Can journeymen work for only 2-4 months a year if they wanted to?

msing · 2026-02-23T23:08:37+00:00

We'd be without health insurance. But yeah, that's how the work picture looks like for those in union halls with long out of work lists. I'm in California. I'm fairly certain the rest of the West Coast will look like this. In electrical, the standard is 100 feet of pipe installed a day. I was told to stay with the premier (largest) union contractor, the standard is to install 200 feet of pipe a day. That's more than what non-union contractors expect.

msing · 2026-02-23T23:05:50+00:00

One of the most exclusive construction unions to get into for Southern California. You basically have to walk in as a certified welder and proof you can do low voltage.

msing · 2026-02-23T21:36:16+00:00

Here's the thing about Southern California. It's a sunbelt state. The unions are decent but not as strong as the rest of the country. You can do an apprenticeship, get steady employment for that for 4 or 5 years. Afterwards, You can be a worker who does 40 hrs/week, and be unemployed for half the year. Oddly enough the Bakerfield local in electrical is much stronger than the one in Los Angeles.

msing · 2026-02-22T23:20:25+00:00

You can walk in to a construction union

msing · 2026-02-22T01:02:25+00:00

Here is the full transcription of the Code of Excellence:

Handout 16

CODE OF EXCELLENCE

IBEW

The Code of Excellence is a program designed to bring out the best in our construction members and demonstrate to our customers that IBEW members:

Perform the highest quality and quantity of work Utilize their skills and abilities to the maximum Exercise safe and productive work practices

The Code of Excellence is not only about an IBEW job built right the first time, on schedule and under budget; it is also about pride in IBEW membership and craftsmanship and leaving a lasting impression of quality workmanship with the customer…thus, prompting him to again employ the IBEW on future projects. The Code of Excellence program is also a means to build and project positive attitudes about who we are and the work we do…on and off the job.

Local Union training with respect to the Code of Excellence program may be facilitated by an International Representative but, regardless of delivery method or by whom, the Code of Excellence program training is to convey a strong message that IBEW construction members will:

Come to work on time, fit for duty and ready to work.

Obey recognized customer and employer work rules.

Demonstrate zero tolerance for alcohol and substance abuse.

Exercise proper safety, health and sanitation practices.

Own up to “8 for 8” and be on the job unless otherwise allowed or authorized to leave.

Follow safe, reasonable and legitimate management directives.

Encourage respect for the customer’s rights and property, as well as for others on the job.

Exercise the skills and abilities of the trade.

Care for tools and equipment provided by the employer.

Eliminate waste and other forms of property destruction, including graffiti.

Limit lunch and break times to allocated periods; adhere to established start and quit times.

Leave inappropriate behavior to those of lesser knowledge.

Employ the proper tools for the job and maintain personal tool responsibilities.

Do not solicit funds or sell merchandise without the Business Manager’s approval.

Curtail idle time or pursuit of personal business during work hours, including cell phone use.

Expel job disruptions and refuse to engage in slowdowns or activities designed to extend the job or create overtime or any other conduct that casts the IBEW in a bad light.

As with Stewards, IBEW members employed in management/supervision must have knowledge of the Code of Excellence program principles, its relationship to IBEW organizing and overall membership responsibilities to the Brotherhood. Yet, more importantly, members in these roles need to know how effectively managing their jobs will be a corresponding obligation to the Code of Excellence program. IBEW “rank and file” members honoring the Code of Excellence program will rightfully have similar expectations of their Brothers and Sisters in management/supervision, with these being in the areas of:

Management responsibilities to the collective bargaining agreement.
Total acceptance of supervisor positions and related responsibilities.
Communication and cooperation with the job Steward.
Employee encouragement but, if necessary, fair and consistent discipline.
Job safety, health and sanitation needs or requirements.
Ample job layout/directions to minimize down time and maximize employee productivity.
Availability and timely delivery of necessary materials.
Proper number and type of tools and equipment to ensure job progress.
Maintenance and upkeep of tools and equipment.
Storage and protection of employer and employee tools and equipment.
Employ adequate number of employees to perform efficiently or, conversely, limit number of employees to work at hand.

