u/Superb-Gur-1679

Honestly curious what you guys are making at the utility.

Where ur at in the country union or non union, wage, and position.

This post is going to be about the non union side of things. My simple advice is don’t do it. There are exceptions to the rule. There are good non-union outfits. The majority of them are not good outfits. If you have to ask if XYZ company or utility is a good company to work for that that’s not union it’s probably not good to work for. You probably know if the company you’re going to work for is an exception to the rule if you’re going to go non-union. Idaho power is a prime example of a pretty solid non-union and a pretty solid utility to work for people know that and don’t ask about it really. This is very rare in the contracting world. If you just wanna be at home and your local co-op or utility is non-union and you’re chill with that and you never plan on leaving more power to you, don’t even worry about it then.

A lot of non-union contractors pay like shit first of all. They might put you up they might give you per diem all maybes. They might give you a raise they might not. They might enroll you in an apprenticeship program they might not. They might hold your card from you. This is a common thing to get your DOL certification being withheld from you even though it’s illegal. This is literally to keep you trapped working for the company and to pay you a lower wage. Places like Probst are literally going to all trans techs and will be topping them out at a whopping $40 an hour to be on the road and at their mercy with an essentially useless card. Smaller outfits you can be legitimately topping out at 30 an hour. I don’t know in what world I’m building powerlines as a journeyman lineman for $40 an hour or less even. I’m not talking about the south in this I know those wages are low. This is more like the places with union presence at all. I don’t know about you guys, but my home state isn’t even known for wages and you can make 30 to 40 an hour at home with overtime opportunities doing a lot of other things and not having to be on the road and busting your ass. This is a hard job.

I’ve had personal experiences I started nonunion. I was not enrolled in the apprenticeship program like they told me I would be and I was not given books like they said they would issue me. I also was told I would go from 28 an hour which is pretty good for non-union even now to 34 after my progression and yearly raise I got bumped to a whopping 29 after bothering the manager multiple times who told me id be bumped to 34. False promises are common. It’s not worth the sweat and the sacrifice that this trade requires with travel to do it for that low of a wage most of you could get into the pipe fitters union and make the same or more doing that for easier work than you would be working non-union.

Hit me with questions or share your stories and experience. I know plenty of you got them, let others be aware.

Bored as shit and I have a lot of useless knowledge about this trade and getting in and random union shit more than most people because I would read contracts every time I worked in a new jurisdiction. Worked in 8 states as a groundman, operator, and apprentice and quit as a hot step.

Literally can be anything quality of life, the reality of what to expect, a lot of crews suck dick, etc etc etc.

I just want to hear what’s out there for high paying careers and the path to get there. Ideally jobs that pay 150k plus and have the potential to make 200k. Right now I work as a natural gas technician and when I fully top out it will be about 100k before bonus and overtime and standby which are required. More like 130k if you take the minimum required.

I used to build powerlines on the road so I’m not really interested in a traveling job again. I also am not really interested in engineering or healthcare but feel free to share. I’d ideally want to find something that’s not an immense amount of schooling and the pay can start relatively high just not sure. Not opposed to going to college allegedly my employer pays for 75% of most degrees. Honestly want to hear what jobs are at 150k+ have the option to make 200k+ with progression or overtime.

I want to hear how long it took to get you there if there’s still an upward trajectory how many hours you’re required to work do you have paid or unpaid overtime and how replicable your path is and do you recommend it.

Seeing if anyone can help out. I know they’re going through financial hell right now. It would be the dream to work in the Utah area and make those wages at a utility. If anybody knows some tips or tricks to get on and get into a substation apprenticeship.

I no longer have any interest in contracting or being a lineman really I’ve always like the subs when I was a groundman in them though. I have over 5,000 hours on the outside IBEW construction as a groundman and apprentice lineman. I now work at a natural gas utility and it’s pretty chill but like I said it would be cool to be in Utah and make more money even though it’s still solid money here.

If anybody has anything or knows if the utility experience I’m getting now is valuable etc. thanks

Single young male(23) recently moved to the area having a pretty difficult time meeting people here any advice or recommendations?

Tried to look it up but didn’t find much information. Any Montana Dakota utility guys on here. Or if anybody knows someone who did etc. Specifically I’m curious if you were able to take your tickets to the outside for line techs and combo techs? Or if anybody has even made the jump.

I’ve been seeing multiple posts of wireman looking to become lineman or groundman. A lot of substations hire wireman to work in them which allows you to get substation experience to then test in at the jatc as a journeyman subtech without completing another apprenticeship. You can skip the groundman bullshit and make lineman money no apprenticeship.

Many utilities also hire journeyman wireman as full blown subtechs such as Idaho power, Rocky Mountain power, northwestern energy, MDU. Nv energy will take your application but offer you an apprentice spot.

You can also sign subtech book 3 typically as a wireman or sign an outside local instead such as 57 in Utah instead of the wireman local to get substation work I think they usually do the rate at 85% for a non tested in subtech or a wireman doing sub work. Which is about 51 an hour currently in Utah.

You can challenge the test in most jatcs such as Mslcat, movalley. NW specifically does a substation qualification test open to wireman and lineman I believe.

All things said and done this is usually a better and easier route with more money than becoming a groundman and completing a lineman apprenticeship after getting in. Start at 85% and be journeyman and test in to get 100% of scale.

This is my personal opinion on contractors haven’t worked for all these places but worked at most as an groundman, operator, and apprentice. Obviously this would be my experience at location with certain people and all contractors are IBEW. Feel free to add your experience or whatever.

