. You have a lot to learn about owning a business.
 
#15 ·
haulinbass said:
I have a chance to get on the IBEW and was wondering if I could legally operate a business doing none-electrical work in residential construction. As far as I understand you just can't legally work in any field that is electric related. Thanks
I've always prescribed to the " it's easier to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission " mantra . Do whatever you want , keep paying your dues , nobody will care one way or the other , except the die hards who will surely call you a rat / scab , while they're sitting home getting close to running out of unemployment ?
 
#16 ·
Dude tax write offs save you money. I can buy whatever I need and claim it as a buisiness expense therefor decreasing my taxable income. If you are buying expensive stuff have a registered buisiness and arent writing it off your a complete fool. Why would I not claim these things against my income and end up getting taxed more? I have no idea where you formulated this idea that you will be at a loss if you claim buisiness expenses.
 
#21 · (Edited)
Your taxable income is your income minus your expenses. All they are is expenses, not some special free money. Having expenses is a bad thing. You are making it sound like it is good to have expenses because you can "write off" the expenses and that you get your "write offs" back and as free money. All it does is decrease what you pay in taxes, but only by what your tax rate is (probably only around %20).

Do you actually think that a write off is when you get 100% of your expenses returned to you???
 
#19 · (Edited)
Not in DC.

I have told this before, when I was working as an IBEW electrician I missed one day in 15 years, and that day I did some drywall finishing for a guy. I use to drywall on the side.

Finishing drywall can be boring but nothing to think about up, down, left, right music blaring. No risk, no pressure, no problems.

But I could not do that full time, I need change.
 
#22 · (Edited)
henderson14 said:
Your taxable income is your income minus your expenses. All they are is expenses, not some special free money. Having expenses is a bad thing. You are making it sound like it is good to have expenses because you can "write off" the expenses and that you get your "write offs" back and as free money. All it does is decrease what you pay in taxes, but only by what your tax rate is (probably only around %20). Do you actually think that a write off is when you get 100% of your expenses returned to you???
He said

"I can buy whatever I need and claim it as a buisiness expense therefor decreasing my taxable income."

He is correct.

I'm not sure where you got this:

"Do you actually think that a write off is when you get 100% of your expenses returned to you???"
 
#23 ·
Just an FYI

A guy was caught in my locals area of operation working a SCAB electric company on a site they talked to him and shut it down he was a card caring IBEW member out of another local they fined him like $3500 and pulled his whole crew out and a union company now has the work there just saying guess depends on your scale of work I have heard of a union member doing a resi project for a buddy got caught was fined also he said he barely broke even with that fine since they told him he owed the wage of union members if they did the build so I guess it's at your own risk do what you want your an adult just be aware of possibilities that's all
 
#24 ·
Lemus"TheDon"Navarro said:
A guy was caught in my locals area of operation working a SCAB electric company on a site they talked to him and shut it down he was a card caring IBEW member out of another local they fined him like $3500 and pulled his whole crew out and a union company now has the work there just saying guess depends on your scale of work I have heard of a union member doing a resi project for a buddy got caught was fined also he said he barely broke even with that fine since they told him he owed the wage of union members if they did the build so I guess it's at your own risk do what you want your an adult just be aware of possibilities that's all
that's a different story . If he's doing larger / commercial Union type jobs , and he is literally competing with his local and doesn't have his card shelved , he's definitely breaking some rules . My local doesn't care if you shelve your card and operate a non compete electrical contracting business . If you get too big and start cutting into their action and territory , that's when you can have problems . I know several guys who have left to try their own thing , and went back of it didn't work out ? The key is letting your local know what you're doing ahead of time .
 
#26 ·
This guy is talking about construction, not electrical work. There is NO conflict and thus no problem with his plan.
Thanks that's the type of answer I was looking for. I already knew it but I just wanted some verification to rest any doubts.

Your taxable income is your income minus your expenses. All they are is expenses, not some special free money. Having expenses is a bad thing. You are making it sound like it is good to have expenses because you can "write off" the expenses and that you get your "write offs" back and as free money. All it does is decrease what you pay in taxes, but only by what your tax rate is (probably only around %20).

Do you actually think that a write off is when you get 100% of your expenses returned to you???
I'm sorry but you should spend more time reading and learning around here than making posts trying to advise people. I'll try this one last time

Let me give you a scenario. I want a Kubota tractor. This tractor holds value and I can make it pay for itself. I can use this tractor for my construction business, I can use it for my real estate investment business, I can use it for myself, I can use it to help friends. I can claim 85% of its cost towards my business and 15% of it towards personal use. Therefor I can legally use it for personal reasons and nobody can ever question me. That's called being smart, it's called an investment. Now at the end of the year my construction business only put 10 grand in my pocket and paid for the tractor. The buisiness served its purpose for ME. Over the years it will assure my returns in my real estate investments and then I can sell it for cash when I retire. How much money did this "business expense" make me all said and done? I already said I don't depend on this business to pay my bills. My business is about assuring my other business success and supplementing my investment capital. A paid off tractor is also equity that can be used to leverage more money that can be used to make money. I don't let my spare money sit around I invest it. All of my worth is into investments that make more money for me. When that more money is made i reinvest it to make even more money. I am interested in the union because I can hit the road and work ******ed hours on pretty high wages as long as I want. I can come back with serious money that i can invest. I don't plan on working for anybody forever. Eventually the only thing that is going to be working is my money. I'm about working hard now and be hardly working later. That's my motto

That's a real simple version.
 
#40 ·
Well, I have figured out one thing, these hardcore non electrical IBEW execs don't have enter keys on their keyboards. Go back and look at the similarities in crammed together posts of Brother Noah and Dives. :thumbup:
 
#49 ·
Bravado....bragadoccio....hubris........conceit.....egocentrism....vanity.....narcissismn....vainglory....conceitedness.....bumptiousness :rolleyes:~CS~:laughing:
OR
"Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference."

Mark Twain

I am convinced this guy is strictly a troll with little or no electrical background .
 
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