r/UnionCarpenters

Doug McCarron has been president since 1995. He has done tremendous things for our organization. The mergers have made our union stronger and exploded work possibilities. I have read the good and bad about his 30+ year run as president. When will he step down? And who is going to be able to fill those shoes. Can anyone name another example in an election where someone was voted in 6 consecutive times?

Hey everyone!

Curious how the work is up in MN? I’m in interior systems, framing. Is the work pretty steady year round more or less? The union looks legit compared to the southern state I am in. I’ve Wanting to move up there for a while. Thoughts? Thanks!

I've been in construction for almost 7 years. started framing and now I do renovations, drywall and some painting for a contractor (making 31$ an hour).

The thing is I just recently got accepted to the Formwork course at CCAT and am hoping to use it as a pipeline to get into Local 27 to become an apprentice and hopefully get my red seal eventually.

I'm worried about quitting my job, taking the course and being out of work. I'm really just looking for guidance if it's worth losing 2 months of wages, a pay decrease for a potential union gig.

10 year exp and red seal. Spent most of my career building ultra custom houses. life has made me move to a new area and i quickly realized how good my current boss was paying me and going union is the only way i can avoid a pay cut.

Had a connection at the Pickering nuke plant that basically handed me the job.

I'm fully expecting a completely different work environment with zero cowboying allowed, and a lot of waiting.

Anyone working there or similar areas have advise on life in the plant?

belt/harness setup? What's provided by the employer and what should i get myself?

How do you guys bridge the gap between jobs? I find it’s so random and spontaneous that it’s hard to have a full time main job. Im with local 27 in Toronto for any of you wondering!

For those located in SoCal, which months do they use our work hours for our December Vacay check? Is it March - August? April-September?

Looking for work, 2nd year apprentice anything helps

Any of you guys dealt with feeling like you don’t know enough as a journey?

Finished my apprenticeship and got my red seal about a year and a half ago. I know I’ll still be learning right up until the end of my career, but I feel a ton of internal pressure to have all the answers and know how all the time when, frankly, I feel like I’m flying by the seat of my pants more often than I’d like.

I’m generally well rounded,whether it be formwork, scaffolding, doing stairs or setting doors and windows but I guess I thought I’d feel like more of an expert than I actually do by now.

I know I don’t know all there is to know but I get by with whatever task is thrown at me. Does there come a time when the imposter syndrome dissipates or what?

I've got an interview coming up with the union for a floor covering apprenticeship and wanted to hear from anyone who's been through it. What did they ask you? Was it more about work history/motivation, or did they test hands-on knowledge? Any tips on what to bring or how to prep? Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know the starting pay for the apprenticeship program for local 336 Springfield, MA?

I am joining the union in eastern PA. Data center. I am coming in as a third year as I have a bunch of residential experience. My question is about hard hats. I was told I need one but does the union provide one? If they do, is it shitty and should I buy my own? Or are they decent? I didn't need one for residential. Anyone have any recommendations on a good hard hat if the ones provided aren't great? Appreciate it.

I'm currently working a good job for a chemical manufacturing company but I started an apprenticeship with the local 706 carpenters union in my area. I'm on the ready-to work list and waiting for a good job offer to come my way. I've also put my resume in to a bunch of different union affiliated companies in the area.

Today I got a call from my union rep with a 3 day job offer but I just felt like I can't risk my current steady 40 hour work weeks for a 3 day opportunity. My union rep and my instructer have both already said that a lot of these companies will make a job posting for 3 days worth of work in order to test out employees to see if they want to keep them or not.

My problem is that I can't just leave what I already have for a chance that I might get hired. I'm curious if anybody has a little insight on this.

What was your experience with starting out as a new apprentice. How does the ready-work list usually go? Am I going to have to bite the bullet at some point and take a chance with one of these small jobs or will a bigger offer eventually come to the table?

I just can't see risking my comfy 40 hours a week and guaranteed work all winter long for a 3 day offer that may or may not lead to more work. It's getting pretty late in the year for construction work here in MI and I know that a lot of companies lay people off in the winter and hire new people in the spring.

I feel like I should hold off on taking a new job as a carpenter atleast until spring time so that I have better odds of staying employed year round. Unless I get an offer for enough work to make it through the off season, I just don't think I will be able to afford to leave the chemical manufacturing job I already have without severely jeopardizing my finances.

It just seems really risky but I guess it's common practice for companies to offer these 3 day gigs to new employees. I'm wondering if anybody with more experience can shine some light on the issue. How would you handle the situation.

How would you deal with working along side a toxic Journeyman who talks to you like you are an idiot all day?

I made a post here a little while ago asking for advice about the CCAT formwork preapprenticeship assessment (LOCAL 27 TORONTO) . Just wanted to give an update that I got accepted and I'm starting the program this Monday.

I'm really excited about it and I want to take it seriously, so I wanted to ask any apprentices/journeymen here what I can do during the program to really stand out and get the most out of it.

I'm pretty new to the trade, so I'm basically going in ready to learn as much as I can. What are some things instructors and employers really notice in someone new? Anything I should be practicing outside of class, like math, reading a tape, tools, drawings/layout, etc?

I'm also interested in learning scaffolding eventually. Since I'm starting out in formwork, what's the best way to branch out and get experience with scaffolding and other areas of carpentry as I go through my apprenticeship? I don't want to limit myself to knowing how to do one thing.

The program also has a placement at the end, and ideally I'd like to turn that opportunity into an actual apprenticeship. For anyone who's gone through a pre apprenticeship or works in the trade, what can I do during the program and especially during the placement to give myself the best chance of getting sponsored/kept on as an apprentice?

Long term I just want to become a really well rounded carpenter and build a good career in the trade, so any advice you wish you knew when you were first starting would be appreciated : )

I’ve been lagging on uploading my bank info for vacation deposits but finally got to it today. Does anyone know how long it takes for them to add it into the system so you can withdraw?