Cache valley: I had a great experience at cache great guys who actually seemed to care about you learning, and the company seemed to care more than most do in outside contracting. I’d give them a solid A really no complaints.

Summit line: it was OK, The guys I worked with and I didn’t experience a lot of the ghetto things people talked about or being ridden hard I would say they’re very cheap and a lot of of the guys there are Foreman or above are hard-core company men and they’re a pretty cheap pennypinching company. I’d give them a C.

FB Titan: honestly a wild experience, sometimes fun sometimes ghetto a kind of insane weird ratty contractor that honestly I like more than most standard contractors you’re not gonna work with Great guys or honestly probably knowledgeable guys but from my experience, they do throw a lot of money at you and the expectation to perform isn’t very high. I’d give them a solid B tier.

ILB: they sucked. They wanted to not even pay guys for drivetime enough said and most of the guys there are rats when it came to money lmao. F tier.

static line: the only contractor I’d work for in Colorado. He truly cares about his guys maybe not the best for money or hours, but honestly actually feels like you’re working for someone who cares and you are. S tier.

Hooper, Ward, and Sturgeon: I’m lumping these together they’re the big three in Colorado. They all suck Hooper kills. Guys. Ward is Ward and Sturgeon has a ridiculous amount of utility hits. These will probably all be a similar experience because 111 guys think the meaning of dragging is taking another call in Denver five minutes down the street. Most of their yards suck and the ones that are good are only OK. Colorado is a dumpster fire. F tier.

Main and rigs: these guys are just the angry transmission fucks of Colorado. Probably F tier.

D&D Power: I think it depends who you’re under but overall a terrible experience and terrible for Colorado if Colorado wasn’t bad enough these guys are trying to ruin the work pace. That’s been set for years by submitting more work orders and all this brother fucking shit. If anything they’re just making Colorado worse and conditions worse for everybody else. F tier.

Wasatch: you will probably get per diem most of the time you’re going to be moving a lot and I’d say you better Hope you start there if you get on with them or as a low step. I don’t think it’s a great experience, but they will make a hand out of you. I will say you will most likely be a good hand if you do majority of your apprenticeship with Wasatch. I give them a C tier I wouldn’t work for them as a journeyman and tolerate moving that much and be a company man like that but a good place to top out from. These guys stepped my game up as an apprentice highly.

RMC, Potelco, OPC, mountain power, and Cole strip: these are the Montana boys I’d say they all kind of suck for learning and hours and work some definitely more than others RMC and Mount power are OK. RMC is kind of dog shit and mountain power is RMC with dog shit equipment. OPC and CEI are scary places to be very ratty. Very weird. OPC has a sister company called red rock non union and they regularly work together. Don’t have much to say on Potelco. None of these places are very good to learn from and you’re not making much money. Why would you be here if you’re not from Montana? D tier for RMC and mtn and F tier for CEI and OPC.

That’s most of the contractors I have experience with working for or dealing with or had buddies work for. Add your input or I’m sure some guys had polar opposite experiences with contractors.

I gotta say I’ve been loving the real unfiltered advice and experiences I’ve been seeing lately. This trade is romanticized heavily mainly because of the money and I’m glad people are talking sense into others before they make mistakes or multi year commitments and regrets.

I lost everything in this trade and didn’t even get what I wanted out of it in the end. I lost the love of my life and my health the money never made up for it and I didn’t even end up at the utility in the end. Hell I should have reconsidered when one of the guys I was working with that was a JL had been trying for 7 years and didn’t even land an interview. The treatment of guys and the brotherhood is something I honestly never experienced in a positive way. More and more contractors are becoming rattier and rattier with more and more brother fuckers. I remember when I first started in the trade paid early quits happened often and I was told this was the benefit to busting our ass and not taking our breaks and being on the road. The slow fade during my apprenticeship to just getting shorted damn near every week at least a couple hours and the worst contractor shorting me 5-10 hours every week and per diem cut whenever possible. 7 days a week 12 plus hour days for years on end, break down your body in ways I never thought it would I’ll never get my shoulders back to what they were. I’ll never have the people I used to have around or the life I had envisioned. I’ve seen this trade bring the worst out in guys consistently and it brought out the worst in me too. I’ve been struggling to rebuild myself as a person but slowly but surely I hope to get myself back one day. The things I traded I’ll never get back and were not worth the cost for what I was paid.

So just to be blunt I build powerlines and substations and I make very good money id say. I want to do something I don’t feel is as soul crushing and damaging on my body. I’m not sure if I should go back to school or what id even want to do. It’s full time travel between multiple states and just being real I hate traveling for work so much.

The main things I would like to be in one spot, work ideally less than 50 hours a week with a weekend, for the pay to be able to reach 100k within a couple years ideally. I’d just like something much more chill and a work environment where people actually treat others like humans lol.

Applied for swlcat Arizona and got a few questions.

#1. Does applying in Arizona mean my first job offer will be in Arizona or is it still all of swlcat or do they try to keep you in az?

#2. I have the 3500 hour thing it was asking for but it’s all line hours pretty much how will this help or affect me? Do they start guys at higher steps?

#3. How does journeying out look like is it just when you finish your apprentice book work or what does the test entail if there is a journeyman test?

#4. What’s the work outlook in Arizona for subs?

#5. Any interview tips would be appreciated or what to expect on the aptitude test.