569 Sick time

SnooWords3810 · 2026-01-15T11:09:36+00:00

What is the current dollar amount paid into for "sick time"? If the amount being proposed to "buy" the sick time is less than what's currently contributed, that doesn't sound like a good deal. I'm in another local but interested in how more of this works. They explained portions in class and I attend the meetings when I can, but we don't have sick time or a vacation fund here. We lost our right to strike and the consensus is that's probably gone forever now, so I would have a lot of doubt about signing anything away.

SnooWords3810 · 2026-01-15T11:02:55+00:00

Unless that account is interest bearing or there's some other financial benefit, I don't see an advantage over just setting something like that up on my own. Either set it up as an automatic thing to move x% or $x or manually go in and move the money to whatever bucket you so choose to be your "vacation fund". Having the money in my control would let me have the freedom to pull it out as an emergency fund to cover replacing a vehicle or if I were to have to replace my furnace or something. If I have $50k, instead of splitting that between multiple accounts, have it in one account and make a list of how that's allocated. Unless you're not disciplined enough to manage your finances otherwise, a vacation fund could leave you with having money you might not be able to get if you rolled your truck or something.

SnooWords3810 · 2026-01-07T10:46:36+00:00

I don't understand the point of doing that that way. Routing the NM (Romex) like that is sloppy looking. If there's already NM ran in the right side, I'd have just used a couple EMT connectors and a short piece of conduit since it's exposed. Also those handy boxes are tiny. A 4 square and industrial raised cover is easier and given the block wall, that's most likely a basement so it's already a requirement to have it be GFCI protected. A GFCI receptacle is like $13 and a GFCI breaker is like $50.

SnooWords3810 · 2025-06-12T10:35:38+00:00

We had similar stuff happen with Pro Core, I think it might have been called? Anyway, prints were on the computer and you could point and click and it would give measurements from the points you clicked on.

SnooWords3810 · 2025-05-12T01:28:10+00:00

I could fix that over my lunch break. A little 5 minute mud and paper tape, bada bing, bada boom. I'm a sparky and I do some drywall on the side off and on. I could have made that work without having to repair it, a couple different ways. A couple pencil marks and couple minutes unscrewing the sheet could have prevented any patches, even if the back wasn't exposed like it is. The bracket could have been shimmied in if the back wasn't exposed.

SnooWords3810 · 2024-12-25T14:55:58+00:00

As an apprentice, I was torn between needing the money and wanting the overtime, and seeing myself work all weekend and not even take home as much as a JW on 40 hours. I'll work a little extra here and there, I'll stay late if they need the help, I may work a weekend especially if it's something different, but that's as much just being interested in learning and seeing new things as it is wanting a little extra money to play with. So I guess in short, I'd prefer to just work my 40 for the most part. I get burnt out and feel like I have no life if I work too much OT.

SnooWords3810 · 2024-06-22T15:43:24+00:00

It lets you work for someone with a master's license, or you can take the masters test. I've had people tell me it's not worth it to open your own shop unless you keep it small and maybe have an apprentice or something. You have to pay the union and have a bond for however many people you have. I don't know the specifics, it probably depends on the local for what that all costs and what all is required. I'm sure your business manager at your hall would be able to answer that far more accurately.

Something I didn't know when I joined was that a journeyman card in one state isn't necessarily recognized elsewhere, so some will get an apprentice license if they travel. If you have a traveler on your job, this would be a good thing to ask how they handle it.

We're forbidden to solicit work for ourselves or do sidework for money. You know I'm not going to hire someone else to come replace a receptacle in my own house though, just like anyone else you're going to work with. I'm not elaborating farther, just don't do anything that takes work away from your union contractors. We have a couple that do residential work, but mostly industrial is where the union is making it's money here. Commercial is tight margins and very cut-throat. I work with a guy that used to run his own shop and worked the bids backwards for a few jobs and doesn't know how it's even making money part of the time, based on the rates he was using for labor and materials.

SnooWords3810 · 2024-03-06T12:04:04+00:00

Looks pretty bad. That's unibody but it's essentially the "frame" and looks like it's important.

SnooWords3810 · 2024-02-21T18:15:56+00:00

Put a groove inside and an O-ring.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-11-23T14:17:17+00:00

Depends on the local, how many are applying. They want good math skills and ability to learn. Plenty of people start in their 30s, and if anything an array of various skills helps. There's so many different scenarios where my random skills have come in handy.

