Technical > Home Improvement > Union Building?

reply to OSUGoose

Re: Union Building?

reply to Jack_in_VA

reply to howardfine

reply to themagicone
You could always check with the local IBEW hall to see what it would take to join up, »www.ibew292.org/Contacts/ looks like Dan Ferguson would be the one to call. Although I would expect the costs for the initial bonding/insuring etc would be too much if you weren't planning on this. Nice thing is you can always get as many qualified techs as needed for a job.

I remember looking at the Minnesota LE licensing info a few years ago, I didn't think you had to be an electrician? But had to prove hours in trade etc?
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--psiu

A woman I know is married to a Union Leader, not sure of his title. He does plumbing inspections when he is driving around town, recently he went to a Outback restaurant which was doing some renovations in the kitchen. He noticed an out of state contractor at the job, so he stopped. The plumber working there was from out of state, and didn't have a license and non union and it was not pretty.
The next day a local union plumber was on the job redoing all of the work, and taking over the remainder.
The guy has "banned" his family and fellow union workers from eating at Outback. He also did the same with with a local Wal-Mart last year. His wife still shops there however, not as much, especially when he is with them.

The last company I worked for which was non-union, did a All-Union project for a casino, however one of the employees was in a local union, and that allowed the company to do a non-union jobs.
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Getting it Done.

reply to PX Eliezer

Re: Union Building?

reply to themagicone
When the mall was built it likely got Tax increment financing from the local government.
This means the malls owner pay no more property tax than dilapidated buildings it replaced. A union only clause is often included in the deal. Breaking the deal could cost the mall tens of thousands of dollars.

Walta

reply to John Galt
No, licensed electricians have lobbied local government to reduce the number of people who compete against their over priced union prices.

reply to Mr Matt
"I was advised that when it was learned that a non union technician, me, was working on a system in the building, all union employees in the building threatened to walk off the job."

I would have probably said "Enjoy your afternoon off" and went back to work.

reply to battleop

We have non union guys who do cabling jobs for networks, camera, etc. They make just about the same (often more) as someone who is union in the same position and experience. If anything the union worker is the one who is under compensated because they have to pay a portion of their earnings to their local mafia.

Are those mills still operating? International Paper just closed a mill in Franklin Virginia that employed over 2000 workers (Union).

reply to Lurch77
Reminds me of that movie "Norma Rae" where the heroine won a union victory over the evil bosses and the movie ended with all the workers happily celebrating victory with their new union. Yeah!

Of course, they didn't show the plant 20 years later with all the windows broken out, a padlock on the gate and the equipment long since pulled out and sold for scrap because it was now cheaper to manufacture somewhere else. Yeah indeed.

reply to Lurch77
Clearly you are drinking the kool-aide.

The CWA is such a great thing. How long and how many people does it take to install a metro ethernet circuit?

It takes 90+ days because there are so many people who are so full of "That's not my job" that have to touch the order. I've got one right now that's taking over 120 days because they have to deal with so many crews to extend the fiber 6300 feet to the customer.

I've done fiber projects with non union guys that are miles long in a few weeks. The make similar, if not more money because they don't have to pay their dues for their "protection".

I've sat before wasting hours of my time because there was a cable crew outside in the parking lot waiting on someone to show up that could work on the inside of the building to pull the wire in. When asked why one of them could not pull it in they said their union wouldn't allow them. When I asked if I could pull it they again said the union wouldn't allow it.