# How do you get your hustle on while riding the books?



## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

miller_elex said:


> Work non-union / salt?
> 
> Travel?
> 
> ...


Work in the real world:laughing:


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

HARRY304E said:


> Work in the real world:laughing:


I was hoping your grandkids were visiting, and you'd be pre-occupied and leave the rest of us alone.


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## eric7379 (Jan 5, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> Work in the real world:laughing:


I think that he has a valid point. 

Union or non-union, if I am ever unemployed, I will do what I have to do to support my family and make ends meet because at the end of the day, I am responsible for supporting my family, not the union or anybody else. If that ever means crossing a picket line, then so be it.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

miller_elex said:


> I was hoping your grandkids were visiting, and you'd be pre-occupied and leave the rest of us alone.


they are sleeping.
If your a licensed Electrician and can not find a job then go out and start your own business

Why sit around waiting for the union when you can make all the money you want running your own shop:thumbup:


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

I go back to being a mechanic and IT/engineer... doing the **** i left to attempt to be an electrician


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I'm just picturing hundreds of unemployed electricians at the union hall disco dancing:


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

HARRY304E said:


> Work in the real world:laughing:


Brother Noah says some hokey brotherhood stuff, but he is very right about many things.

Noah travels and works time jobs, and I know he puts alot of money away, and banks alot of hours for his retirement.

I knew alot of non-union electricians over 40 who had NO retirement saved at all. Not residential guys, they are commercial / industrial guys. One, who was sharp, and a training center instructor, told me, 'when I get to the end of the road, what I got, is all I got.'

Harry, layout your blueprint for me, how going into business for myself, and dealing with the stress, is the better way to go. I seen alot of EC's come and go... and when they go... so goes the home and the IRA... :blink:

If you bring a good argument, I will listen.


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> I'm just picturing hundreds of unemployed electricians at the union hall disco dancing:


MD those babes in the poofy pants made my wood knot up.

Thanks for making my day :thumbsup:


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## dawgs (Dec 1, 2007)

MDShunk said:


> I'm just picturing hundreds of unemployed electricians at the union hall disco dancing:


I cant believe a dude would dance like that.


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## John Valdes (May 17, 2007)

HARRY304E said:


> Work in the real world:laughing:


The world where you have no insurance, 401k, retirement, sick leave, disability insurance, low wages and the right to be dumped at will. If that's the real world, I will take the fake one anytime. Republican huh?



eric7379 said:


> I think that he has a valid point.
> 
> Union or non-union, if I am ever unemployed, I will do what I have to do to support my family and make ends meet because at the end of the day, I am responsible for supporting my family, not the union or anybody else. If that ever means crossing a picket line, then so be it.


Taking care of business is not what he meant. His post was meant to demonize the union because he is a right wing nut case like most everyone on this forum.



HARRY304E said:


> they are sleeping.
> If your a licensed Electrician and can not find a job then go out and start your own business
> 
> Why sit around waiting for the union when you can make all the money you want running your own shop:thumbup:


That's a load of crap. Not everyone wants to run a one, two man shop and worry their asses off day and night and may not make a dime in their first year or so.. Whats so f**king bad about having a good paying job with benefits? Whats so bad about about being a union guy? I have worked both and have seen the difference up close and personal. The choice was and still is simple to me.
Owning your own company is not for everyone. And anyone that would attempt it now is taking a serious risk.


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## Shockdoc (Mar 4, 2010)

I'm solo, with wife p/t. I work one week on, one week off. Problem is i spend all my money on my weeks off due to too much free time between estimates.


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

John Valdes said:


> Whats so f**king bad about having a good paying job with benefits?


Nothing at all.... Harry spun my thread into a business promotion. :no:

The OP was asking what we do.... and to be honest about it.... whether on the DL or above board, what have we been doing during the latest slump?

Riding the hook?

Sitting on the book?

My one bud, got his contractor and master card, and is doing small TI's and resi while waiting on the book. He's not taking work from any union contractors... and the hall doesn't need to know about it. That's one example.

I am still waiting for a common sense response from Harry.


