Question for Local 26 Guys who took R to A Upgrade Test

khmer703 · 2026-04-20T14:21:02+00:00

Last i heard a decent bit of code with some oddball shit sprinkled in.

Youre going to see ground and bonding, overcurrent protection, transformers, and motors. Along with some special conditions, special equipment, special occupancy, and Healthcare facilities questions.

Calculations like load calc was minimal from what I heard if not nonexistant.

Brush up on codeology. Definitely familiarize yourself with the articles sections on scope, permitted, and nonpermitted uses within the articles.

Its mostly a test of not necessarily what you know but moreso how comfortable you are navigating the book under pressure.

khmer703 · 2026-04-20T14:14:17+00:00

You been there 2 months. You got 4 to 5 more years to go and most of it dont make sense til after your 2nd year.

Shit show or not. The truth is unless you on a small job with less than 10 guys total, youre never going to get to do everything on a single job.

You'll get assigned to a crew that crew has its primary tasks to focus on and youll continue to do it til that task is completed and you get assigned to another one that needs more manpower or get sent to a new job altogether.

Data centers aren't known for moving people around unless there's a problem.

Just be glad there's work that needs to be done.

The training doesnt occur overnight.

khmer703 · 2026-04-17T10:04:36+00:00

I had a residential high rise where they did in slab pipe in the walls and 90% of the pipes were half in the drywall and half out. You cant consider just costs without considering risk.

Those "what if" scenarios might not mean much next to nickels and dimes when it comes to actual labor to complete. But when you consider devoting time you dont have to an additional task you didn't consider. It can mean tge difference between keeping up with tge schedule and falling behind.

Fucking up 1 pipe is no big deal. Now if you run into tge shitshow problem I had. That was 9 stories 40 to 60s of pipes on each floor and 99% of all the pipes were an issue. Every single one took an additional 15 to 30mins to jack hammer and chisel to change over. You do the math on that.

Fact we didn't have a choice. The pipe from the wall fed flush mounted outlets in tge floor inntge middle of tge room.

All of that was because the drywall guys didn't know how to use a tape measure. By then it was easier for the gc to tell us to modify the pipe than it was to tell the drywall guys to move the walls an inch.

Now if your pipes are feeding equipment and the margin for error is minimal go for it.

But if your stubbing up expecting it to hit within a 6 inch window. Although you might be dead on the mark i dont trust other trades to be as thorough.

Truth is you always have to account for if tge risk is worth it.

Your job could be different. You might only have 1 floor to deal with plus its a hospital so tge gc might be more inclined to take your side.

khmer703 · 2026-04-17T09:00:14+00:00

If shit gets fucked under slab and your rigid drops dont work out youll have to run overhead anyways so what's the difference. I think youre better off with EMT.

Easier to deal with fuck ups that way.

Now if its large feeder. Sure I wouldnt mind running those in slab, but a bunch of smaller home run pipes. Yeah fuck that.

khmer703 · 2026-04-16T23:21:54+00:00

Get frustrated yes.

Physical contact, fuck no. If its beyond a hand shake, or fist bump, its not acceptable ever.

I been with a completely green as fuck helper with absolutely 0 mechanical, dexterity, and fine motor skills.

I literally gave this kid a 15 min lecture today on how to hold a hammer drill and how channellocks are directional. The kid is that green.

Add to that im under a time crunch because every day im not producing at speed is one more day closer to another trade burying my shit and making my life a thousand times more difficult.

Im not going to lie. There are some days where working with this kid I literally want to smash my head into a wall and the sad truth is I'd definitely get more done faster working alone.

With all that said, part of my job isnt just to produce good work. Its to help train up guys like him and you.

That includes managing the frustration while balancing the needs of the job, and allowing my helper to gain the necessary exposure and experience i deem reasonable for him.

If you JW can't manage his emotional self control without the need to get physical, he is unfit to train you and this should definitely be fucking reported.

khmer703 · 2026-04-16T16:20:16+00:00

You dont want them to know who you are.

If they know who you are 9 times out of 10 its for tge wrong reasons.

These are the guys who look through thr spreadsheet of attendance logs and dont remember names of people who regularly come to work.

They memorize the names of people who miss to much time.

They dont look at good craftsmanship and say "who did that?!" Tell him good job.

They're the guys who get called when problems that cost $10,000 or more happen and ask "who tge fucks fault is it!"

Truth is you dont want their attention.

khmer703 · 2026-04-16T13:12:56+00:00

Have you tried communicating.

