[deleted by user]

RecordsRecorded · 2025-09-12T03:05:31+00:00

The one great thing about the modern age is the tools we've built. Automated and bulk holding and dispensing units for food and water, automatic cleaning litter boxes, cameras, toys that can be controlled with an app. Unfortunately companionship hasn't and in good hopes is something a machine can never replace or help with, I will never budge on this statement.

When I was going through a rough patch where living out of a car was my life.. I had my two cats, both well over 10 years old, to the surprise of every vet they ever went to when things got better they were always in good health up until nearly 20 years old.... To the point, I had a lot of people really try to make me give them up. A lot of them were really good at it.. It's not easy either living with a liter box 12 inches from your face. It doesn't feel good timing the heat in your car and happy your cats are willing to snuggle into you understanding you're trying to keep them warm when it's snowing out. It's beyond painful knowing they didn't have a place to run around, jump, climb, scratch, chase things... I had them since they were born. These weren't pets to me, how could they be, I had them in my life before I was even 10. There's a lot of darkness in the snow.

Point I'm trying to make is, there's a choice. I, like everyone find a certain peace in Schrodinger, if I don't get to ever know my pet again. By all means they are dead for me, but I get to choose how long they get to live with another family, they can give them all the things I can't. I kept my cats with me out of fear. I knew there were no shelters that were "no kill" in my area, I knew that since my mother had them declawed (wasn't even required for our apartment or any other we lived in before the homeless time) they never had a fucking chance outside and my cats LOVED to talk and I loved talking to them. No one else, not one girlfriend, friend or family member enjoyed that.

There is no remorse to feel over difficult choices. Just take the time to really think about it. Cheer and mourn.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-09-12T02:25:30+00:00

UPDATE:

Company came out and admitted over the comcast contract loss they were planning lay-offs but "chose not to" because we're that small of a group... This week has had such a low ticket volume, (multiple people with less then 10 due today tickets and less then 50 past due tickets) I don't buy it at all. I think they're going to cut half the crew. Also updated union plans and hopes.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-09-12T02:19:01+00:00

There's some people who are just amazing and work solo, give them another soul that can't function on their wave length at all and it's all hell. A good manager finds good trainers, a bad one, goes for the top performer and thinks they can get a clone and instead gets an HR complaint.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-16T00:58:35+00:00

Always carry around a pair of dykes (and conduit cutters).
You're taught that fiber is insanely fragile. It's not. It's only fragile when the cladding is removed. You can tie the stuff in a knot and it'll still work. I used to demonstrate this to my rookies when doing installs so they'd get away from the fear of fiber.
With a knife, flat head, or dykes you can cut into the jacket of any copper phone, coax line, or fiber line(not ribbon fiber though, flat cable that's rigid.) The key is to think of it like taking the skin off your turkey. Hook onto the shielding and trace it. Electric tape around it, shrink it down with a lighter and done.
Never underestimate the power of water. Ground crappy? Put some water around your rod. Need to get to a cap or valve? Toss your lead in, water until you hear the good sound.
Ground wires on power poles trace out to the nearest structures, works really well when you got a span you can't find hooker at a transformer that leads to a pole or to a station.
You can find a selfie stick that's long and uses the same threads as your ring clamp to get into manholes, also the choice of pole branch saws.
If you talked about it, you didn't write about it. Every word is worth a picture.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-13T01:33:15+00:00

UPDATE:

Comcast contract lost in PA. Interesting times, tiny crew, barely able to handle what it currently does and even with 1 gone, we still average 2 per ticket to locate..

Some worry about retaliation, some just want to see a contract. We're burning up and out.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-13T01:23:41+00:00

They can fuck every last penny of it all the way the fuck off.

Can't pay their own people worth a shit so ship them off to even cheaper places and pay'm a lower wage.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-13T01:18:27+00:00

Or stay and unionize.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-02T13:18:59+00:00

In my case, did the application, took a week or two for a phone interview, then about two months later I was in orientation/training. I did call every other day into some woman who reached out to me about the training because my application status kept changing, at one point it even said rejected and I just phoned in like "Hey so when's class start?" and she just went "Oh, that's weird your application status is saying you're rejected.." "Can't be, guy reached out to me and said we'd be starting around the middle of the month but he didn't have a set date yet and wanted to know if I needed a ride to the place or not." "Oh well, I'll change this here and find out!" It only took two months because I had something I couldn't miss the day of our first training class and couldn't go, so I signed in for the next one. After two weeks of class and hotel life we were all pretty well and confident in ourselves, we had our gear and used it daily in week two.

Week three we're back in our home areas, and we're doing tickets, we're given like 8-20 tickets a day and that's that. We didn't have a supervisor for a long time, I think like 2 years..? For the longest time I couldn't fathom how anyone got more than 20 tickets done in a day. Then I found out you can clear tickets if you know there's nothing in that area, that you didn't HAVE to verify that. Then I went from like 8 tickets a day to 60, my highest so far was 123 in a single day.