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## Loose Neutral (Jun 3, 2009)

Dude it's hard to take you serious with that pic. 
Anyways as you know most down times are not this bad. But when it is, you have to put on your hustle. The good times far outweigh the bad times though. I think it's funny how the non-union side thinks we ride the bench a lot. Most guys in my local work new construction and that part of the economy happens to be slow. That goes for union and non union. On the other hand i've seen times so good guys walk on the job and then decide if they want to stay or not. Even if you factor in the bad times with the good it still averages pretty good. In the end the pension will be right and the 401 looks real good. To each his own it's America baby.


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

John Valdes said:


> The world where you have no insurance, 401k, retirement, sick leave, disability insurance, low wages and the right to be dumped at will. If that's the real world, I will take the fake one anytime. Republican huh?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I work in the real world and have insurance,retirement and rather high wages and I am a republican so suck my **** you f-in *******.

For your info Political discussion is against the forum rules and you should be suspended like the others.

Funny you LEFT WING NUT CASES all seem to be out of work on here all day crying about it and trying to beat the system(like the thread states) yet bashing the guys that are working in the "REAL WORLD" because we are working.


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## Charlie K (Aug 14, 2008)

Back in the early 80's when work was bad I was out for 14 months. I had an empty 1 ton van and I would run an add in the paper to clean out garages and attics. Lots of stuff went to the dump and some to the flea markets. I would sell firewood, sit at the home centers and watch people try to get stuff in their cars and then deliver it to them. I would also go to the wholesale markets and load up on produce and sell it. I actually made good money and really hated to go back to work.

Charlie


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

miller_elex said:


> Brother Noah says some hokey brotherhood stuff, but he is very right about many things.
> 
> Noah travels and works time jobs, and I know he puts alot of money away, and banks alot of hours for his retirement.
> 
> ...



Miller
Going in to business for my self was the best move i ever made.

working for an EC is allways a non secure way to make a living Union or non union your job is allways day to day you never know when your going to get fired/laid off when that hapens you loose all your customers and all you have is your UI check that does not pay the bills.

I started out in the trade in the 1970's and got laidoff/fired plenty of times the pay checks were never enough i tryed to get the union no dice around here you have to know somone to get or organize an EC's shop
that i would not doo .

So in 1995 i passed the master Electrician Exam and went out on my own i was living week to week then and was getting no where so i started my own business.

How? I went door to door and handed out flyer's it was ten times harder than just working for a EC but i kept going soon i found my self to busy and had to hire others to help and there is lots of stress night mares and horra shows.

over the years i have had lots of good Electricians and helpers work for me and bad ones too .
right now i am by myself my number one Electrician worked for me for 12 years he retired and went to florida:thumbup:good for him.

the last 4 years have been the hardest and it looks like it will be hard for some time to come, but on a week to week baisis i still take in at least five times as much noney as a union guy would .

Im 51 years old i could retire today but i don't want to ,Even with all the extrem stress with times like this i get up go out and strap on the tool belt and do it,,Its what i love.
any time is a good time to start "YOUR OWN BUSINESS":thumbup:


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

Harry, that was one of the finer posts on this forum, 

THANKS :thumbup:


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## Bob Badger (Apr 19, 2009)

John Valdes said:


> The world where you have no insurance, 401k, retirement, sick leave, disability insurance, low wages and the right to be dumped at will. If that's the real world, I will take the fake one anytime. Republican huh?


You are really a one trick pony.

I, and the rest of the guys I work with have

401ks 

Paid vacations / sick time

Short term disability insurance 

Long term disability insurance

Good wages 

Free state approved apprentice training 

Safety training

Trucks or truck allowances

Mileage for jobs far from home

Per Diems if on the road over night

Safe workplaces

Safe procedures





> Whats so bad about about being a union guy?


Nothing if that is what you want.





> I have worked both and have seen the difference up close and personal. The choice was and still is simple to me.


You have not seen it all, and if you worked for a crappy merit shop then you only have to look in the mirror to see whose fault that was. 

I choose to work for good merit shops. :thumbsup:


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

miller_elex said:


> Harry, that was one of the finer posts on this forum,
> 
> THANKS :thumbup:


You are welcome and we may not agree on much but, i wish you the best of luck no mater what what you doo:thumbup:

I like your Dog:thumbup:


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

Haven't ridden the books yet. I guess I'm one o' them "shop rockets" or whatever it's called.

