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Go to a different local. I didn't have friends or family and got into mine as a CE. Got my license, turned in my hours and turned out as a JIW 2 years later. A contractor was willing to pay me JIW wages since I was licensed while I finished off my 14,000 otj hours.

I've gone from CE to JIW, been a steward several times, been a foreman and a general foreman for several years simply because I wanted to be. Nobody held me back. I've looked out for the guys even when I was a foreman, and have always done my best to be fair to all and made sure they had their steward present if we had to have a talk. Most guys here don't even know to ask for their job steward but it's what separates us from open shop. A guy to back you up and be in your corner.

I've had my own issues with my local, but I'd still take this over most open shops any day.

Regardless of the contract, we'd all be better off if we made a point to be fair and look out for each other.

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The money in the puget area in western Washington and no Income tax is very very tempting plus you’re in arguably the most beautiful area of the US. I’d probably have a much easier time in local 46 , being prior service and having experience I’m sure I’d make a decent number on the list. I don’t want to leave San Diego though. The Seattle area sucks for day to day life. My sister lives there and she says it’s too insanely progressive for even her.

The city’s downtown area is being burned and turning into a ghost town. It’s a shame , it was a cool city but that was before my time. Clown world is in full effect there.

San Diego is dope but I see the writing on the wall for CA. I still have my ET card for WA just in case I ever change my mind but I’m hoping a union shop can hire me as just a helper or pre apprientice up there and write me a letter of recommendation for 46. I’d take the demotion for that.

union shops here take pre-apprentices iirc. I remember seeing it somewhere in our agreement but I’m not sure how that works compared to the CW program.
 
As of June 2021, I recently got out of the Air Force after 8 years as an electrician (Back in March) and went to my local 684 in California... They were very nice and welcoming. I made them fully aware that I know enough that I should be a journeyman, but I’m not the ****, there’s a lot of things that are done very differently on the outside in terms of trade skills and even certain technology (like certain brackets and just how to strap things... or welding). They put me through an aptitude test and I passed all 5 components.

I have a lot to learn still, but they gave me Journey pay and I recently got my first civilian job and call! Pretty exciting! I signed their books only a few weeks ago and COVID has everything so backed up I won’t be seeing my Exam date from the DIR for probably a couple more weeks at least, I applied maybe 4 weeks ago.

So I have some 15,000+ hours as an electrician... But the work was just different... Very, very old school. My mentor, the man I thought was a genius electrician when we were in the service together, said it took him 9 months to get spun up on how the civilian world does things, and he had been an electrician for 15 years. He’s at a local out in Michigan, but he loves the union. Loves it. The camaraderie is very similar to the Air Force... It’s one of the things I also love about the union.

Tool belts are like... They’re so obvious. But I never had one in the service, they don’t teach us to have them (maybe something to do with our uniforms?)

So I’m getting a lot of **** for being a journeyman and not being like... IBEW quality. But I’m doing the best I can and trying not to look stupid; but I also am not afraid to ask stupid questions (saves everyone time in the long run). The union has its ups and downs, but they have helped me out a lot, so I see more ups than downs.

You also can’t beat $42/hr, plus full benis for the fam, a pension, and a Beni-card too... I mean... Not every local is like California; but hell, I work swings and I’ll be finding myself at the training hall this week so I can get spun up on stuff. I really want to keep my job and make the union proud.

Union workers are just a proud bunch, and that’s good! Taking pride in one’s work trickles down to everyone involved... Perhaps not all unions are the same, but I hope I’m not just lucky for being in the same area as 684, I hope most are like mine.

Every non-union job offer has been less than $35/hr for me in my area and $400 in health benefits... It’s a slap in the face in California for a licensed General Electrician... I might have taken it with full benefits, but that’s a lot of contractors around here.

Sorry about your luck man. Try another local though... I am a big believer there are those who actually want to help. But if you try to get into the apprenticeship, good luck, the classrooms can’t fit an unlimited number of people... So it’s tough. You could always join the Air Force for a few years (get free schooling for it too, and opportunities to be a lineman, oh and can’t forget the VA loan, they just removed the VA Loan limits too... You only have to qualify now... 2.5% fixed rate mortgage).
 
I stopped paying attention after the second paragraph where you mentioned being a part of the mentally unstable, liberal Reddit community. If you’re against better pay and better benefits then by all means, continue to gripe about it on the internet. That always makes things better
 
A non union co. wouldn't hire me (resi work), a local took me in,

BUT.........it is a business relationship......as long as the dues come in , the I.O. is happy & the hall gets a %age of my pay,.....I have no gripes, I've traveled some.....the impression I had 15+ yrs, ago has tarnished....like it did for people before me that I met that were 15+ yrs. older than me.....15+ yrs. ago.