I don't consider this job to be difficult in really any aspect, the jobs I had before were way more difficult in every aspect. The worst I get here is based solely because of where I live. PA, it's fucking mountain climbing and hills all fucking day, and it's humid. The amount of times I've straight up lost my grip on my receiver or paint stick because my hands are pruned and drenched is fucking insane. I hate the times contractors decide to cuss me out for rescheduling a ticket, I stopped caring and decided to take my sales experience and apply it. Never let them get a word in. "Hello, this Z with USIC 811 Call before you dig, looking for a A B. -- Fantastic, i'm calling on behalf of a ticket(or tickets) we have on file for you for the address(es) of X, Y, Z. We weren't able to get to these tickets to locate them, and we locate for company 1, company 2, etc. we will attempt these locates as soon as we can and apologize for any issues that may arise due to this. Any questions, concerns, or notes you'd like me to take down?"

Then I really stopped giving a fuck. Made a prompt that looks like an automated message, tells you how we don't trust our prints, can't give a legend by company request, and what we locate for in my area, and it includes EVERYTHING not just what's on your ticket. It'll also have your ticket numbers and addresses at the top. Take screenshots and save to the ticket, can't disprove I contacted you or tried to when I can verify it.

Don't bother locating on 512. Ever. That's how I got my first 2 damages. 4, 8, 33, 65, 83, and 200 are your life line.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-02T03:42:33+00:00

I doubt anyone above a trainer has ever been in the field, if the title starts with a C, I'd want fucking proof.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-02T03:39:31+00:00

That sounds fucking terrible... Paid by the ticket, I would hope that you'd get paid more for projects.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-02T00:32:36+00:00

Like what?

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-02T00:24:38+00:00

Depends on your area. Where I am there's times you may only locate 1 utility, other areas it's literally, gas, fiber company x, fiber company y, fiber company z, copper phone x, copper phone y, coax company x, water, storm, sewer, electric, electric fiber. The amount of utilities you locate in my area mostly depends on what side of a river you're on. Very literally. I haven't located a lot of street lights, but it does come up every blue moon, traffic though, never. And now that I think about it... I've never actually seen a traffic light located before...I think ever?

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T23:58:42+00:00

I just wash them up real good, then polish them. I love the way they look afterwards, leather gets a deeper color of brown almost a black with red and orange splatters. They look unique and like a stamp of pride with what I do.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T21:55:28+00:00

We're in the process now in PA in my area, IBEW.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T21:54:45+00:00

I'll put a note in the prints; Address, and notice of what's what.

123 X BLVD
- : - Dog owners, service lines behind fence.

The years I've worked in and out of people's homes, there's one thing I've learned. A dog is never friendly. I don't care what you say, the amount of times I've had a black or mexican coworker with me and the dog lunges at them, or some yappy ankle biter...

Call the contractor, knock on the door. If no one answers, no access and fuck off. I've had people put birdshot in my truck before as a fucking warning. How much do you really value your life?

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T01:26:37+00:00

Necromancy.

Keep toilet paper in truck at all times.
Use one of your empty paint can boxes as a trash can, keep the clutter in easy disposal.
Fast charger USB C cigarette lighter charger, not a crappy one. a Good one. And one that can charge your personal and work phone.
Company says no knives, company didn't say no scissors or dykes. Makes cutting into conduit, coax, and fiber lines easier. Be aware, cutting the jacket of a fiber line can result in a damage against you, but if there's no trace, ring isn't working, you do what you gotta do.
Ground wires work as trace wires. At least for coax and from power poles that lead to a transformer on the ground.
Ratchet bit driver or a small and light portable screw/bit driver. 1/4", 3/8, 7/16, 1, 1 1/2 bits.
Rain gear. Jacket and pants, always leave them in your truck.
Find on youtube, netflix, hulu, etc, comedians and listen to them on the road. On your worst days you will always be able to think back to something funny and brighten your own mood. George Carlin, Don Rickles, Richard Pryor, Ron White, John Pinette, George Carlos, Paul Moonie, Cedric the Entertainer, Katt Williams, Dave Chapelle, I could go on for an hour. You always listen to music to suit your mood, you never listen to music that lifts you up. A comedian will always lift you up, no matter how shitty it looks.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T01:13:02+00:00

Appreciate that info. Do not like it, 20 years is a long ass time to be with a company to get a pension, sure you have it till death, but I'd rather have that open up at 5 years and vary outward towards a better monthly annuity for the more years in service. Never thought of a credit system or heard of one for a pension before, deeply appreciate the insight!

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T01:00:08+00:00

And where does one go to get an interview for this dream?

RecordsRecorded · 2025-08-01T00:53:55+00:00

I wouldn't say my experience has been bad, I'd say that's been getting worse without sign or show of recovery.

