r/UnitedAssociation

Getting accepted into local 777 coming out of the military from the VIP program as a second year apprentice, I know it’s a dumb question but does this local drug test specifically for THC? I’m fine if they do but also would like to know if I can at least enjoy it a couple times before I have to go back to not smoking at all

Genuine question for anyone who works at Bruce Power or in the nuclear industry.

Why is there such a large pay difference between skilled trades workers and nuclear operators when the trades require a pretty significant amount of training and experience themselves?

For example, a Red Seal plumber or electrician goes through roughly 9000 hours of on the-job training, along with three terms of schooling consisting of 8 weeks for each. That's years of apprenticeship, thousands of hours in the field, technical exams, safety training, and eventually a Red Seal certification.

Tradespeople at a nuclear facility are also working in an extremely regulated environment where the quality of their work can directly affect the safety and reliability of the plant. They're dealing with complex systems, strict procedures, radiation-controlled areas, confined spaces, high-pressure systems, electrical equipment, and a lot of responsibility.

I'm not saying nuclear operators shouldn't be paid well—they absolutely should. I'm more curious about why the compensation gap is so large between operators and skilled trades when trades people also have years of training and carry a significant amount of responsibility.

Is it mainly because of the additional licensing/training required to become an operator, the level of responsibility for operating the reactor, the labour market, or simply how the different positions are valued under the collective agreements?

Anyone ever go back to school right after they turned out? Got a couple years left of apprenticeship but am getting close to having an engineering transfer degree and enjoy gaining the knowledge quite a bit. It's becoming kind of a personal goal to get a degree. Would the hall come for money for school if I went to get a bachelor's right when I turned out? How could I stay on good terms in case I ever wanted to come back?

First day of class, they checked everyones information like phone # and email to make sure we are contacted correctly. Was also asked what contractor we work for. Everyone had one but very few people including me. I thought theres a list for people that need work and a contractor will reach out to me about a job. Should I wait or ask about when I will get put to work?

Lu420

I got into plumbing last year. I previously worked food service, got laid off unexpectedly and was out of work for over half a year. Through an AFL-CIO program that helps low income people get into the trades, although it pays less than I made prior until year three. In the long run it will pay off, or it should.

When I was talking to people in this program I was told I would make $81k a year before taxes, healthcare and pension etc once I turn out. That sounds great, especially given I have no kids.

However I’ve been learning from many guys that a majority of plumbers don’t work a full year, more often than not they are lucky to hit 10 months, bad years only about half the year.

My question is, is it difficult to stay working year round once you hit the last few years of your apprenticeship or turn out?

If I’m going to be paying for and taking classes and paying annual fees for state and city licenses, it just seems reasonable to expect that I’d stay working through most of the year. Otherwise even at 10 months, that’s only $67k before taxes. Essentially you earn about the same as a manager of a grocery store or Starbucks despite the fact that you need certificates, licenses and classes to be a plumber. Just seems a bit low of a return for what you put in. Not hating on grocery store managers, just pointing out that both occupations pay roughly the same but plumbing has more requirements

I like the work, I’ve really enjoyed it over the last year but it seems that all the work we put in to maintain our eligibility to work in our states and cities that we are vastly under-appreciated.

And I recognize the fact that this issue is out of control of the union and even in many cases, the contractors have no control. It’s all dependent largely on if there’s investment in my region that creates work. This summer there is far less work available than last summer and many people are talking about how the “pick up” in work over the last 5-7 years has peaked. So it’s causing a bit of doubt and hesitation heading into my first year of class and I’m looking to see if someone can give me some more realistic expectations on what this career looks like and if I can expect to live comfortably in this field.

Hey brothers & sisters,
I wanted to put a discussion out there about shop dynamics and how we handle dispatch, scheduling, and keeping newer hands working—especially when moving to a new shop or during slow stretches. There’s actually quite a bit in here to chew on and in writing this I’ve stumbled upon more questions than I had at the start, so sorry if this is verbose.

Context: I’m in a pipefitters-only local starting my 4th year with a proven track record, and most of my time has been spent doing pure service work on my own. My first shop was the Wild West and I learned a ton.