The top brass needs to spend a few weeks w/o a comfy office and AC and get a taste of what it's like for us ham & eggers that make the contractors shine while we take pay cuts ( $.25/hr for night shift diff. wtf? ) , as the BA's bend over for mega giant contractors............remember , the BA's NEVER take pay cuts,,,,,
 
Don't forget that many homeowners simply could not afford to buy a house if it was built by ALL union carpenters, electricians, plumbers, carpet installers, painters, union tile guys, etc. The cost of the house would be astronomical. And I doubt most of the union guys on here would want to pay union rates for any and everything that needs install or repair at their own house. If everything had to be at union rates your union pay would be considered Sh*t.
 
in my mind ,,, unions had their place nearly a century ago
when the factory owners and so forth dictated the wages

nowadays ... not so much

but we still have to thank them for getting everyone on a better standard of pay and living

to this day there are many unions in factories and mills
most states dont force you to join them, optional usually

but in some places they still have a worthwhile function
 
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Don't forget that many homeowners simply could not afford to buy a house if it was built by ALL union carpenters, electricians, plumbers, carpet installers, painters, union tile guys, etc. The cost of the house would be astronomical. And I doubt most of the union guys on here would want to pay union rates for any and everything that needs install or repair at their own house. If everything had to be at union rates your union pay would be considered Sh*t.
That’s a lie and you know it! :p We all get paid the same, Union or not. I read it on here all the time. :rolleyes:

There are different rates along with the different classifications. My local has always had a “B” rate for residential/small commercial. That’s how I got my foot in the door after working five years Non-Union and four years of school. The rate was 50% of JW with the same benefits minus the annuity.

This reminds me of conversations with my old roommate. There were four of us renting the house in the affluent town that they grew up in. One was working his way up the ladder on Wall Street, the other was in Re-insurance, also in Manhattan. The two of them would bitch about how expensive it was to buy a house. They both blamed the Unions. My $11.54 an hour (1988) was bringing the housing market to its knees. And although our local did have purely residential contractors, it didn’t have the market share non-Union had.
So, what happened to my old roommates? The Wall Street guy cashed out at maybe 40, and started a business in Maine selling logs that have been under a lake for centuries. His father had a seat on the NY stock exchange which he leased out. It was no wonder his kid had a job with one of the big investment firms. He was the first to move out. He would just hang out when he wanted to slum it. The other is now a big wig at the re-insurance company. Beautiful house on the river. Put his three kids through Ivy League schools. I could never afford his house or style of living. I’m just a lowly electrician ruining the housing market.
 
Don't forget that many homeowners simply could not afford to buy a house if it was built by ALL union carpenters, electricians, plumbers, carpet installers, painters, union tile guys, etc. The cost of the house would be astronomical. And I doubt most of the union guys on here would want to pay union rates for any and everything that needs install or repair at their own house. If everything had to be at union rates your union pay would be considered Sh*t.
My house was union built? There are many all
Union home builders around here. The shop rates between the two are the same, it just gets spread around more even. The only thing that differs is the union members are better trained, better paid, and more well rounded.
 
My house was union built? There are many all
Union home builders around here. The shop rates between the two are the same, it just gets spread around more even. The only thing that differs is the union members are better trained, better paid, and more well rounded.
Bullshit
 
Man they really brainwash you guys in the IEC don’t they ?
I am not union and have never been union. I do have to hire union guys on some of my jobs. For the most part they are really really lazy and have no clue what they are doing. NOTE: these are union guys that just get sent out by the mafia to work for non union companies so the union mafia can get there cut and pay off the local politicians. I'm sure union workers who work for union shops work much more efficiently and are better trained but the guys the ibew hall sends out to non union ECs are lazy and useless 9 out of ten times. These might be the people that give union guys the lazy rep. Im guessing the ibew sends out the guys that can't hold a job at the ibew shops.
 
I am not union and have never been union. I do have to hire union guys on some of my jobs. For the most part they are really really lazy and have no clue what they are doing. NOTE: these are union guys that just get sent out by the mafia to work for non union companies so the union mafia can get there cut and pay off the local politicians. I'm sure union workers who work for union shops work much more efficiently and are better trained but the guys the ibew hall sends out to non union ECs are lazy and useless 9 out of ten times. These might be the people that give union guys the lazy rep.im guess the ibew sends out the guys that can't hold a job at the ibew shops.
You have literally no clue what you’re talking about. No dues money can go towards politics. It is illegal. Can you prove the mafia is part of the IBEW ? This is so fuggin dumb of a statement. The IBEW is majority Irish. Your opinion on who is lazy and isn’t is obviously Skewed. You also failed to prove how we aren’t better trained and paid or how non union shops charge the exact same per man hour and just keep more profit. Also have you considered maybe people lay down on you because you’re not nice to them and treat them poorly ?
 