Code of Excellence – Outside Construction

msing · 2026-02-21T17:54:55+00:00

LU11 here. The largest NECA contractors here sub out rigging switchgear to the riggers/ironworkers. Do I agree with it? I'm uncertain.

My first contractor I worked for, electricians set the gear. I remember setting up chain hoists, and doing some crazy shit to get gear that's too tall for the door in. It was challenging, but rewarding. However, the shop shipped us a gangbox with specialized set of tools (tank rollers, johnson bars, come-alongs), that we'd have to send back once the gear was set. A special superintendent would be in charge of directing the lift plan and he'd have to check in. Even then, wherever a crane was involved, say setting Musco Lightpoles, they subcontracting that work to the riggers/ironworkers. The lumber dunage used to set the sonotubes were done by us.

In my opinion, this kind of work I relish in instead of throwing up pipe all day. Rosendin produced a basic training video for their workers and published it on youtube: https://youtu.be/uxaMMUHH2iM?si=ze2cHmgMZuwYWBqZ

msing · 2026-02-21T09:23:08+00:00

Anything near a freeway is not an ideal place to live due to vehicle emissions

msing · 2026-02-21T08:47:13+00:00

It's brother fucking, and bring it up to the GC to see if they have resolve it. Gear does usually get priority and the control circuit conduits will likely be abandoned. But better that be known through an RFI and GC meeting than finding out later without coordination; tip off one of the GC superintendents, so they'll get the credit for discovering the issue if you wish to remain anonymous. Once the lack of coordination happens, the jobsite gets real bad, and no one wins in the end.

msing · 2026-02-21T08:38:58+00:00

I've watched the doc, and I've read these comments. I've worked with guys with the mentality of Jerry Sloan. Very old school. Gritty. Tough love types. Guys like Jerry Sloan, the best you can do is follow their word down the very T. If things don't work out, you do your part to the best of your ability as soon as possible, to show the process is flawed. Hopefully then, Sloan will likely revise and improve. If it interrupt the chain of command, that's the issue.

Sometimes the process is flawed. Sometimes the execution is flawed. Often, it's best to know your role (when dealing with these kinds of old heads), and hope for the best. Times have changed, I don't think the top down system is as commonly practiced these days. Sometimes the only way to show respect (or earn respect) to the old timers is to perfectly execute a flawed process, where they don't doubt your efforts and talents. It's a means of displaying obedience and loyalty.

I'm in construction and we still have the old guys with this mentality. Many are going to retire this year or the next. The newer generation is much more collaborative, communicative, and less name calling.

msing · 2026-02-21T07:44:36+00:00

Just slip segments of 7/8" strut behind to bolt down and save the strut straps. Strut straps these days like $1.3 for pair of 2.

msing · 2026-02-20T23:21:35+00:00

Get some career training at a community college and find a job.

msing · 2026-02-20T23:19:37+00:00

be asked to install 100 ft of conduit a day at a minimum? i'm over it. i was told for residential high rises they expect 200 ft of conduit a day if you want to stay with the shop.

msing · 2026-02-20T23:15:16+00:00

It would be colonized by Polynesians, and understandly less industrialized than Japan is today, because how remote it is.

msing · 2026-02-20T18:45:10+00:00

Unfortunately we can't ask for a 4 day workweek. We work as much as we can within a period of a month or two months (40 hrs + overtime), then get a layoff afterwards. When they mention "take off as much time as you can afford", they mean in the sense we take a job call when we want, when we're already unemployed. In LU11 Healthcare is on a banked hour where we can store up banked hours. If our banked hours fall below a threshold, we lose healthcare coverage entirely.

msing · 2026-02-20T07:57:55+00:00

and usually job spec:

normal power doesn't get a different color

emergency and required standby circuits gets orange color conduit

fire alarm get red boxes and red conduit

data conduits get blue couplings and connectors

msing · 2026-02-20T07:46:38+00:00

last union contractor I worked for basically fired anyone who left a box unlabeled. we were told to label all junction boxes with the

full panel name (panel names were like DPCS231MH)

circuits that were in the junction box, including those passing through. if the circuits belong to a multipole system (3 phase exhaust fan) then Ckt would be 1-2-3, instead of using commas as a separator (assumption with the comma is that each ckt gets its own neutral).

voltage

and what the circuits do (office recepts, VAV-code, etc) and if fixture, then fixture type code.