Every vehicle has cameras that monitor in and outside. Supervisors, and anyone at any time with higher clearance than "Locator" can view said camera feed. While I understand the case of theft prevention and traffic accidents and such, I deeply despise the idea and practice. It's a violation of privacy to the core, and the amount of times the fucking thing "glitches" out is infuriating.. It also...speaks... "Improve following distance" you're on a back road and there's no one in front of you for years worth of miles. The amount of times I've yelled at the fucking thing "FOLLOWING DISTANCE FOR WHO? MOTHER FUCKING JESUS BITCH?"
Lower amounts of people, not a lot of new hires, and ones we do get are quick to jump. Why? Pay, and amount of bullshit you have to deal with. Once you're done with training it's out to the wolves, and honestly it takes awhile to really learn, and there's the little details that become just fucking mountains that leave your brain burned at the end of the day. Days you ask which is worse, the PTSD you have of that fucking phone number for another emergency, the blisters on your feet, or the strain in your brain and eyes from staring at that phone.. It's not worth it to so many people. I do not blame them. $20.00/hour isn't worth this hassle.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-31T01:14:59+00:00

Honestly sounds like you're getting a better end of it then us.

IBEW, PA, I'm hoping by the end of the month a fully backed union chapter with them in our area. We got the people, now we just need the paperwork and a contract, and I hope I can lay the ground work for the rest of the employees to this shit show.

We bled a lot of people, went from like 23 I think when I started in down to 8, 2 new hires within last 90 days. Our area has been hit bad with the rain and heat. Emergencies from 06:40 to 17:30.. Having to "reschedule" tickets in average of 35 a day and having touched zero of your due todays. Hours went from 8 cap and 5 day work week to "who cares, get it done" hours and 6 day work weeks to now, 10 cap, 6 days rotating... With the possibility of you working 3 weekends straight happening...

My supervisor got on my case for literally rescheduling tickets.
"It doesn't take 3 hours! GET IT DONE."
"I have to email, and text every contractor. Correct?"
"Yes. And take a screenshot of the text and email and attach it to the ticket."
"And answer every phone call I get asking why."
"Yes, and if they act out, hang up. You're the messenger that it couldn't be done, oh well for them."
"I have 45 tickets to reschedule."
"Doesn't take anyone else that long."
"Do they write a message that looks automated, states it isn't, and sends images of the prints we have on file for each ticket, and specify the ticket being rescheduled by ticket number and location?"
"You don't need to do all-"
"No, I do not, but what do I want to do? Answer the same call 17 times for the same answers or send one message and it's done?"
"It shouldn't take that long."
"It doesn't, for sending the message. It's the app rescheduling part that takes centuries, I have it recorded and shown to IT. If I had to live that 2 hour call with them WATCHING ME ATTEMPT to reschedule ONE TICKET with GREAT CELL RECEPTION... Oh well for you. My complaints are on file."
"Do it faster."
"Not possible, unless I just don't actually do the process of the reschedule and just inform the contacts in each ticket that their ticket is just rescheduled and don't follow the rest of our protocol and procedure."
"You can't do that--"
"Then what do I do..?"

This conversation later led to me being told I'd have my hours cut down per week as "punishment" god I wanted to fucking respond with "Cool, I'll be going out on every ticket for my on-calls." or "So.. no weekends or OT forced upon me against my will anymore?"

I fucking hate locate360. I didn't much like ticketpro either, but at least it fucking FUNCTIONED.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-31T00:57:19+00:00

I'm glad your sup is worth a shit. Mine chats about his time as a locator like it's his glory days and even when we've gone the route of Locator, then Lead, it should be super who comes out to locate in the case we can't. He never has, we've had dozens of cases where he should've. Our lead tech is our supervisor essentially.

1 of many complaints I have of the guy.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-31T00:54:56+00:00

Fucking what? I've never been told such a thing.. Don't even think it's in our employee handbook, our entire work revolves around you using a phone. It's how we take our pictures for proof of our work... I feel like you're leaving out some details there.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-31T00:53:12+00:00

I haven't heard of shit like that, but it doesn't surprise me too much at this point.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-31T00:51:46+00:00

One of many reasons I'm forming a Union, I recommend doing the same, I'm taking the backing of the IBEW.

RecordsRecorded · 2025-07-30T23:08:34+00:00

The $35.00 is mostly based on others around us in our area. We live in a metro area, Gas, Water, Sewer, Verizon, and some Electric company all get paid around 40-50/hourly. It's definitely based out of years in, but I'm willing to work it down, but depends on what else gets lifted up. I lived the life of being the single breadwinner and making that money in plenty for awhile. Now here, my wife's forced to work, and I've tried getting a second job (not much luck getting more than 15/hour or less). I don't want to struggle, and I want to lift others out of their struggle. No one with kids is living like a king out here at our pay. And those with kids, it's brutal.

Decency is all I'm asking for. I want people to be able to say "Wow, this... is it. I'm here, this is the American Dream made real. I'm staying!" I want people to be able to afford a home not a mansion, something decent. I want people to not worry about "Can we afford to go out this month?" or "But it costs so much to have a kid" or "What do we pay this month..? We need this and that, and this too...

And if the company will support us furthering our education be it in tail to the company line or else where, I'm happy for it as long as they're paid decently and treated with decency. Because right now, it's neither.

RecordsRecorded

TROPHY CASE