You have literally no clue what you’re talking about. No dues money can go towards politics. It is illegal. Can you prove the mafia is part of the IBEW ? This is so fuggin dumb of a statement. The IBEW is majority Irish. Your opinion on who is lazy and isn’t is obviously Skewed. You also failed to prove how we aren’t better trained and paid or how non union shops charge the exact same per man hour and just keep more profit. Also have you considered maybe people lay down on you because you’re not nice to them and treat them poorly ?
Lol, I'm stating the union is the modern day mafia. Look at who is the top contributors to ANY election, it is always a Union. Not a coincidence. This is how they pay them off.

Around here almost no one is irish that comes from the local unions. I treat EVERYONE on the job site with respect, Period. Like I said I think the people the local union mafia sends to non union ECs are the bottom of the barrel. Just looking around this site the most knowledgeable members are both union and non union. I have a feeling these people will do good in their trade no matter what because they have the personal drive from within themselves to learn and do good work. Union or non union have nothing to do with it.

Also on here many many union guys do non union side jobs for well below the going rate. A lot state it's to help the old lady or neighbor who is poor, blah blah blah. They do it for profit and they also know the union rates don't translate to most residential jobs. I work 95-98% commercial and pay PW wages. I have to on some jobs and do it anyways on all other jobs because I have a mixture of public works jobs and non public works and my guys are good and worth every penny no matter what the job. Cost gets past along to customer. There is no way in he'll I could rope a house and not loose money if I had to pay PW wages on those jobs. That's why I don't do residential.
 
Lol, I'm stating the union is the modern day mafia. Look at who is the top contributors to ANY election, it is always a Union. Not a coincidence. This is how they pay them off.

Around here almost no one is irish that comes from the local unions. I treat EVERYONE on the job site with respect, Period. Like I said I think the people the local union mafia sends to non union ECs are the bottom of the barrel. Just looking around this site the most knowledgeable members are both union and non union. I have a feeling these people will do good in their trade no matter what because they have the personal drive from within themselves to learn and do good work. Union or non union have nothing to do with it.

Also on here many many union guys do non union side jobs for well below the going rate. A lot state it's to help the old lady or neighbor who is poor, blah blah blah. They do it for profit and they also know the union rates don't translate to most residential jobs. I work 95-98% commercial and pay PW wages. I have to on some jobs and do it anyways on all other jobs because I have a mixture of public works jobs and non public works and my guys are good and worth every penny no matter what the job. Cost gets past along to customer. There is no way in he'll I could rope a house and not loose money if I had to pay PW wages on those jobs. That's why I don't do residential.
That’s crazy that non union guys can’t rope a house cheaper than a union guy can? They must be poorly trained.
 
Also what’s this mafia you speak of? Any political money donated. Was donated by the members for that purpose. Has nothing to do with dues. Its
Literally the same as you or I giving someone 20$
 
Also what’s this mafia you speak of? Any political money donated. Was donated by the members for that purpose. Has nothing to do with dues. Its
Literally the same as you or I giving someone 20$
32 million from the local union to a mayor's position in LA is not the same. If each member wants to donate, let them do on their own.
 
32 million from the local union to a mayor's position in LA is not the same. If each member wants to donate, let them do on their own.
They do. What are you not understanding? I and many other choose to donate to my locals political fund for them to donate to candidates who support union labor
 
That’s crazy that non union guys can’t rope a house cheaper than a union guy can? They must be poorly trained.
Unions do not build residential around here because they can't compete due to their rates. How is this hard for you to understand? I said I couldn't build residential and turn a profit because I pay my guys PW wages and couldn't compete or turn a profit on the going rate to rope a house. My wage rate before material would be higher than the total job of the local builders. The only union residential around here is high rise apartments and condos due to size. So you either have union or non union shops that are large and job is no where near the residential price per square foot a house would be.
 
They do. What are you not understanding? I and many other choose to donate to my locals political fund for them to donate to candidates who support union labor
Yep, To guarantee you keep your local government payed benefits(payed indirectly by the mandated union projects) that otherwise could not be afforded for by the type of service you offer in any other setting. It's modern day mafia. The union literally says "You have to use our guys on that project or you can't do it". Straight up mafia tactics. They then "donate " money to those politicians to make sure certain jobs are union only.
 
Yep, To guarantee you keep your local government payed benefits(payed indirectly by the mandated union projects) that otherwise could not be afforded for by the type of service you offer in any other setting. It's modern day mafia. The union literally says "You have to use our guys on that project or you can't do it". Straight up mafia tactics. They then "donate " money to those politicians to make sure certain jobs are union only.
Ya it doesn’t work like that.
 
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