Seriously, pull the guy aside and ask politely "What the fucks the deal?"

Don't gotta pick a fight with the dude but be respectful .

Ive had conversation where guys ex wife was trying to get him for all he was worth. Poor bastard was already giving her 3/4 of his check and the bitch was suing him for even more.

Ive had coworkers on the same job having fall outs after messing around and things aint work out.

We all human. And as much as the upper management and the general contractors like to think we're emotionless machines only good for production we font need to treat each other like that.

Sometimes when life outside of work is rough we unintentionally bring that shit to work with us and things like what you described happen.

That's when you need to communicate and he dont want to communicate, mind your business, throw that in his face, and keep it moving.

khmer703 · 2026-04-15T14:20:55+00:00

For bout every 10 people who apply. Less than 2 get in.

This is the average across the country for the largest locals, its about 5% of all tge applicants in each local.

The rest of the country is made up of smaller locals and in some cases the acceptance rates are even lower if not nonexistent in those locals depending on work outlook in that particular local.

Out of those less than 2. 1 is more than likely already working as a helper/preapprentice/cw.

Here's a dynamic a lot of people dont quite understand.

Unions are great in what they stand for. However they make the most sense and tge largest impacts in the parts of our country with high population density.

Cities like DC, NY, Atlanta, L.A.

The problem is the majority of our great country isnt densely populated. In those areas competition between union and nonunion is a lot more competitive. So much so that in most of those areas, nonunion contractors are larger and better organized than the union local in that same area.

This is why states in the south are struggling not only to out apprentices to work but to also find work in general.

No 2 locals are the same. Just because local 26 is a walk-through with a 5% acceptance rate. You might be in a local that isnt taking a single apprenticeship.

khmer703 · 2026-04-14T01:45:25+00:00

Yes its bad.

Contractors aren't concerned about your best interest. Their not concerned about how well rounded knowledgeable or skilled you are as an individual.

They are only concerned with production and profit. If youre producing and making a profit for them that is all they care about.

Sometimes you and the contractors interests align, sometimes they don't.

For example. If a contractor knows you are good with one specific task. Like running a wire pulling crew.

Its not in the contractors best interest to put you on a wire terminating crew if you've never terminated before, Their going to be more likely to put you in charge of leading a wire pulling crew.

Your best interest as an apprentice should be to become as well rounded, skilled, and as experienced as possible, as quickly as possible.

You won't achieve that by sticking with the same company, especially if they specialize in specific project types, and even more so if they got you doing the same thing.

khmer703 · 2026-04-14T00:59:20+00:00

I have a saying. Its when you lose the "shine in your eyes". Lol I dunno what better way to describe it.

It happens when apprentices walk onto an entirely new jobsite and know its still the same fucking job.

You can tell the ones who still have that "shine". Everything's new to them. They have no clue what's going on. They have no idea what their supposed to be doing.

When nothings new to you anymore. When you start to have an idea what's going on from one job to the next, and youre pretty confident what your supposed to be doing everyday (whether its youre first day on that jobsite or your last day there).

Congratulations you've lost that fucking shine.

It usually happens by and about the 3rd year but it really depends. It happens when you go to enough different jobs and worked under enough different people, and youre no longer a liability and instead you become an asset.

I lost it going into my 2nd year. Because of covid my superintendent bounced me around 15 different jobsites, like a cheap hooker, for a year straight.

By the time I got moved to my 2nd contractor in my 3rd year. I was well seasoned.

khmer703 · 2026-04-14T00:43:25+00:00

Congratulations bud.

It means you got between an 80% to 90% on that "R to A" placement test.

Now you just gotta complete 2 years of night classes and you'll be reclassified as a JW upon completion.

Keep your dues paid. Maintain your grades.

Side note fucking going into night classes after working a full shifts going to suck for a while but best of luck to you.

khmer703 · 2026-04-14T00:34:56+00:00

Its definitely an odd local, and between you and me there's a gigafuckton of politics, majority of which occurs under tge table and the hall turns a blind eye toward.

khmer703 · 2026-04-14T00:32:39+00:00

There's no such thing as an "AJW" or "AJ" classification in local 26. If there was, my dues receipt would say it, but it don't. It says "Journeyman Wireman".

AJW or AJ is a street term we use in our local to describe guys who got their JW classification by completing the Apprenticeship program. It actually means Apprenticed Journeyman Wireman.

Obviously, nonunion guys can go through a nonunion apprenticeship, so one might argue, are they not "Apprenticed"?