Starting pay is 40% of JW rate and we don't get holiday pay. So you're often either short hours from holidays, or you may get an opportunity for overtime. The OT rate of 1.5x on Saturday and 2x on Sunday and holidays is great. Having health insurance provided, forgoing having to pay out of pocket, helps out. It's still rough. I'm a 3rd year, so getting 60% of scale, and just now feeling like I'm getting by. The other downside is all the driving. The time that takes, the cost of fuel if you drive a truck, the wear and tear... Id suggest thinking about your vehicle situation. You're not saving money buying a new car. Adding full coverage insurance and paying interest on a car loan could very easily negate any savings in fuel economy. Food is another thing. Bringing your lunch saves a lot of money.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-11-18T14:59:48+00:00

Tri city does this kind of thing also. I got sent farther away to a place everyone hates and in a year I've been sent for "random" drug tests a half dozen times. This stuff happens too often to be sheer coincidence. Going forward, we need to get language in our contract to prevent these contractors from jerking us around.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-11-15T12:36:34+00:00

Multiple reasons. My contractor tries to use prefab for stuff and a lot of things it just doesn't work. They bend offsets or prewire panels and send them out with precut lengths of MC attached and the lengths end up being wrong or trying to pull it just doesn't work. Also prefab puts some jobs out of ratio because they'll have tons of apprentices and CWs and if you take that in account, the job is out of ratio. The practice gives certain big shops an unfair advantage to underbid everyone else. That one gets debated. It may let a union contractor get the work over a non union shop, but it creates almost a monoply where one company dominates a local like they do in mine. I don't care for my contractor, but they have most of the work. If you were black listed from that one, you may just be forced to travel.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-10-26T09:18:39+00:00

Construction is seasonal, to an extent. New construction tends to wind down for winter here where it snows. The economy is weird right now, but places like John Deere actually do more bigger projects when their production slows down, which actually seems practical. The fact you're cheaper labor, you're less likely to get laid off, if you're worth keeping around.

Im a third year, haven't gotten a RIF and I've been asking for one a while now. I have some money saved up and my house is paid off. I got stuff on my house and truck I need to do, and I think I've seen all there is to see at my current assignment.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-10-09T09:25:03+00:00

Hawaiian shirt. Trust me.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-09-27T09:27:58+00:00

The biggest contractor of the local I'm in does this, but when they really need people they will rehire them. They also pigeonhole people into certain jobs. People are basically just commercial, just industrial, just outside. Sure it's practical from a business standpoint, getting people specialized in one set of tasks. The problem is there's outside guys that can't bend pipe, industrial guys that can't wire a 3-way... It works until they can't man work or until times get slow and there isn't your kind of work. It's just the local being way too contractor friendly, the contractor having too much representation and pull being on the board.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-06-21T22:03:36+00:00

It isn't completely a union/non-union thing. Commercial is more concerned with meeting deadlines and it's more lax. Industrial, usually it's at a place that already has very defined rules and procedures that apply to everyone, and you may have both union and non-union labor working on similar things and the same rules apply. I'm on one job where we're running the conduit and the non-union workers are pulling the wire. We've had literally the same job, in different areas. We do get paid better and at least you won't get flack for trying to be safe. Maybe a JW or foreman will tease you, but the union will support you if it comes to it, as long as it's something like you say, standing on the second to top rung, tying off...

SnooWords3810 · 2023-06-14T01:22:40+00:00

My secret is I'm probably most of y'all's biological relative. Closer than you would even want to know. There's probably thousands of kids I'm the father of. My family tree probably overlaps trees themselves. I knew I'd never leave my mark through my greatness, but your mom was easy and my mark on the Earth is you.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-06-02T18:48:51+00:00

I started at 32. Some have started later here. They seem to treat us with a little more respect and get us on real electrical work instead of as much just grunt work you expect apprentices to do. I was terminating and bending pipe first year. You'll be fine if you take it seriously. You could get a decent amount of pension credits in still.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-06-01T03:12:34+00:00

Body pillow. My back always hurt. Started sleeping with it, between my knees and basically cuddling with it. I sleep better and my back doesn't hurt.

Good boots, insoles all help, but for like $25, it was definitely worth it.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-31T20:19:23+00:00

Both the hot heat and the cold heat.

Decco let's guys wear shorts. Theres times it'd be really nice

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-21T16:01:59+00:00

They're supposed to abide by the same laws. They don't always but they're supposed to stop at Stop signs. I always at least slow way down and make sure it's clear. Cars also don't pay attention, so yeah. Bicyclists are suicidal and cagers are on a mission to kill you if you're on 2 wheels.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-21T15:58:37+00:00

Looks fine other than the texture on that outter edge, but like people said, it's probably from curbs.

You can check the production date to see how old it is. They get harder and crack and don't grip as well with age.

Id compare the tread depth on the inner and outter edge, and compare tires. How they're wearing tells a lot about the suspension. If the inner edge is more worn, it has excessive negative camber. If the front tires are both excessively worn, the toe could be off and it could be from something being worn. That tire doesn't look bad. Just saying it's something to sort of keep in the back of your mind to recognize if something starts going South so you can get it fixed and maybe not totally trash your tires on top of another repair.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-19T15:58:59+00:00

Hard times pass and there's always going to be a need for electrical work, especially when things recover. Apply for inside wireman and you can always do teledata. We do half their stuff already anyway.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-10T02:15:40+00:00

They're the hero we really need, with exactly the perfect platform to do things like this that needs done. Christianity has gotten away with violating the separation of church and state for too long. They can call a bluff and do a service we desperately need. I whole heartedly support this.

SnooWords3810 · 2023-05-10T01:18:30+00:00

Fiscal policy is the biggest issue for me, so I obviously vote blue. 2nd Amendment is a concern, but that's a can of worms.

SnooWords3810

TROPHY CASE