But I make a little bit extra income as an apprenticeship instructor. Not much, but it knocks out a couple of the monthly bills. My wife is working on her degree but she's working as a school bus driver too. So between our 3 jobs, we're doing pretty decent.


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## Rudeboy (Oct 6, 2009)

Bob Badger said:


> You are really a one trick pony.
> 
> I, and the rest of the guys I work with have
> 
> ...


I work open/merit shop as well and that's basically what I get as well, more or less. 

But come on Bob, you may or not know that most non-union shops don't offer what you posted. 

Of the (twelve) permanently employed electricians that my shop employs, three are local 595 members(short and long story). 

So basically we all have the same base scale which is the same as the locals. And, my shop is run kinda like a union shop, but, there's no salting and really none of the non union members have any reason to become union anyway. 

You know, for all of the anti & pro union crap that I read on this site it's amazing that I work for co that employs both... and there's never a union/non union problem in house... ever!

End randomness.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I do not think it maters what you do, as long as you do something. Sitting at home watching The Price Is Right and surfing for **** will get you into a funk that is difficult to drag your ass out of. Get up do something.


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## slickvic277 (Feb 5, 2009)

For me, I could never just sit around and do nothing. In ten years I have never been without work in the trade, union or not.

But I've been out for a year now do to an injury and subsequent surgeries. It's been difficult, financially, mentally, and physically.

But I still went out and got a part time office job. Doesn't pay much but it still beats sitting home doing nothing and the little bit of money has really helped, a lot.


Now if I was just out do to a lay-off I would be working full time as a short order cook. That in it's self is a trade and I have always been able to make some decent cash doing it.


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## 480sparky (Sep 20, 2007)

Rudeboy said:


> ...........But come on Bob, you may or not know that most non-union shops don't offer what you posted. .........


I've worked for two outfits in the past that offered _at least _that much. One also had Unreimbursed Medical Expenses and Unreimbursed Child Car Expense tax-free accounts. I'm sure there were other bennies, but I don't remember them because I opted out.


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## Bob Badger (Apr 19, 2009)

Rudeboy said:


> I work open/merit shop as well and that's basically what I get as well, more or less.
> 
> But come on Bob, you may or not know that most non-union shops don't offer what you posted.


I do know that, I know that as well as any of us.:thumbsup:

I also know that very few non-union shops force any free person to work for them.


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

Bob Badger said:


> I also know that very few non-union shops force any free person to work for them.


Proof that the non-union contractor needs electricians more than electricians need him: I've seen many times where the same bozo who got fired and the office talks trash about, is rehired and put back in a van a year later. WTF? scratching head.


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## erics37 (May 7, 2009)

brian john said:


> I do not think it maters what you do, as long as you do something. Sitting at home watching The Price Is Right and surfing for **** will get you into a funk that is difficult to drag your ass out of. Get up do something.


Yeah but that is such an awesome way to spend a Sunday :thumbup:


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## miller_elex (Jan 25, 2008)

slickvic277 said:


> Now if I was just out do to a lay-off I would be working full time as a short order cook. That in it's self is a trade and I have always been able to make some decent cash doing it.


Man Slick, I like that show Kitchen Nightmares. Please tell me you're a fan of fresh food and clean kitchens!

Slick, your expertise is needed on restaurant remodels, these owners can't decide what kitchen appliance goes where.... its like a basketball game! Expensive for them too... it costs alot of money when the owner and chef can't make up their mind.


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## slickvic277 (Feb 5, 2009)

> *miller_elex*;324335]Man Slick, I like that show Kitchen Nightmares. Please tell me you're a fan of fresh food and clean kitchens!


Hell yeah, I always keep a clean kitchen. You can taste a dirty one on the food. Kitchen nightmares is the sh*t, especially the original one that's on the BBC. Ramsey made a dude sell his BMW so he could buy the proper equipment. 



> Slick, your expertise is needed on restaurant remodels, these owners can't decide what kitchen appliance goes where.... its like a basketball game! Expensive for them too... it costs alot of money when the owner and chef can't make up their mind.


It's all about ease of use and practicality. If your kitchen is over complicated, your cooking will be too.


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