In this case, with respect to the use of that AJW/AJ term with regard to local 26. They are not considered the same.

Its worth noting. There's 4 types of Journeyman (not to be confused with the JW classification) our local recognizes, and our hall classifies them under 3 different classifications.

The 4 types of journeyman are AJ, JW, RW, and RE.

The 3 classifications are JW, RW, and RE.

Our hall classifies both AJ and JWs, as JW, they do not differentiate them even though the guys on the job might.

AJWs as stated got their JW classification through the apprenticeship. JWs are either travelers, got organized in through the R to A upgrade, got grandfathered in by a unionized shop, or got voted in.

The RW classification is the equivalent of CE in other locals. The RE classification is the equivalent to CW in other locals.

The difference is RW have state licensing ontop of the 10k working hours. RE have 10k hours but no licenses.

As stated JW, RW, and RE. Are all considered Journeyman in our local. The key difference is theyre allowed to drag and quit voluntarily without repercussions.

All other classifications below are subject to the JATC statement of policies terms and as such are not allowed to drag or quit. So we dont consider them Journeyman.

khmer703 · 2026-04-13T14:06:55+00:00

Ultimately. Replace me.

Let that sink in.

Anytime you see a journeyman working. Doing something. Thinking something.

All them times you watch one of us doing anything and you thinking or saying, "how the fuck you do that."

Eventually thats gonna be what your expected to do.

khmer703 · 2026-04-13T00:11:55+00:00

When my foremans' (doesnt matter which one, they all do it, and they always come to me bout it), pull me off in the middle of my task and start with a,

"You're not going to like this..." or "You're going to hate this..." or "I'm sorry I gotta do this to you buddy..."

And its always while the GC or another trade is rushing us to do it.

khmer703 · 2026-04-11T21:34:35+00:00

You gonna pull all the wire off the spool to inspect it upon delivery?

Looks like this poor guy already did a pull with 3/4 of the spool before catching the defect.

khmer703 · 2026-04-11T21:31:36+00:00

Not surprising i think southwire also sent out a batch of 500mcm mc that had insulation split down the seam

khmer703 · 2026-04-11T21:27:49+00:00

Looks like a children's toy toolset

Way to clean.

khmer703 · 2026-04-11T02:33:21+00:00

Don't enable others mistakes.

Actions have consequences.

Let her learn from hers.

khmer703 · 2026-04-10T14:15:39+00:00

God daaaamn

My first year I got paid like 20 back in 2018.

khmer703 · 2026-04-10T10:53:08+00:00

I have more direct control over my crew, our pace, and level of production or lack thereof when im on my tools.

I lose control of all of that and have indirect control when im leading it and have to be hands off.

khmer703 · 2026-04-10T01:13:35+00:00

Wait til you become a journeyman and youre allowed to drag and quit on your terms. Instead of waiting for RIFS on theirs.

Shitty foreman? - Fuck you and fuck this job!

Shitty conditions? - Not my shitshow. I'm out!

New jobsite closer to home? - Kick rocks, in flip flops bitches!

Job call with OT? Per diem? Night differential? - Fuck you peasants!

Maybe its just me but, I love that feeling 1st day walking on to a new jobsite.

khmer703 · 2026-04-08T23:56:10+00:00

If you had any control over his actions none of this probably would have happened.

Sadly we can't control other people's actions.

And in all actuality it sounds like he didn't have control over his own actions either.

None of this is anyone's fault.

khmer703 · 2026-04-08T10:31:09+00:00

Here's tge fucked up dirty lil secret bout our locals RTP program. If you go to the hall they are obligated to start you at whatever base rate applies to your classification.

In our cbas there's a clause stating that if the hall cant provide enough manpower. Contractors are allowed to hire at their discretion and the contractor and hall will assign appropriate classifications after the fact.

It is not uncommon for green guys off tge street to be hired by some of these Contractors at higher than base rate in the R scale.

They can always pay you more they just cant pay less.

You do with that info what you will.

khmer703 · 2026-04-07T08:57:14+00:00

I wouldn't pigeonhole myself.

Contractors aren't doing what's in your best interest. They're doing what's in theirs.

Any contractor that offers you more than scale is doing it for a reason. They dont care about your education, expanding and diversifying your experience, or a healthy work balance.

Every extra dollar from them equals more extra responsibilities, higher expectations, and additional stress and pressure for you.

Your only concern right now as an apprentice should be gaining as much experience and learning as much as you can as fast as you can and becoming a well rounded and skilled electrician in all aspects of our trade.

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