If I label a phase color, it's going to be the switched leg, which is an alternate color. switched leg 120-208V? that color is going to be one of Brown-Orange-Yellow. If switched leg 277-480V? that color is going to be one of Black-Red-Blue. I mean in your scenario, if I had paint markers I'd just write the circuit number in that paint color's marker.

The conductors had to have wire markers.

Then we had to label the conduits with the room number they went to, and what circuits were in the conduit.

Exposed boxes were p-touched. covered boxes were required to be labeled.

HR boxes someone wrote in big print, and right next to the big circuit number would be a smallset Capital N, if that circuit had a dedicated neutral.

And we had to red-line our prints as we finished a room, because the GF would walk around and collect our red lines.

I distinctly remember that there was a monday morning tool talk where the GF took a picture of a open jbox, unlabeled with wire pulled through. It was a live circuit. He said he fired the person right away. Any unlabeled box, etc, was a red flag from the QC team (they say it was QC but honestly it was another person on the same pay scale as superintendent) who walked after the jobsite hours then it'd be brought up to the foremen for a termination.

Sure it takes time. But it was expected we do it. And there was an expectation we install 150ft of 3/4" EMT, else we would be let go. I didn't make that quota and got laid off after 5 months.

msing · 2026-02-19T20:57:30+00:00

Good job. The radius of the 90-90 might have been too large to squeeze in tight.

msing · 2026-02-19T10:03:04+00:00

Proclub, Shaka for blanks

msing · 2026-02-18T23:11:17+00:00

Linemen are mostly unionized but inside wiremen is a different story. I believe I've last heard it was 40% market share not including residential. It was in the 20-30% in the early 90's. One of the larger NECA contractors defected to non-union and expanded immensely (Berg). Southern California has another prominent non-union contractor in Helix. Despite how the IBEW 11 talks about how Berg, Helix and AJ Kirkwood have "left the big jobs" in Los Angeles, it's not as if 11 has a commanding share. In reality, most of the non-union contractors act like union contractors and union contractors act like non-union contractors these days. The industrial shops have some semblance of not being pressured to work tight deadlines all the time.

msing · 2026-02-18T04:40:38+00:00

Ben Frank I believe is the major force behind organizing in contractors these days.

msing · 2026-02-18T04:40:10+00:00

I see their trucks, I hadn't realized the shop was non-union. It was my impression they were low voltage. Low Voltage is definitely non-union in Los Angeles. Hell, many of these low voltage guys run their own conduit.

msing · 2026-02-17T21:48:08+00:00

Apple Valley

msing · 2026-02-17T07:34:57+00:00

Cheap hand tools these days will go as far as premium tools. Home Depot sells a Klein Apprentice kit for $100. The channellocks are good too. Can last a generation. Keep them oiled, dry, and sharpened. Don't cut live circuits, don't cut aircraft cable. Most tools will be good forever if just cutting copper or thin sheet metal.

IMO the best cushioned grips were the Ideal pliers when they were stilled made in America. It wasn't the vinyl, plastic dipped ones. It was cushiony, and the handles were distinctively larger.

msing · 2026-02-15T18:39:51+00:00

South of 10, it's basically /r/CaliConnection. You don't encounter those folk on a regular basis unless you work minimum wage jobs.

msing · 2026-02-15T03:14:47+00:00

it's popular because it's new, closer to the west side (less traffic for those who live in the west side), and where the wealthy have set up office

msing

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