After moving to a new shop last February I’ve been dealing with a frustrating stretch myself, sitting at home more than I'd like and haven’t broken 152 hours a month since I started in February. But this post isn't about my schedule, necessarily! I’m trying to asses the bigger picture of how work gets distributed and how easily a hand can slip through the cracks.

I’ve been doing everything right: I’ve talked to nearly all the technicians and established apprentices in the company, keep a "frequent flyers" list that I revisit regularly, and reached out to 8 different guys just since last Tuesday trying to drum up work. Guys throw work my way when they can, and my journeyman has a day for me this Thursday, but it highlights a recurring bottleneck: senior techs and established guys mostly have just enough to keep themselves and their direct apprentices busy, leaving floating hands or new guys stranded.

Given my background - 6 years in power plants and other related union work before becoming a pipefitter, with my first 3.5 years at an industrial refrigeration shop - I know I have the skills to pull my weight. But it’s made me wonder about how these mechanical shops are structured:

- How do your shops handle integrating new hands or dealing with guys sitting on the bench when everyone else is siloed with their own routes and apprentices?

- Are service managers dropping the ball on keeping track of who is sitting at home, or are dispatchers too reliant on techs to self-dispatch their own help?

- What can we do as a brotherhood, and what can I do as a soon-to-be journeyman, to make sure work gets shared and younger guys aren't left drowning or looking for scraps without burning ourselves out? And how do you senior techs treat that extra work load? - at my first shop I was helping younger apprentices over the phone since my 2nd year and always struggle to justify billing it, but I’m sure it has added up over time.

Office folk seem to be far removed from any interest in getting us what we need to be successful, so I feel like the onus is on us field guys to take care of each other as much as we can.

Appreciate any perspective or insight from how things run in your neck of the woods. Stay safe out there.

Side note: I’ve also considered that my shop over hired and that I’m essentially bloat right now. I’ve heard that they have plans to move to a new building and so they could have hired in preparation for some growth within the company. But that doesn’t pay my bills. And before anyone asks, yes I absolutely have contacted my service manager and we’re currently trying to work through this. Last stop is the hall if this situation doesn’t improve.

Will I be able to catch onto everything easily? I only been in the field for 6 months my apprenticeship and the rest in the shop. Im not a bad worker infact my Forman says I'm the best one in the shop. I have understanding of all my fittings, soldering, brazing, and I study my Plumbing books that were given from school everyday But im scared, that I will have to do something in the field that I never done and my peers will already expect me to know how to do it. Is this ok to happen? Will I be able to catch on easily and cruise along with the others?

Are there any Local 1 (NYC) workers? If so what is the B division and how different is it from the A Div?

Are we able to write off mileage to and from jobs on personal vehicles? I know Trumps 2017 tax bill changed everything, I wasn’t sure if writing anything off for tax time was still even possible as a W-2 employee.

Ignore the flair that’s the best I could come up with lol

Can I get tips on what to expect as a first time apprentice working at a refinery? What type of work I could be doing, safety tips, hours, do’s and don’t.

After a little over 7 month I got the acceptance letter for Local 189, pretty excited. Any tips for a first year apprentice?

Hello everyone. I am interested in applying for Local 525. One of the requirements is that an applicant must submit a copy of their High School diploma and High School transcripts. I am able to request a copy of my high school transcripts, however I do not have a copy of my HS diploma and am unsure if I can request it with my school district. (I did not go to High School in Vegas). I do however have an Associate's degree from the local community college here and was wondering if anybody could verify if that would suffice for the education requirements or if they strictly require a copy of the HS diploma. Any information is appreciated.

I should have went union years ago when I was working private but my knowledge was really low about unions and trades at that time, but I've been working for a municipality for the last year, and love my job currently.

I'm just confused if I am allowed to continue working for my current employer or how does going on the dispatch board work? I've met other plumbers who are working in various municipalties around me that told me they still pay their dues to my local.

There are a few employers I do have interest in working for but they only accept people that work in the UA directly so you have to take a call from dispatch to get in.

Plumber here in KW area. Everytime I apply to the UA I get a call from an organizer telling me the fastest way to get in is to flip the company you work for to UA. Is that normal? Is that seriously the only way? Seems slimy as shit to me. And not something I’m about to do. Any tips on what I should do would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!!