# Do the ibew techs have salts too?



## Butt Splice (Aug 28, 2011)

Tech being a 'limited journeyman,' or low-voltage tel-data, fire alarm, and burg electrician.

My shop has expanded through last summer, and this one, to four men. We are staying very busy, with lots of OT. The problem is that I think I hired a 'union' man. He's setting strict working conditions with his partner. Coffee breaks, lunch, start and quit time, etc. The partner doesn't like this. He's also spreading talk about prevailing wages.... None of this has been told directly to me thus yet.

Anyways, I'm not sure I like this new guy. He's making waves. I feel like I'm being watched and waited to slip up. 

Am I too worried?? I didn't think the ibew salted low-voltage shops... in this area the low-voltage guys in the union have solid employment. Whoever is making trouble, I wish they'd leave me alone!

What should I do?!? I can't just lay him off, he might soak up a bunch of unemployment.... or worse...


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Butt Splice said:


> Tech being a 'limited journeyman,' or low-voltage tel-data, fire alarm, and burg electrician.
> 
> My shop has expanded through last summer, and this one, to four men. We are staying very busy, with lots of OT. The problem is that I think I hired a 'union' man. He's setting strict working conditions with his partner. Coffee breaks, lunch, start and quit time, etc. The partner doesn't like this. He's also spreading talk about prevailing wages.... None of this has been told directly to me thus yet.
> 
> ...



Just let him go and don't tell him why.

if you don't want him t collect 99 weeks of welfair just fire him for insubordination Play there game they lie so can you pay dirty with a dirty player.....:thumbup:


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

Butt, I am not in the Union so I can't for sure say whether they do or don't salt LV, LC, alarm, etc. shops. If everything is above board, you shouldn't have any issues either way. If all their time is paid correctly, Ot, what not, I see no reason for you to get hit by a organizing drive. Now if you're doing some shady [email protected], yeah, you might have issues. Plant I worked at before turned away two organizing drives. Not that they are a great company to work for, quite the opposite. It's just that they were the biggest employer in the area and would probably shut down that facility if it went union.


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## Wireman191 (Aug 28, 2011)

They are everywhare!


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Oh look, Miller is back.


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## Englishsparky (Nov 6, 2010)

There was a post here a week or so ago telling people how the union salt, I am not sure if it got deleted or who it was by.


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

?????????????? Miller what?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I will gguarantee you that one uc hit will not effect your rate. Fire him Monday, and don't tell him why. Not fitting in with company culture is a good enough reason, but don't tip your hand. Send him down the pike immediately. Salt or not (I doubt it), he's poison to the rest. Get him the hell outta there.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Englishsparky said:


> There was a post here a week or so ago telling people how the union salt, I am not sure if it got deleted or who it was by.


It was posted by skinny:laughing:


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

Harry, is Or. a RTW state? I know here if Fl. they can sh?tcan you for any or no reason at all but that's because right to work(fire) law allows that. In a non RTW state though, even term for cause really would have to be pretty well documented I would think. No docs would play pretty well into a Nlrb complaint IMO.........


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

What is Millers story ?


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> I will gguarantee you that one uc hit will not effect your rate. Fire him Monday, and don't tell him why. Not fitting in with company culture is a good enough reason, but don't tip your hand. Send him down the pike immediately. Salt or not (I doubt it), he's poison to the rest. Get him the hell outta there.


Could not say that better..:thumbup:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Jmohl said:


> Harry, is Or. a RTW state? I know here if Fl. they can sh?tcan you for any or no reason at all but that's because right to work(fire) law allows that. In a non RTW state though, even term for cause really would have to be pretty well documented I would think. No docs would play pretty well into a Nlrb complaint IMO.........



In my state you can fire people for any reason as long as it is not discrimination .

And you don't need a reason as well.:thumbsup:


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

How does that play with uI claims and such?


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## Skinnyelectrician (Aug 10, 2011)

You sound paranoid yo. As long as your playing by the rules, what's there to worry about? How's this "union" mans work ethic? I don't see the problem with being punctual, don't you appreciate timelyness?


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## Butt Splice (Aug 28, 2011)

I am worried enough now to seek councel. This is an at-will employment state, but terminations don't fly easy.

We do alot of work in a local hospital. I made the mistake of directing him to run work there. Now I'm afraid they may see him as a go-to guy if he leaves for a reputable shop. That is, after all, how I made my entry into the biz... Should I try to buy him out? He's a great hand, other than the salting beef. Anybody ever buy a man out?


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

Saturday night and were talking salt !


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## Skinnyelectrician (Aug 10, 2011)

Butt Splice said:


> I am worried enough now to seek councel. This is an at-will employment state, but terminations don't fly easy.
> 
> We do alot of work in a local hospital. I made the mistake of directing him to run work there. Now I'm afraid they may see him as a go-to guy if he leaves for a reputable shop. That is, after all, how I made my entry into the biz... Should I try to buy him out? He's a great hand, other than the salting beef. Anybody ever buy a man out?


Your an idiot.


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## Jmohl (Apr 26, 2011)

I guess there's always the direct approach. Call him in for a one on one and ask him directly if he's a salt. Ask him if there's something that he is concerned with as far as how things are run in the shop...


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## Butt Splice (Aug 28, 2011)

Skinnyelectrician said:


> I don't see the problem with being punctual, don't you appreciate timelyness?


I want my men to do a day's work. Whether it takes six and a half hours or nine hours, just get the work done. As long as the average works out to just less than eight on straight-time, it's a win-win.

Overtime puts the men's scale at just over the union scale, so I'm not too worried about nights and weekends.


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